Cosmetic Surgery

Cosmetic, or aesthetic, surgery is a medical procedure that a person undergoes with the objective of altering her or his appearance. Cosmetic surgery differs from rehabilitative or reconstructive surgery, in which the surgeon seeks to repair a damaged feature of the body. With regard to function, the body, which is to be manipulated through cosmetic surgery, is not usually impaired. Cosmetic surgery, which falls under the larger category of plastic surgery, is usually an elective procedure that patients seek to undertake, and therefore health insurance providers infrequently cover its costs. However, some countries' basic health insurance plans (such as the Netherlands) will recompense the costs of aesthetic surgery if a physician deems it to be necessary.

Although the origins of cosmetic surgery reach back over 100 years, the growth in its popularity in the past two decades has been phenomenal. As technologies progress, negative health implications are reduced, surgical options expand, and the number of surgeons who perform these procedures increase, cosmetic surgery has become an expansive, lucrative industry. While no official comprehensive governmental statistics are collected on cosmetic surgery patients, the dramatic increase in the number of procedures has been documented by formal cosmetic surgery organizations. Whereas in the early 1980s, only a few hundred thousand cosmetic procedures had been completed, the number of surgeries has risen substantially to over 11 million in 2005, according to the National Clearinghouse of Plastic Surgery Statistics by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

Even though cosmetic surgery is still a costly endeavor, with fees ranging from a few hundred dollars for less invasive surgery to several thousands of dollars for extensive surgeries, decreasing costs across the board have led to a democratization of cosmetic surgery, as it has become a more realistic option for people of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Americans spent over $12 billion on [Page 164]cosmetic procedures in 2005. Women have accounted for the vast majority of cosmetic surgery patients (approximately 90%), and the distribution of women and men within specific kinds of surgical procedures is evident as well. Additionally, racial minorities obtained approximately 20% of all cosmetic procedures, which is a recent development. An overview of the history of cosmetic surgery and the cultural ideologies of appearance suggests that cosmetic surgery both reflects and perpetuates gender ideals about what is considered normal and attractive.