Ethical Issues in Plastic Surgery
There are several ethical issues facing the plastic surgery industry as a result of the growth of cosmetic surgery. The conflict between the desire for beauty and medical responsibility is the source of some of these difficulties. Ethical questions about the psychological effects on patients and how social influences influence people's decisions to have cosmetic surgery surface as the procedure becomes more easily accessible.
Social Pressure and Body Image
People may feel pressured to have cosmetic surgery in order to meet increasingly defined cultural standards for beauty. Although it's normal to want to improve one's appearance, the media frequently contributes significantly to the enforcement of these standards, which raises the number of procedures like lip augmentation and facelifts (Hodges, 2008). When patients' expectations are not satisfied or issues arise after cosmetic surgery, this increasing dependence on the procedure may lead to psychological difficulties.
According to the Canadian Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (2015), critics contend that society's emphasis on looks can have a negative psychological impact, especially when patients grow to have an incorrect view of their bodies. Body dysmorphia, a psychiatric illness in which people get fixated on perceived flaws in their appearance, is frequently connected to this problem.
Informed Consent and Psychological Evaluation
Obtaining informed consent is a significant ethical issue in plastic surgery. Before undergoing any procedure, patients should be completely informed about the risks, advantages, and limitations of surgery. To ascertain whether a patient is seeking surgery for the correct reasons or whether they might be experiencing disorders such body dysmorphia, psychological assessment may be required in certain situations (Jones & Janis, 2006). Additionally, surgeons must make sure that their patients' reasons for undergoing cosmetic surgery are not based on other influences. Making educated judgments requires open discussion about the possible risks and consequences.