The craze for plastic surgery: The influence of social media icon

Plastic surgery has become a craze around the world since the beginning of the twenty first century.

According to sources, South Korea has the highest rate of plastic surgery than any other country in the world, with 74 procedures per 10,000 people.

While American society has recently been changing their attitudes toward plastic surgery, Korea has been plastic surgery’s number one cheerleader.

Some of the most popular surgeries in South Korea include eyelid, facial and body contouring.

Plastic surgery was to help treat accidents and burns .Times turn the trend is changing.

Speaking to a cross –section of females, it is believed that facial expression aid them in getting more male counterparts.

Today, many a people undergo Plastic surgery to boosts self –confidence and decrease the rate of depression.

They claimed to have achieved their goals, felt healthier, less anxious and developed more self –esteem compared to those who chose not to have plastic surgery.

Moreover plastic surgery plays a major role in decreasing depression in accident victims or people with appearance issues,’’ says Dr. Patrick
We all have good days and bad days when it comes to our self confidence level, but have you ever stopped to think about how your social media diet contributes to how you feel about yourself?

If you don’t know what I mean by social media diet, I mean the things you read, watch, and view on the internet.

While many of us click on whatever pops up in your Facebook feed and interest us, we do have some control over what we see, believe it or not.
Infact social networks like Facebook and Instagram use their algorithm to show us more of what we like.

When you eat fruits, vegetables, and whole foods, you feel better about yourself, don’t you?

Your social media diet when curated properly can have the same effects.
If you consume the right things from the internet, you can leave your laptop feeling great about yourself rather than feeling like you need to wear more makeup or have fewer wrinkles.

We all have felt the negative effects of seeing an image of someone who looks ‘’perfect’’ whether or we compare ourselves to our favorite Instagram stars, we also download applications that allow us to smooth our skin, whittle down our waistlines ,boost our booty, and even whiten our teeth and the whites of our eyes.

We also edit our photos to lighten our skin that we may get more likes, or comments, or followers than we did on our unaccredited photos. So I ask myself what amount to all this? Is it peer- pressure or the social media pressure?

Unfortunately, this feeling can lead to us feeling like the ‘’real’’ us isn’t worthy of the attention that edited version of ourselves receives on social media.

We may worry about our daughters or nieces or little sisters seeing violent images on television, but can images of perfection and plastic surgery have even more harmful effects? And how can we control what they see on social media?

Well, the best thing we can do as mothers and female role models is to live exemplary lives worth emulating.

Studies reveal that, the growth in plastic surgery is as a result of social media influence.

It is said that forty-two percent of women reported that social media made them feel less confident in their looks.

Maybe you’ve even considered a minimally invasive surgical procedure like buttocks or breast injection after seeing one of your favorite Instagram stars talk candidly about the procedures she’s undergone.

Just like you know that the supermodel in your favorite magazine was likely photo shopped, you have to also be aware that the majority of high –profile women on social media are also editing their photos.

This doesn’t mean they are trying to trick you. It actually means that they likely feel the same pressure that you feel to be perfect, even if they may look perfect to you.

If you’ve been self –conscious about your buttocks since you were a little girl and decided to get a surgery to allow yourself to truly feel comfortable and confident, then I am happy for you.

I believe that the problem we’re seeing with the rise in plastic surgery is that women in particular are allowing what they see on social media to dictate how they feel about themselves.

For instance, maybe you were happy with your body until you started seeing multitude of Instagram models post pictures with their backsides.
Suddenly you find yourself thinking, I need to get to the gym and do some squats.

That’s a negative side effect of social media, and you have to remember that what you are seeing on social media is likely a little farther from the truth than you realize.

Additionally, getting one surgically enhancing procedure can lead you to want more. Surprisingly, they actually continue to crave for procedures on the same or other body features.

Today patient come in already knowing what they want after researching the procedures on the internet.

Some even come with a Face tuned [an edited] photo showing what they want to look like.

They have made plastic surgery look like a big deal. If you are considering surgical enhancement, I recommend thinking about it and researching for at least a year or two.

People’s obsession with plastic surgery, is one of the reasons why plastic surgery needs to be reduced.

Most at times people have something they don’t like about their appearance, but if it is not serious and does not affect their daily lives, it is not necessary to undergo surgeries.

Plastic surgery is moving on from the ‘’basics’’ to radical surgical operations that require long painful recovery which is potentially dangerous surgery.

Most people who are not satisfied with their appearance and go through numerous procedures are suffering from dysmorphic syndrome –a systematic desire to improve one’s appearance.

According to data provided by the International society of Aesthetic plastic surgery [ISAPS], each year four million plastic surgery operations are performed in United States, while about three point three are conducted in Brazil, followed by South Korea, India, Mexico, Germany, Colombia, France and Italy.

Cost is a major issue when it comes to plastic surgery especially in today’s economic climate where people are trying to save money and minimize their outgoing expenses.

The cost of having plastic surgery can be influenced by many different factors, the most obvious of which being the type of procedure you want.

Invasive surgeries, such as rhinoplasty [facelift] and breast augmentation, for example, are much more expensive than non-surgical procedures, such as Botox, laser skin resurfacing.

According to research the average national cost of Breast Augmentation is $6,450, Eyelid $4,650, Facelift $12,125 and lastly

Liposuction which also cost 3,000.They perceives them as ugly while others could see him or her as physically attractive and are hardly satisfied with their appearance.

Plastic surgery cause serious problems like anesthesia, Including pneumonia, blood clots and rarely death.

The largest numbers of plastic surgeries are performed on women. In 2015, there were eighteen [18] million operations performed on women, which is eighty five point six [85.6] percent.

The most popular surgeries are breast augmentation, liposuction, eye lifting and nose jobs. Males order about three million operations per year a total of fourteen point four [14.4] percent.

Men favor plastic surgeries such as liposuction, nose jobs, otoplasty [ear correlation] and fat transfers.

To quote Christian Aguilera: ’You are beautiful, no matter what they say’ ’While you’re likely your hardest critic, you also have the potential to be your biggest cheerleader.

That being said, it’s hard not to compare yourself to others. While you may not be able to control your confidence level right away, you can control the daily influences on your confidence, and that starts with controlling the people you surround yourself with or in this case, the social media pages you visit. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is up to you.

"When you realize you’re more than just a collection of physical features, and when you don’t give the mean girls too much power over you, you’re setting yourself up to have confidence for the rest of your life’ ’And if that doesn’t have you sitting pretty, nothing will.

Don’t get down on yourself when you catch yourself comparing yourself to others; it’s natural and we all do it.

But, take a moment and remember why you’re amazingly talented and beautiful.

I’m never here to judge anybody for undergoing a surgical procedure or even considering it, I’m here to tell youthat you’re radiant on the inside and outside.

Once you convince yourself of your true beauty, it’ll get a little easier to stay confident regardless of what you face in your daily lives.

The writer is a level 300 student of Ghana Institute of Journalism