A History of Cosmetic Surgery
Cosmetic surgery is not a new phenomenon, Ancient Egyptian documentation dating back to around 4000 years ago shows reconstructive surgery could be one of the oldest specialties in medicine. Later named 'rhinoplasty', surgical procedures on the human nose began in India and were recorded by Hindu surgeon Sushruta in his 600BC text Sushruta Samhita. The ancient Romans viewed any form of physical abnormality as suspicious, practicing breast reductions on obese men, skin grafts to cover brandings and reconstructing ears and noses sliced off in gladiator fights.
Aesthetic surgery began to tail off during the middle ages as it was deemed to be sinful and Pagan. Cosmetic surgery re-emerged in the European Enlightenment but suffered from resistance from the Church, which believed that "God did not make his Works for man to mend." (Gilman 1999).
The two world wars of the 20th century very quickly changed attitudes to reconstructive surgery and Victorian distain for vanity as soldiers began to return home from war seriously injured with unprecedented disfigurements such as shattered jaws and open skull wounds. From here on, the technology surrounding adapting the human body moved very quickly.
Fast forward to today and cosmetic clinics are far removed from their humble origins. Plastic surgery has become commercially available and does not just encompass breast enlargement, rhinoplasty and face lifts. Procedures such as laser hair removal, botox injections and liposuction are now widely available to all. Cosmetic treatments are no longer invasive or complicated and scarring from surgery has been greatly reduced thanks to leaps in scientific knowledge of the human body.
Why would somebody put their life at risk just to look better? The truth is that all surgery carries inherent dangers but instances of surgical complications are rare as standards in private clinics are reassuringly high. A good surgeon will never become involved with a procedure if he or she believes the patient could be in danger. There are so many other options available to people these days that don't involve anaesthetics. Those wishing to banish body fat can have Smart Lipo, a new technique that uses lasers to disperse fat in problem areas. Results appear immediately and continue to show over the next six months as skin tightens over the treated area. This is a clinical procedure that does not require a hospital stay and patients are able to return to work very quickly although they are advised to avoid strenuous exercise for a few weeks.
All cosmetic clinics you approach should talk you through your options, you may not be aware that there may be other options to you to change your appearance, i.e. instead of having a surgical breast augmentation, you could have Macrolane injections instead as it does not involve a general anaesthetic so recovery time is much faster. Cosmetic procedures have become very popular over the last 20 years as people of all ages and walks of life no longer want to feel shame and low self-confident. Everybody wants to feel good about their body.
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