Final Paper-report writing
Running head: COURSE PROJECT- ROUGH DRAFT 1
Course project- Rough draft
Weltee Wolo
Rasmussen College
Author Note
This paper is being submitted on November 22, 2016, for Holli Rich’s B371/GEB3110
Research and Report Writing HSA3110 course
COURSE PROJECT- ROUGH DRAFT 2
1. Introduction
Currently, in the United States and all over the world, women and men alike are undergoing
procedures to rectify or enhance one part of their body or more. The industry is a multi-million
dollar one that is reported to generate $10.1 billion each year. Most of them go into the
procedure without adequate knowledge of the probable consequences of the surgeries. For those
who are slightly aware, they still go ahead and get the surgeries done on them and only after the
results have been realized do they start regretting. When such cases take place is when one sits
down to reflect whether the pain and the features are worth the effort of cosmetic surgery. The
report below is a compilation of findings from research carried out to establish just how much
damage the cosmetic surgery has impacted people and expert opinion on the issue.
2. Background
Women account for ninety-one percent of cosmetic surgery patients worldwide. As of 2010,
the number of those undergoing surgery had risen by 5 per cent from the previous years. Many of
the surgeries started off as quick fixes that later on motivated the women to get into dangerous
forms of operations. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the motivation of
undergoing the procedures is fast moving from improving appearances to look younger. Younger
women are now reported to be undergoing these procedures at an alarming rate than they were
before ever in history. The Society says that women seeking cosmetic surgery in their 30s have
risen by 4%, 19 to 34 is the age that prevails among liposuction procedures at a rate of 30%. The
American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery states that the new wave of surgeries being seen
in recent years is those of the modern young woman seeking to trim out unwanted fat to look
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perfect. It also states that the most common form of aesthetic surgery is the insertion of breast
implants.
3. Collection of data
3. 1. Primary data
3.1.1. Interviews
For this particular study, a group of patients who had undergone plastic surgery was
picked. There were a total of 25 patients categorized into the different form, so procedures have
undergone. For the study to be valid, the women were grouped together to enhance further
freedom to talk and comfort. The result was that 24 of the women were not happy with the
results of the surgeries and 20 had their spouses and boyfriend ditch them after the operations
failed. The other question addressed in the interview was whether they would think of going for
another procedure to enhance their looks. Only one of the 25 considered doing correctional
surgery again.
3.1.2. Observation
The study involved looking at the physical appearance of the women who were selected
for the interviews to identify the adverse physical effects of the surgery further. Only two of the
patients looked ok at face value. The other 23 had notable appearances. One woman, for
example, had one breast larger than the other which was later attributed to one implant bursting
as the remaining one was infected. Two younger looking women had distorted faces which were
attributed to facelifts that went wrong. One woman who had excessively got Botox injections
had a permanent surprise look on her face and could not show emotion at all.
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3.1.3. Open ended questionnaires
There was also the use of open-ended questionnaires that were distributed among the 25
women under study. The questions asked were those similar to the ones in the interviews,
however, the fact that they were to be filled individually ensured that people could further
express their feelings without fear of being judged. The questionnaires remained anonymous, and
the participants were not to include their names on them.
3.2. Secondary data
The book, “Reshaping the female body: The dilemma of cosmetic surgery”, is written by
Kathy Davis a senior researcher in the PARIS research program and associate professor in
universities in Europe. She uses the book to explore and shed light on cosmetic surgery practice
that has become very popular in recent times especially among women. Her primary focus being
that average cosmetic surgery consumer trying to identify why women are doing this with such
increasing frequency. Her perspective facilitates the formulation of ideas based on the topic
hidden effects of cosmetic surgery and helps explain why people still indulge despite the
associated risks.
The authors of the article, “Autologous fat grafting in cosmetic breast Augmentation: A
systematic review on Radiological safety, complications, volume retention, and patient/surgeon
satisfaction. Aesthetic Surgery Journal” are all experts in the fields of medicine and hence
possess adequate knowledge to give advice on the topic above. The journal is based on a study
carried out on the effects of autologous fat grafting. They studied 22 articles that reported on
about 3500 cosmetic surgery patients they recorded the various side effects to determine whether
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the procedure was safe to use. The journal gives information about some of the adverse effects of
cosmetic surgery.
Dr.Veale is a consultant psychiatrist in cognitive behavior therapy in the Priory Hospital
in London; he specializes in body dysmorphic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder
(BDD) among other disturbances. In the Journal, he points out the various side effects that
cosmetic surgery can have on a patient with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). Not only are
there appearance defects he also shows that psychological harm occurs too. The primary journal
audience is patient with BDD and especially those who want to undertake repeated operations as
there is a possibility of adverse side effects to these operations. The article sheds light on why
undertaking cosmetic surgery is not an ideal process to go through and warns against it.
This website “http://botchedface.weebly.com/-negative-effects.html” is based on
article by Jenna Goudreau a business and women leadership writer for Forbes. The article looks
at the adverse effects of cosmetic surgery based on data from the American Society of Plastic
Surgeons and Optum health to determine that women make up a significant number of cosmetic
surgery patients it’s steadily increasing. In the article, those who would want to have cosmetic
surgery done are warned of the possible side effects which include psychological effects to add
to the potential health complications.
This article “Plastic surgery: Beauty or beast?” is based on research by the American
Psychological Association who wanted to find out the psychological effects of cosmetic surgery.
Its aim was to find out the patient satisfaction, how those close to the patient are affected by the
operations, effects on kids and teenagers and whether having cosmetic surgery done is a body
dysmorphic disorder. The psychologists also wanted to find out how plastic surgeons could
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conduct assessments to determine if the patient would be able to handle the psychological
effects.
4. Findings from the sources of data
4.1. Emotional impact
Once someone has undergone the procedure, it is always believed that they will feel
better about themselves especially if it was a procedure that was to improve a deformity.
According to Dr. Joseph Hullett of OptumHealth, patients are never fully prepared for the mental
and the emotional costs of the surgery. The stress is always brought about by the pain after the
procedures, sleepless nights. An example of surgery that could torment the patient thoroughly is
face-lifting surgery. At the end of the procedure the patient often ends up looking like they have
been run over by a truck or they received a good punch to their faces.
4.2. Unexpected outcomes
From the above data collected it is evident that those who have had these procedures may
suffer from unexpected outcomes. Many women undergo breast enlargement procedures so as to
boost their self-esteem. They may not, however, predict the impact that such actions will have on
people around them as well as their family and friends. Men often associate these procedures
with taking undeserved advantage over their sexuality. At the end of the day, the patient may not
be accepted by the society. For irreversible procedures, it can result in depression and self-
loathing, and they may not appreciate what they have gone through.
4.3. Life threatening changes
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Experts argue that there is a possibility of the procedures causing damage to the
recipient's nerves. Interviews conducted gave responses with similar results. The women being
studied reported changes in their sensitivity in areas around their breasts. According to
Veale(2000), the process of augmentation and breast surgery deflated the women's sensitivity.
15% of the respondents attested to reduced sensation around the nipple area. Hematoma also
resulted from breast augmentation. The problem is said to have developed in one to six percent
of the women who have undergone the procedure. Hypertrophic scarring occurred in 2-5 % of
the respondents as well. Besides these damages to the nervous system, increased breast size also
has an impact on the back and chest of the victim. When the breast is over enlarged, they can
lead to long-term backaches and discomfort in the chest.
4.4. Beauty botches
These are best described as surgeries and procedures that have gone wrong. They range
from eyes that cannot shut after corrective surgery, and permanent surprise looks rendered by
facelifts to sagging lips after liposuctions. Botched surgeries lead to renovated appearances
where the patient looks nothing like they anticipated or nothing close to what they looked like
before the surgery. The difference is usually horrendous, and the victim is left depressed with
even more sociological issues than before. Botched surgeries may be repairable however it is
uncertain as the results are unknown. Most of the time, however, the operations are not
reversible.
5. Recommendation
Due to these predictable yet harmful effects, it is recommended that women stay content
with how they look and not seek temporary and ugly solutions to their problems. As the old
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saying goes, beauty lies in the eye of the beholder and no woman should feel compelled to
change their looks for mere satisfaction and aesthetic reasons. The associated life-threatening
side effects of the surgeries should be the number one factor that discourages people from getting
involved with these cosmetic procedures. There is no need for someone to get into a situation
where there is a very high chance of them developing even more complicated conditions. For
conditions such as back pains and chest pains, they may never go away and later on in life, and
they may develop into even more unmanageable conditions for the victims.
Extreme cases of cosmetic surgery have led to death. These extremes should be analyzed
by women so that they can learn from them and realize just how much danger they face when
they risk their lives trying to look beautiful. From the case studies above the research
recommends that women should be content with how they look as this is the perfect source of
self-esteem on first hand. Finally, the research is extensive however there is room for further
contribution towards the consequences of cosmetic surgery that can be explored in the future by
scholar seeking to work on a similar project.
6. Conclusion
Finally, the consequences and the risks of cosmetic and plastic surgery are not worth the
effort as seen in the study. They are both a waste of time and money which can be put into other
uses. No one should risk their life for the sake of going under the knife so as to look good. A
wise woman is one put’s their money in the right investment channels and not on things that will
ruin their lives and lead them into misery. The positive impacts are very short lived and should
be outweighed by the adverse effects which help the women in a dilemma to make useful
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decisions about their bodies. IN conclusion, the beauty of the woman is beyond the physical
appearance as it ranges from being smart and wise.
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References
Adverse effects. Retrieved from http://botchedface.weebly.com/-negative-effects.html
November 8, 2016.
Association, A. P. (2016). Plastic surgery: Beauty or beast? Retrieved from:
http://www.apa.org/monitor/sep05/surgery.aspx on November 8, 2016.
Davis, K. (2013). Reshaping the female body: The dilemma of cosmetic surgery. New York:
Routledge.
Groen, J.-W., Negenborn, V. L., Twisk, J. W. R., Ket, J. C. F., Mullender, M. G., & Smit, J. M.
(2016). Autologous fat grafting in cosmetic breast Augmentation: A systematic review on
Radiological safety, complications, volume retention, and
patient/surgeon satisfaction. Aesthetic Surgery Journal, 36(9), 993–1007.
doi:10.1093/asj/sjw105
Veale, D. (2000). The outcome of cosmetic surgery and DIY’ surgery in patients with body
dysmorphic disorder. Psychiatric Bulletin, 24(6), 218–220. doi:10.1192/pb.24.6.218