[Letters] Plastic surgery should be cut

I strongly believe that plastic surgery in Korea should be banned, based on the various side effects of such procedures.

Plastic surgery alters personal image by making faces identical. Apparently, the major reason for having plastic surgery is to improve one’s image by looking better to others. However, plastic surgery categorizes the standard of beauty into one single trend. Long eyelashes, a sharp nose and small jaws are the generally misled outcomes of plastic surgery these days. These features seem incredibly artificial - which ironically goes against the original desire of those who go under the knife.

In addition to the loss of personal image, one of the serious problems of plastic surgery is that the surgery comes with a lot of danger.

However sophisticated medical and surgical technology may be, it is commonplace for plastic surgeries to result in drastic failure, especially when the procedure is complicated.

Most people give priority to their overall health rather than just trying to achieve a beautiful face. One should not take the high risk of plastic surgery and risk ruining one’s entire body.

As with any type of surgical procedure, certain inherent risks are involved. Infection, dry eye problems/decreased tear production, bleeding, blindness and damage to nerves, blood vessels and muscles within the eye are just a few of the complications that can occur when a surgery is performed.

Less serious risks can include allergic reactions, chronic pain, delayed or prolonged healing of the affected area, permanent or temporary hair loss, scarring and dissatisfaction with the end result.

This is not to mention additional risks involved with local and general anesthesia administered to patients receiving surgical treatment.

Apart from the potential health risks, other bad aspects of plastic surgery include the high costs of many of the procedures and the potential for getting addicted to plastic surgery.

Kim Sung-min, university student