Moral implications of plasic surgery

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ericka1701

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I guess I need a few facts clarified, but from my understanding plastic surgery is considered self-mutilation if done for cosmetic reasons only. Plastic surgery is allowable, though, if done for reconstructive purposes, such as implants for someone who has had a mastectomy, or scar revision for someone who has been injured and scarred in a car wreck. My question is what about those who have engaged in willful self-injury (also known as cutting, self-harm, and a few hundred other terms I’ve heard, although those named are the most used), who are no longer self injuring, but who are left with many, many scars. Would seeking out therapies to minimize those scars (such as microderm abrasion or laser treatments) be considered another form of self-injury, or would it be morally permissible for someone to seek such treatments?

God Bless!
Ericka
 
That does present an interesting case. While, strictly speaking, it is a cosmetic improvement, it is also removing a reminder of past cases of self-mutilation.

I would say this. The person should go to confession and confess the self-mutilation he or she is hoping to cover up (if he or she has not done so). Once this has happened, and any necessary penance has been done, then the person can begin looking at the surgery. The sin has been forgiven, the blemish on the soul has been washed away, and then I think it would be most appropriate for the blemish on the skin to be cleansed as well.
 
I have gone to confession and have done prescribed penance and then some for this. I don’t mind the scars so much, as it is a reminder of how bad I’ve been before (and therefore a reminder of how far I’ve come since then), but it’s still very uncomfortable that they’re visible to others, and I have faced quite a bit of ridicule for this in the past. On the nice end of the spectrum, as far as comments goes, is the fact of how stupid I was to do such a thing. Yes, I am very well aware of the not well thought out nature of this, but I was surviving the best I could with what I had at the time. I don’t need to do that now, thanks be to God.

I’ve come nowhere near making such a decision at this time, but I did want to come to terms with at least this part of it, because if the answer was “No, you shouldn’t do it”, I would move on and not really consider this again. If it was “Sure, it’d be OK”, then I’m sure it would be at least a year before I even made an appointment with a doctor about this. I can be such a slow poke at times (it took me 5 years after I started to study Catholicism to finally become confirmed… even though 2 years in, I had decided that I would eventually join…). :rolleyes:

God Bless!
Ericka
 
Wouldn’t it be a case of restoration rather than mutilation, to restore you body to as close to its former unmutilated state as far as possible?
 
I guess it would be, Trishie, but I guess I’m having trouble because the scars wouldn’t even be there if I hadn’t caused them in the first place. I know for the most part once I started, there wasn’t really any way that I could have stopped for a few years, but I shouldn’t have started in the first place. But I was also 10 or 11 when I started, so at that time, I really didn’t understand the consequences and the permanance of my actions. I was only looking for help in controling my out of control emotions at that time, and I literally stumbled upon this unhealthy coping mechanism. Again, if I were to make the decision to have plastic surgery, it would be probably another year before I would even make an appointment with a dermatologist or plastic surgeon.

God Bless!
Ericka
 
The mutilation is the problem, not the plastic surgery. People who mutilate themselves have a problem. Once they get help why shouldn’t they be able to repair the damage they did?
 
I don’t know if this is helpful Ericka, but it struck me that your scars are also your battle wounds. Even though others may ridicule you for them, they obviously don’t understand that your survival through this is a battle that you have won and not an easy one. I’ve known other young girls who have gone through this, and you don’t start cutting yourself unless there is a serious problem (the ones I personally know were caused by serious family problems and abuse). Since you have brought it under control, it is a testament to your tenacity and courage and should not shame you in any way. I would talk with a priest you trust specifically about this - maybe during confession about repairing them. I would hate for you to cover them because of shame for what you did - because the flip side of that is that you were able to survive and heal which is an incredible statement about your strength of character.
 
HappyRevert said:
I don’t know if this is helpful Ericka, but it struck me that your scars are also your battle wounds. Even though others may ridicule you for them, they obviously don’t understand that your survival through this is a battle that you have won and not an easy one. I’ve known other young girls who have gone through this, and you don’t start cutting yourself unless there is a serious problem (the ones I personally know were caused by serious family problems and abuse). Since you have brought it under control, it is a testament to your tenacity and courage and should not shame you in any way. I would talk with a priest you trust specifically about this - maybe during confession about repairing them. I would hate for you to cover them because of shame for what you did - because the flip side of that is that you were able to survive and heal which is an incredible statement about your strength of character.
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Thank you so much for your kind words. I guess I do forget the strength that I do have. There is so much more that’s happened to me that I don’t usually discuss. It’s over and done with, and I don’t really feel the need to look at it unless it’s bothering me. There is only so much that can be done in therapy, as far as hashing out all of the details over and over can go, and for me, it only enabled me to stay stuck in that time period, and not move on to the present. After much work, I finally have been able to forgive much of what has happened to me… it’s just really difficult for me to forgive myself. I guess I need a really thorough confession tomorrow… 😊 😉

I want to thank you again for pointing out some things I’ve been missing in considering this. It’s a really, really complicated reason why I want to cover them, and probably will be one that will take me a few months to even try to figure out what it is… I will definately mention this to Father tomorrow. If he says “no go”, then I will just learn how to live with them. If he says it would be permissiable… I see quite a few “over-thinking” headaches coming… :rolleyes: I sometimes wish I didn’t try to intellectualize every last little thing… but if I didn’t do that, though, I wouldn’t be Catholic. As Monk says, “It’s a gift, and a curse”. I’ll just try to focus on the gift part.

God Bless!
Ericka
 
ericka1701 said:
I guess it would be, Trishie, but I guess I’m having trouble because the scars wouldn’t even be there if I hadn’t caused them in the first place. I know for the most part once I started, there wasn’t really any way that I could have stopped for a few years, but I shouldn’t have started in the first place. But I was also 10 or 11 when I started, so at that time, I really didn’t understand the consequences and the permanance of my actions. I was only looking for help in controling my out of control emotions at that time, and I literally stumbled upon this unhealthy coping mechanism. Again, if I were to make the decision to have plastic surgery, it would be probably another year before I would even make an appointment with a dermatologist or plastic surgeon.

God Bless!
Ericka
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I would think that self mutilation, although inflicted on yourself, would at least be caused in part by some sort of mental disorder or instability. It would be along the same vein as an eating disorder, which is not necessarily considered to be something willfully caused by the sufferer. I don’t have any documentation to back this up, so if you’re very concerned check with your priest or spiritual advisor. But, again, I would consider your scars those of a disease or disorder, and therefore reconstructive surgery on them would be corrective and not completely cosmetic.

On a lighter note, I’m wondering if the result of pregnancies and nursing can be seen as in need of reconstructive surgery (as in a “lift”, if you know what I mean). I’m gonna be really bummed if this isn’t the case 😃 .
 
HappyRevert said:
I don’t know if this is helpful Ericka, but it struck me that your scars are also your battle wounds. Even though others may ridicule you for them, they obviously don’t understand that your survival through this is a battle that you have won and not an easy one. I’ve known other young girls who have gone through this, and you don’t start cutting yourself unless there is a serious problem (the ones I personally know were caused by serious family problems and abuse). Since you have brought it under control, it is a testament to your tenacity and courage and should not shame you in any way. I would talk with a priest you trust specifically about this - maybe during confession about repairing them. I would hate for you to cover them because of shame for what you did - because the flip side of that is that you were able to survive and heal which is an incredible statement about your strength of character.
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I would agree with this. I have a large scar running from the back of my head down to my upper back as a result of a surgery. I consider your scars to be just the same as mine, and not something to be ashamed of.
 
I would think of plastic surgery just to look better as being more a form of vanity than of self-mutilation, unless there are really good reasons to adjust a person’s appearance (ie. a young woman getting teased for her ears being big, or odd cases in young men when for some reason, usually hormonal, they wind up with “man breasts”, ie extra tissue on their chests that has nothing to do with their muscles).
 
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