Haxmeier 1

Nicole Haxmeier
ENG: 105 Plastic Surgery
Mrs. Joannie Kilburg
10 November 2016
As social media has become prevalent in the lives of the youth of the United States,
beauty standards have drastically shifted and are more unrealistic than ever before. Young people
no longer want to possess the characteristics that create an individual, but would rather conform
to perfection through plastic surgery. Years ago, the realm of plastic surgery seemed to stay
transfixed to Beverly Hills and Jersey Shore, but social media has caused numbers to skyrocket
globally while preying on insecurity, and has now created an uncanny trend. As a result of these
demands of goddess-like beauty, 98% of girls say there is an immense pressure from external
sources to look a certain way (Pressure & Perfectionism n.p.). Confidence is no longer an
internal battle, but through the effect of social media, it has begun to affect the daily lives of
younger generations. In fact, 64% of surgeons in 2015 saw an increase in facial surgery of people
under 30 (Matthews n.p.). Plastic surgery should have an extent of limitation within the media
because it is unnecessary, it is expensive and unsafe, and it promotes a perfection ideal to people
far too young.
Plastic surgery dates back to 600 B.C.E. India, where amputation of the nose was used as
a punishment for committing adultery. While many advancements happened in between, the
unnecessary forms of aesthetic plastic surgery began in 1890 with the first surgical breast
augmentation using paraffin injections. In 1961, the first silicone gel sacs were implanted
producing consistent results, and in 1974 an Italian gynecologist introduced liposuction.
Cosmetic procedures were performed 1 million times per year for the first time in 1991, and in
2004, the number jumped to 14.8 million. 2011 results showed a large increase in cosmetic
procedures on teens, and in 2015, Americans spent more than $13.5 billion on plastic surgery.

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(Proquest Staff n.p.) As social media becomes more of a daunting presence, the number of
cosmetic procedures has skyrocketed. A social media site commonly used by young people today
is Instagram, also known as the platform that famed the selfie, which was coincidentally released
just one year before the number of teenager cosmetic procedures jumped up. However, that is
sadly not the only influence social media has had on plastic surgery procedures.
People have a right to enhance their beauty, or completely alter it, however, it changes the
game when breast implants, nose jobs, and tummy tucks become trendy after masses of
celebrities glamorize going under the knife on social media. One of the greatest social media
influences of today is Kylie Jenner. Kylie Jenner received lip augmentation in 2014 to plump her
naturally thin lips, and in 2015 lip augmentation procedures jumped up 5%. Her sister Kim
Kardashian was the inspiration for 45% of bottom-enhancing procedures in 2014, following the
release of her Paper magazine cover that exposed her enlarged backside (Cohen n.p.). It may be
argued the Kardashians realm only affects their specific following, but its actually much larger
than them. In fact, 82% of surgeons report celebrities played a role in their patients decision to
receive plastic surgery (Matthews n.p.). Music has even become a major trigger for the bottomenhancing procedure, from songs such as Anaconda by Nicki Minaj to Booty by Jennifer Lopez
(Cohen n.p.).
In their bright spotlight, celebrities have always played an influential role in the lives of
Americans, especially teenagers. Long before the invention of social media, teenagers would
hang posters on their wall of the celebrities or athletes they idolized. Now, teenagers can scroll
through hundreds of airbrushed and flawless selfies of their favorite celebrities. The result has
been revolting; as the ideal of beauty has become a slim window, self-esteem has plummeted,
causing beautiful people to turn to plastic surgery.

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In a survey of college students, 64% reported they were conscious about an aspect of
their appearance, 65% believed looks were important for success at work, and 80% said the face
was the most important aspect of their appearance. Additionally, more than half of teens say they
were influenced by the beauty ideals on social media, and wished to change their looks
(Choudhary n.p.). Self-esteem plummets at age 12 and does not improve until age 20, so it is
despondent that young people undergo plastic surgery during a time when insecurity is only
amplified (The Issues n.p.). Today, 1 in 4 people say they would like to receive some form of
cosmetic surgery. Not only is the realm of social media reaching younger generations, but also
men, who in the past 5 years have seen a 273% increase in cosmetic procedures (Sloan 5).
Scientific data suggests only 5% of people seeking cosmetic surgery do so as a result of a mental
disorder, which means 95% are perfectly conventional-looking (Choudhary n.p.).
It is relieving to realize everyone has insecurities, but it is alarming that, for most people,
their insecurity affects their everyday life so much a large number would consider cosmetic
procedure. It is also disheartening to discover teenagers have the ability to change an aspect of
themselves without ever developing into their true adult selves.
In 2015, liposuction topped the procedure charts, preying on the immense body insecurity
in our country. Today, over 80% of 10 year-old girls are afraid of being fat (The Issues n.p.).
Among women, breast augmentation, tummy tucks, and eyelid surgery were leading procedures.
Nose surgery, eyelid surgery, and breast reduction topped the charts for men. People aged 35 to
50 were the most likely to go under the knife (Bauknecht E1).
While there are many negatives and side effects of cosmetic surgery, one of the greatest
cons is the price. America alone spent $13.5 billion on these procedures in 2015 according to the
American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, up from $12 billion in 2014 (Bauknecht E1).

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People have now begun to seek out clinics online to find a reasonable price for their plastic
surgery, and it has ended in death. Londoner Joy Williams, for example, received buttock
augmentation from a clinic she discovered online, and died soon afterward when the silicone
injections became infected, and she surely is not the only one (Cohen n.p.). From 2011 to 2014,
officials connected 4 deaths in the United States as a result of illegal buttock injections (Bashan
A.17). In March of 2014, the State Department warned Americans to avoid going to the
Dominican Republic for plastic surgery after a series of complications occurred, and in 2012 an
investigative report by USA Today revealed only half of the states required licensing to practice
plastic surgery ("Plastic Surgery Timeline" n.p.). Of procedures resulting in patient deaths, only
3% go to court in order to settle the claim, so even a surgeon with a clean legal record can be an
unsafe choice (Studdert n.p.).
Even with a certified and safe doctor, patients may still be putting themselves at risk.
Plastic surgery can result in complications related to anesthesia, infection, fluid build up, intense
bleeding, scarring or skin breakdown, and nerve damage (Mayo Clinic Staff n.p.). Even if a
patient does receive cosmetic surgery with an honest doctor, good price, and no complications,
he or she may not be satisfied with the results. Following all of the plastic surgery tragedies,
people are still willing to risk their lives for the sake of being beautiful.
Despite the negative aspects of plastic surgery, it is often argued these procedures can be
the solution to bullying and make people feel more comfortable in their own skin. A 14 year-old
named Nadia Ilse became the target of bullies in first grade because of her protruding ears. She
and her mother discovered an organization which grants the cost of plastic surgery to children
with disfigurement. After receiving a grant, Ilse attended a plastic surgeon who later suggested
she could use some work on her chin and nose too ("Is Plastic Surgery the Solution to Bullying?"

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n.p.). Nadia never commented on whether or not the bullying stopped following the procedures,
but through this organization, she was enabled to simply change aspects of her individuality
rather than deal with her troubles. Additionally, the doctor preyed on her insecurity in order to
receive a greater paycheck.
So, do procedures like Nadias actually work to help boost attractiveness and selfesteem? According to a study published in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery, patients only
experience a tiny insignificant increase in attractiveness ("Plastic Surgery Timeline" n.p.). As
for personal confidence, doctors asked patients to complete a self-esteem survey before and after
their procedures, and following their surgery the patients average scores had increased from 24.3
to 24.6 out of 30. This is only a 1% change in self-esteem as a result of thousands of dollars of
payments as well as risks. Researchers who studied these trends were at a loss for the lack of
increase in confidence, and concluded simply that this underscores the complex nature of the
human psyche (Kaplan A.14).
The small increase in self-esteem after plastic surgery is most likely because patients then
move on to another flaw that is amplified now another has been fixed. Humans cannot stay
happy based on external factors; true love of a being is internal, and that is what many people fail
to realize before spending masses of money on unnecessary changes. This is often how people
will fall into an alarming spiral of surgeries because people do not have the ability to stay
satisfied.
Although solving the social media driven plastic surgery craze may seem unreasonable,
other countries have implemented effective regulations. Australia requires a 3-month cooling off
period for patients under the age of 18, mandatory consultations, as well as a 7-day cooling off
period for all patients considering a major procedure. They expect that patients will reconsider

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during these periods, and put younger people at a lower risk. Australia has a larger issue with
plastic surgery per capita than America, and they too have seen an increasing amount of
procedures in young people (Scott n.p.) This proves that social medias perfection ideal influence
has traveled to countries across the border of the United States. Additionally, Instagram and other
social media outlets should ban the videos of people receiving Botox injections, or any other
cosmetic procedure. This is essentially sponsoring specific surgeons, and offers no benefit to the
social media world outside of those sponsorships. It is only increasing the popularity and
regularity of these procedures to the young and impressionable social media users.
Regulations on the glamorization of plastic surgery on social media should be
implemented because it is unnecessary, it is expensive and unsafe, and it promotes a perfection
ideal to people far too young. Cosmetic procedure was first introduced in 600 B.C.E. and has
now spiraled into a craze driven by social media stars and celebrities. The social media influence
has affected both men and younger people in their desire to receive plastic surgery. The high cost
of these procedures often drives patients to take part in malpractice, and has caused deaths in the
past. While it is argued plastic surgery will increase self-esteem, studies have proven it has little
to no effect both externally and internally. Therefore, limitations should be implemented to
decrease the unsafe and unnecessary desire for plastic surgery, and allow Americans to embrace
their individuality rather than conceal it.

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Works Cited
Bashan, Yoni. "Issue Is More Than Cosmetic." Wall Street Journal. 24 Jun. 2014: A.17. SIRS
Issues Researcher. Web. 09 Nov. 2016. <http://sks.sirs.com/webapp/article?
artno=0000363891&type=ART>.
Bauknecht, Sara. "Cosmetic Surgery Trends to Watch." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 10 Apr. 2016:
E.1. SIRS Issues Researcher.Web. 09 Nov. 2016. <http://sks.sirs.com/webapp/article?
artno=0000382610&type=ART>.
Choudhary, Sunil. "Am I Beautiful the Way I Am?." India Today. 19 Jan. 2015: n.p. SIRS Issues
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artno=0000370566&type=ART>.
Cohen, Claire. "Bottom Line? Young British Women Are Now Dying for the
Perfect...." Telegraph.co.uk.. 12 Nov. 2014: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 09 Nov.
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"Cosmetic Surgery Risks." Mayo Clinic Staff. Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical
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<http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cosmetic-surgery/basics/risks/prc20022389>.
"Is Plastic Surgery the Solution to Bullying?" Proud2Bme. National Eating Disorders
Association, 2012. Web. 09 Nov. 2016. <http://proud2bme.org/content/plastic-surgerysolution-bullying>.
Kaplan, Karen. "Does Cosmetic Facial Surgery Lift Self-Esteem?." Los Angeles Times. 09 Nov.
2015: A.14. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 09 Nov. 2016.
<http://sks.sirs.com/webapp/article?artno=0000376886&type=ART>.

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Matthews, Patty. "New 2015 Stats: Face of Plastic Surgery Goes Younger Due to Growing Social
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