The “Explanation of History of Plastic Surgery” tells us that plastic surgery was first performed in 800 BC when an Indian doctor named Sushruta transferred tissue from the forehead to the nose to fix nasal defects. Hundreds of years later, plastic surgery is a booming business. Valued at $49.14 billion in just 2020 and estimated to reach $64.88 billion by 2028, it is only getting bigger. But what are the ethics and motives behind getting and/or advertising plastic surgery?

Surgery is a fine art that takes many years to perfect. Drastic cosmetic surgery is expensive and difficult to undo. Plastic surgery is just as dangerous as normal surgery and just as expensive. Not many can afford to surgically change their entire appearance. But some are. Take DeLisa Stiles. Stiles was featured in a 2004 episode of “The Swan,” a short-lived reality TV show where “ugly” women were given extreme makeovers through plastic surgery. DeLisa recorded feeling “masculine” and “ugly” pre-surgery. Stiles underwent a brow lift, eye lift, tummy tuck, breast augmentation, and more for her transformation. Those procedures alone cost her an estimated $22,174. She later won a beauty contest. This kind of expensive and painful change is not accessible for many.

But we must stop and think: why did she feel she needed to look so drastically different to be beautiful? What standard does she now meet?

As plastic surgery is getting more “casual,” the beauty standards are getting higher and more extreme. There is still a stigma, which is why many of those who get plastic surgery don’t talk about it openly. You see this with many celebrities who will deny having obvious procedures. What message does this send to young fans? What happens when the young fan grows up and don’t get a new bone structure with “puberty.” The following are YouTube comments about plastic surgery that I would like to share.

So what do you think? Plastic surgery, good or bad?