What is the moral issue concerning plastic surgery?

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It is usually vanity to get plastic surgery done. Now, if the person is getting plastic surgery to repair damage done by a dog bite or burn or something then that is not vanity but otherwise, it is (99% of the time if not 100% of the time).
 
I would say it depend on the type of surgery and whether it was needed or simply wanted.

There is plastic surgery that is surely a blessing for those born with deformities which interfere with normal bodily functions.

Then there is plastic surgery where risks to life are endured for the sole purpose of preserving youth or enhancing so-called beauty.

Somewhere in the middle lies surgery for conditions like obesity, which may be brought on by bad eating habits or by hormonal imbalances, but which, if not performed, could leave the affected person prone to serious health complications.

I’d say, like so many other issues, the morality depends to a large extent on the intent of patient and surgeon.
 
I was wondering about this as well and to keep it vague what do you all think about a surgery that is not a medical necessity, but would correct a physical “issue” that has been a source of low self esteem and humiliation for all this individual’s life since late childhood?
 
It is usually vanity to get plastic surgery done. Now, if the person is getting plastic surgery to repair damage done by a dog bite or burn or something then that is not vanity but otherwise, it is (99% of the time if not 100% of the time).
I had breast reduction surgery and I certainly didn’t consider that to be vain.

Kathy
 
1 Peter 3:3-5 (New International Version)

3Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. 4Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 5For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful.

Esther 2:12

Before a girl’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics.

Proverbs 31:22
She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

Gen 24:47, 48 which reads,

“And I asked her, and said, whose daughter art thou? And she said, the daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands. And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter unto his son.”

Gen 41:42, which says,

“And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck…”

David, the man said to be after God’s own heart,1 writes in Ps 25:12,

“As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.”

David compares gold earrings to the way an obedient ear accepts wise instruction. Surely if jewelry were a sin, David would never have made a comparison between wise behavior and something that is sinful.

The prophet Isaiah wrote in Isa 61:10,

“I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”

As long as the inner self is right, there is no problem with plastic surgery, perfume, jewerly, beauty treatments, etc., Basically, it comes down to what is modest vs immodest. I am guessing an breast enhancement to 38Z would be a bit excessive, whereas something like fixing a flaw that one hates is ok.

actseighteen.com/

Some plastic surgery is for health reasons too, like removing fat.
 
I think there’s usually an issue with anyone who would deliberately mutilate (cut into) an otherwise perfectly healthy and functioning body in order to satisfy a vain wish to look more attractive or younger. Our bodies are a gift from God, after all, so it’s a serious thing to muck around with His creation.

I can’t comment on the breast reduction - I know that some women with large breasts suffer physical problems such as back and neckache, for example, and these can be relieved by a reduction.

And I know some people have serious psychological issues with various parts of their body, and surgery does seem to help them. But to me it kinda seems that to have surgery for psychological reasons is like cutting off your ears just because you find it really difficult to learn how to wash behind them. Then again, Prince Charles’ life would’ve almost certainly been different if he’d had surgery on his, he’s always been teased mercilessly about them 🤷

Without bragging, I’m large in the chestal area :o It can make shopping for clothing and underwear a bit challenging, but fortunately it doesn’t affect me in any other way. Sure, as I get older they’re heading south a bit, but that is what a body the age of mine is SUPPOSED to look like!

God creates all our bodies with SOME flaws, no? And I’m sure He meant us and our bodies to get older, wrinklier and saggier for good reasons of His own. So I certainly don’t want to be in the ridiculous position of being sixty or older with half my breasts having been hacked off in a desperate attempt that THEY at least look like those of a thirty year old or for some other equally ridiculous reason.
 
What is the moral issue concerning plastic surgery?
there is none that I am aware of, other than the prudential issues attached to any surgery. exercise the virtue of prudence in making this as any other medical decision
 
i think… just for me, it is not a necessity to change what is given to you… be contented of what He gave to you since everything is meant for a reason we do not know… just accept what you have… it doesn’t matter if you have deformities what matters most is the personality… as long as you accept what you are… :)👍
 
I don’t think it’s an issue unless it’s excessive. Sometimes people have what they feel are flaws that really damage their self esteem. In that case, I really don’t see anything wrong with trying to look attractive. But if you’re the type of person who has to have one procedure after the other, I’d question your stability, as well as your doctor’s judgement.

For example, if a girl has absolutely no chest, as in doesn’t even fit into a size A, and it bothers her, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with getting implants. I think it’s a little strange when someone who wears a C needs to get a DDD? But who am I to judge 😉 If someone really really has a problem with their nose (whether it had been broken or not) I don’t see a problem with them getting it altered so that they feel like they don’t have to hide their face all the time.

Self esteem is important, and if something bothers you THAT much, I really don’t see a problem with it. I mean, if you have a problem with a bit of corrective surgery, is makeup bad too? Note, I said “bit of” not one after the other, which implies your body is not just the problem…

I have horrible scars (not on my face, but still). I wish I could have them removed. Maybe one day I will. However, I won’t go into debt over it. I’m not going to cry about it. But it does bother me, and if I ever do have the opportunity, I’d like to have them removed. And someday, I probably will…I don’t think there’s anything wrong with doing so.
 
It is wrong to force someone into a surgery she doesn’t want. Doctors can’t ethically do it, and husbands should try to do it, either. This would be true if she had cancer, let alone sagging.

Having said that, it is not necessarily vanity to have plastic surgery. The Church does not teach that, and we ought to avoid adding to the burdens that morality actually imposes.
 
Plastic surgery is no longer costly. Nowadays plastic surgery has turned out to be a boon for those who wanted to alter themselves. It is simpler and the expenses can be reached by all.
 
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