From the beginning of civilization, humans have always wanted to look good. You can imagine talking with a person who hasn't had their bath, brushed their teeth, or groomed their hair for a long time. I see that look. That's how it is. Looking good has been part of our daily activity and in other to do that, simple things like washing our body is important. It is no doubt that washing our body prevents a lot of disease and infection in our body. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirms that personal hygiene can help prevent and control hygiene related diseases. The personal hygiene includes washing parts of our body with soap and water, cutting our nails, washing our hands regularly and so on. While the hygiene aspect is no doubt important, the looking good aspect seems to be the pressing matter in the heart of humans (like my friend will say, "never to be caught un-fresh").
Now, my friend has gone from hygiene and keeping normal beauty to competing with other people, or trying to be the best in shapes and beauty. This is just the same with a lot of people. From the regular bathing, it went into cosmetics. With cosmetics, it has shown that they cannot get what they desire especially with the fact that a lot of cosmetics have side effects such as skin rash, Excessive Stretch mark, multiple coloration in the body, diabetes mellitus, renal failure and cancer. So now, in the quest for looking beautiful, we have now moved to cosmetic plastic surgery.
Cosmetic surgery didn't just start today, skin grafting began in the early 800 B.C, with Indian Physicians, but it became a thing after World War 1, with injured soldiers with disfigured faces. In the quest to help return them back to form, surgeries were performed. One of the prominent surgeons who performed the surgery is Prof. Dr. J. Joseph who is now regarded as the father of modern aesthetic surgery. While Plastic surgery was done regularly, the development of silicone brought a different interest into the aesthetic surgery world. Everyone now wants to be different for the camera, defining their own beauty. A lot of celebrity did the surgery because their body was part of their stock-in-trade. A lot of people changed their nose, ears, and so on. In recent times, just to meet with fashion, cosmetic surgeries have gone deep (not calling it extreme). Surgeries such as Push-up bra, Blepharoplasty, Cheek Augmentation and enhancement, Otoplasty, Rhinoplasty, Lower Rhytidectomy (neck lift), Genioplasty, Mentoplasty, lunchtime lift/thread lift, Abdominoplasty (Tummy tuck), Mommy Makeover, Body Lift, Mammaplasty (breast surgery) of all kinds, Gluteal Augmentation and Lift, to mention a few.
In 2013, over 15.1 million cosmetic procedure were done annually, and it has been growing around the world. At first, plastic cosmetic surgery looked extreme, but over time, it has now become a routine and requirement for people doing it. Having the Barbie look is now a necessity for a lot of people. I am not going to talk down on plastic surgery since a people have their choices to make, and most people who do cosmetic surgery say they feel better about themselves but then, what are the side effect of plastic surgery or better put what could happen if it goes wrong?
The first and common one I have seen on social media, has to do with people getting their surgeries done with incompetent/unlicensed doctors claiming to be a surgeon. This simple act of negligence can be very detrimental when there are errors. One complication that could occur after cosmetic surgery is Seroma which is an accumulation of fluid under the skin after an abdominoplasty or other surgical operation. It is the most common complication with abdominoplasty. Hematomas, is another complication that is reported in Aesthetic surgery and more common with facelift surgery. With Liposuction, some organs could be at risk or damaged. Others would include scarring, Blood Loss and so on.
Conclusion
Fashion is evolving and human's quest to become more beautiful is growing. At every improvement, there is always a side effect to our health. Cosmetic till date, still has a lot of possible health effect not limited to rashes, cancer, and skin irritation. With cosmetic surgery, a lot of people are starting to partake in it for the purpose of becoming the person they want to be, but while doing this, it is very important to look at the health effect if there is a complication or error.
- Center For Disease Control and Prevention
- Review of Health Hazards and Toxicological Effects of Constituents of Cosmetics
- A Brief History of Cosmetic Procedures
- Jacques Joseph: Father of modern aesthetic surgery
- American Society of Plastic Surgeons
- Plastic Surgery Procedures Continue Steady Growth in U.S.
- Cosmetic surgery: What you should know
- 10 Plastic Surgery Mistakes No One Talks About
- Postoperative seroma formation after abdominoplasty with placement of continuous infusion local anesthetic pain pump
- Hematomas in Aesthetic Surgery
- Liposuction
- Possible Health Implications Associated with Cosmetics: A Review
Image Reference
https://www.stockvault.net/photo/218431/surgery-in-progress