At first glance, 29-year-old Anna* appears to be a beautiful and confident young woman. Sadly, she was filled with “certain inadequacies”. These same inadequacies were probably what drove her to travel from the Gold Coast to Mexico to get buttock implants. Tragically, it turned out to be a one-way journey. Anna died of a cardiac arrest on the operating table. Cosmetic surgeries and aesthetics has always been a contentious topic. For some, it’s just another medical procedure, one that could improve one’s self-esteem and in turn, their quality of life. Others believe that it is a question of ethics, and any increase in self-esteem is short-lived.
There is also reconstructive plastic surgery to consider, whereby the procedure restores the function of the body, such as in the case of a child with cleft lip. Medical aesthetic procedures are no longer as rare as they used to be. In fact, the sheer number of people undergoing these procedures every day is astounding. Unlike a decade ago, it’s no longer surprising when a friend tells you they went for liposuction or botox. With this prevalence, many tend to forget that every medical aesthetic procedure, no matter how common or simple it may seem, still carries a certain amount of risk. Regardless of the arguments for or against cosmetic surgery and aesthetics, the decision to go under the knife or any form of surgical procedures, ultimately lies with the individual. Therefore it is important to understand the risks involved. *Name has been changed to protect the individual’s privacy.
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