The Diverse Benefits of Plastic Surgery

A 42-year-old woman regained her breasts after undergoing a mastectomy; a 5-year-old child’s face was made recognizable after enduring third-degree burns; and a transgender woman was freed from the wrong body that she was born in. For these individuals, reconstructive and cosmetic surgery was an essential tool that had the ability to positively impact their lives. Plastic surgery is an effective resource that has the strength to enhance one’s appearance and the ability to repair a wide range of health conditions. While these procedures are notoriously condemned by people who view the possible occurrence of health complications, the positive effects of plastic surgery on an individual’s well-being, significantly outweigh the disadvantages. Plastic surgery is beneficial because it has the ability to fix structural congenital defects, to help victims who have endured some form of trauma or health complication, and to improve the mental health of individuals suffering from gender dysphoria.

The strength to fix issues and disorders that people are born with can be credited to reconstructive and cosmetic surgery. Structural birth defects are extremely common and an optimum solution to fix issues as such is plastic surgery. Cleft lips and palates are structural defects that occur when an individual’s mouth is not completely evolved during pregnancy. The inadequate development of the buccal cavity has the ability to negatively impact an individual’s health and plastic surgery is performed to prevent further complications. This congenital deformity is extremely common as “one in 700 hundred children born in Ontario will have a cleft of the lip and/or palate and the Hospital for Sick Children alone performs surgery on approximately 200 to 225 new clefts each year”. Reconstructive surgery is utilized by doctors to complete the deficient structure of the mouth which helps to solve numerous breathing, eating, and speaking complications within the individual. Cosmetic surgery is also performed to reduce the scarring caused by treatment. These procedures are expedient as they have the strength to fix an issue that individuals are born with and have the capability to prevent further health problems. Plastic surgery is also a crucial resource for individuals with congenital hand deformities. An innate hand difference is a variation in the normal formation of the hand that often occurs when the fetus is in the womb. The degree of deformity varies from a minor malformation, such as unequal fingers, to a severe defect, such as the total absence of a bone. Duplicated, overgrown, and undergrown fingers pose as an interference for individuals; however, such defects can be abolished by plastic surgery. William Middleton, a reconstructive surgeon at the Stanford Healthcare Center who specializes in repairing congenital hand deformities explains the effectiveness of plastic surgery.

I treat patients suffering from a wide range of hand disorders each and every day. Congenital hand deformities are extremely common as an average of 1 in 20 children are born with some form of a hand defect. Reconstructive surgical procedures are effective at helping individuals and my clinic alone performs over 935 surgeries every month. 

Plastic surgical procedures are performed by doctors to relieve pain and to restore the function of certain parts of the hand. Individuals born with hand deformities also undergo cosmetic procedures to alter and repair the aesthetic appearance of the defect. These surgeries are essential for such individuals, as it allows them to regain the function and appearance of an essential part of their body. Reconstructive and cosmetic surgeries are crucial tools for individuals born with different structural disorders and defects. These surgical procedures have the strength to revitalize the function and appearance of certain body parts, and overall, has the ability to benefit an individual’s well-being.

Any form of trauma or side effects of a health complication has the ability to negatively impact an individual. Traumatic events and health impediments can damage certain body parts and alter a person’s appearance. Reconstructive and cosmetic surgical procedures are effective methods that allow an individual to repair damaged components of their biological structure. A common physical injury derived from sudden onset and severity are burns. The term burn represents a category of traumatic injuries that damages skin cells and tissue. These types of wounds are caused by various factors including exposure to extreme temperatures, chemicals, radiation, and electricity. Reconstructive and cosmetic surgeries have the ability to fix different degrees of burns and resolve health complications that can possibly derive from the trauma. According to reports from the American Burn Association “ninety-seven percent of people treated with reconstructive and cosmetic surgeries were able to regain the function and appearance of the affected area”. Reconstructive procedures are meticulously performed by surgeons to increase the range of motion of the body that is limited by the damaged skin. Burn victims also undergo procedures to improve the cosmetic appearance of the wound. The percentage of individuals who were effectively treated with plastic surgery, emphasizes the usefulness of these procedures as they have the ability to positively impact the well-being of an individual through the restoration of certain physical features. Plastic surgery is also beneficial for cancer patients who have undergone some form of treatment. Numerous therapy methods used to remove cancerous cells and tumours can damage certain body parts. Plastic surgical procedures are often utilized by breast cancer patients that have undergone a mastectomy. In this form of treatment, the breasts of the patient are surgically removed to ensure the demolishment of the cancerous tumour. According to Statistics Canada, “2 in 3 breast cancer patients underwent a mastectomy to remove the cancer and out of this population, 78% underwent breast reconstructive procedures”. The statistic stated above articulates the number of individuals who have undergone plastic surgery, which represents the capability and effectiveness of these procedures. Plastic surgery benefits breast cancer patients as it allows them to regain an essential part of their body after removal, which also has the ability to benefit their overall welfare. Overall, reconstructive and cosmetic procedures have the potential to restore essential parts of the human body that have been affected by trauma or health complications.

Plastic surgery has the ability to improve the mental health of individuals suffering from genetic disorders. Gender dysphoria, a hereditary disorder that involves a conflict within a person’s physical gender and the gender with which they identify “affects 5% of Canadians”. Gender reassignment surgery, a type of a reconstructive procedure, is a method of treatment used to treat individuals with gender dysphoria. Despite the abundant evidence supporting the fact that plastic surgery is a beneficial resource, in terms of gender reassignment surgery, many anti-plastic surgery advocates claim that this procedure is extremely dangerous and detrimental to an individual’s health. In 2013, “for every 30 gender reassignment surgeries completed, 1 individual passed away due to health complications”. The action of changing one’s anatomical sex from male to female or vice versa is substantially prone to failures and impediments. Numerous individuals suffering from gender dysphoria have passed away due to the high levels of risks related to this procedure. However, while gender reassignment procedures are dangerous, this surgery is essential for the transgender community as it provides them an opportunity to change their appearance to allow them to feel more confident in their own skin. Gender reassignment surgery, despite its health implications, reduces the death rate among individuals suffering from gender dysphoria. The term dysphoria represents a feeling of dissatisfaction and includes symptoms of mental disorders like anxiety and depression as, “71% of people suffering from gender dysphoria will have some other mental health diagnosis in their lifetime”. Common symptoms associated with mental health issues as such are self-harm and eating disorders; and the suicide rate among this population is immensely high. Gender reassignment surgery is a beneficial resource for individuals suffering from gender dysphoria as “67% of transitioning people thought about suicide pre-transition however only 3% attempted suicide post-transition”. The death rate among transgender individuals pre-transition is extremely high due to symptoms of anxiety disorders and depression such as self-harm and suicide. This surgical procedure has the ability to liberate an individual from their suffering by allowing them to feel more confident by altering their biological structure. Plastic surgery is propitious as it can improve the mental health of individuals suffering from gender dysphoria.

Plastic surgical procedures are a beneficial resource for individuals undergoing a variety of physical and mental health issues. Individuals with a negative outlook regarding plastic surgery should consider the capabilities and advantages of these procedures. Reconstructive and cosmetic surgeries have the potential to aid people born with structural defects that interfere with their daily lives. Individuals whose biological structures have been damaged through enduring some form of trauma or health complication can utilize plastic surgical procedures to regain certain parts of their body. The mental health of individuals suffering from gender dysphoria can also be improved through surgeries, as such procedures have the strength to allow individuals to feel more comfortable in their own skin. In a society, where numerous individuals endure different physical and mental health complications, plastic surgery provides an opportunity for people to change their appearance to benefit their well-being. There is no doubt that plastic surgery has the ability to positively impact individuals suffering from various health issues. Therefore, there are no viable reasons that should prevent a person enduring any disorder, defect, or trauma from undergoing these procedures. If plastic surgery has the ability to help people born with congenital defects, to aid victims who have endured some form of trauma or health complication, and to improve the mental health of individuals suffering from gender dysphoria, how can the idea that plastic surgery is harmful, be justified? 

Works Cited

1. American Burn Association. (n.d.). Reconstructive procedures.
2. Canadian Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association. (n.d.). Cleft lip and palate.
3. Middleton, W. (n.d.). Reconstructive surgery for congenital hand deformities.
4. National Cancer Institute. (n.d.). Breast reconstruction after mastectomy. Retrieved from https://www.cancer.gov/types/breast/reconstruction-fact-sheet
5. Statistics Canada. (n.d.). Breast cancer surgery. Retrieved from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-624-x/2017001/article/54898-eng.htm
6. Wainwright, P. (2013). Gender reassignment: A leap of faith? The Lancet, 381(9873), 1976-1977.
7. World Professional Association for Transgender Health. (2012). Standards of care for the health of transsexual, transgender, and gender-nonconforming people, Version 7.
8. World Professional Association for Transgender Health. (2021). WPATH public statement on medically necessary surgeries for transgender individuals.
9. World Health Organization. (n.d.). Gender dysphoria. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/gender-dysphoria
10. Zivkovic, D. (2018). Plastic surgery for transgender individuals: Challenging the nature of surgery. Australasian Psychiatry, 26(3), 319-321.