Vanity Or Necessity - The Two Motives Which Push Individuals To Transform Their Physical Appearance Through Surgical Procedures
March 20th, 2010 by Jack Callen
With the increasing popularity of procedures that can alter a person’s appearance, people often encounter the terms “plastic surgery” and “cosmetic surgery”. The terms are often used interchangeably that they are sometimes thought of to be the same. Is it right to have the idea that they are identical? The answer is not as straightforward as a simple yes or no. There are subtle nuances that distinguish cosmetic surgery from reconstructive surgery and the line is so thin, it is sometimes difficult to tell the difference, but the variance does exist.
Cosmetic surgery is basically a surgery procedure with a goal of improving form. It is changing the shape of your body to look and feel better.
Cosmetic surgery is a personal choice of the patient to undergo the procedure. In cosmetic surgery, the choice to undergo the process is not due to a deformity or health issue that has to be corrected and there is no necessity or urgency to it. A person simply wants to undergo cosmetic surgery to appear more attractive in most cases. Breast enlargement or breast implants are seen as a cosmetic surgery procedure because the body parts are normally functioning structures that only need enhancing. Most often, women may go in for breast augmentation or abdominoplasty to improve their appearance and boost their morale.
Reconstructive surgery is commonly done in order to restore the body’s normal form or shape and function that may have been compromised by traumatic conditions, accidents, disease or congenital defects. Reconstructive surgery is the aspect of plastic surgery where the focus and concentration of interest is towards the treatment, restoration and recovery of forms as well as function. Reconstructive surgery can be done to treat congenital anomalies such as a cleft lip or palate, joined or extra fingers or toes, abnormal positioning of the opening of the male urethra and for abnormalities of the ear or jaws.
There are cases, however, when the very thin line that separates cosmetic surgery and reconstructive surgery becomes even more blurred. If a child is born with a cleft lip or cleft palate, for example, not only is their appearance impaired, but their speech function is severely hampered. A plastic surgery procedure that is both reconstructive and cosmetic would be able to repair the functionality of the child’s mouth and improve their appearance allowing them to live a full and normal life.
This subtle difference therefore can be explained as only a divergence in the reason for and the purpose of the procedure. Perhaps the best way of putting it is: reconstructive surgery is an attempt to restore the individual to normal, while cosmetic surgery is an attempt to surpass the normal.
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- Posted in Beauty