Cosmetic Surgery: Reality Check

By Darren Eliker

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It’s har d to get away from reality TV’s latest obsession with cosmetic surgery. But is it really reality? Whatever it is, people seem to be watching—shows like “Nip/Tuck,” and people like Britney, Beyonce, and J-Lo. Hey guys, haven’t you heard? Everybody’s doing it! At least, that’s the impression they’re leaving.

Cosmetic or plastic surgery has become a booming business. Last year, nine and a half million Americans had cosmetic surgery of some kind, a 24 percent increase since 2000. Because people spent $8.4 billion on plastic surgery and because women make up 90 percent of the market, chances are pretty good that you know someone who has had something done or is thinking about it. But what do these figures actually tell us?

Well, let’s not assume everyone’s running out and getting implants for the worst of reasons. To be fair, the majority of cosmetic procedures are minimally invasive non-surgical techniques like Botox, collagen injections, chemical peels, laser hair removal, and so on. Over five million of the surgical procedures were reconstructive in nature. Not everything is a vanity trip like Hollywood would make us believe.

Cosmetic surgery has been very helpful for many people: women who have had mastectomies due to breast cancer, burn victims, teens with severe acne scarring, those born with congenital issues, and so on. Recently, a young boy in my area nearly lost his life riding an ATV. A wire strung across the property left severe lacerations on his neck and face, but a plastic surgeon was able to help him look as though it never happened.

As Christians, we tend to struggle more with the purely elective kind of alterations. Shouldn’t we be happy with the way we are? It’s not always that simple. One Christian woman I spoke with confessed she’d always been rather shallow chested. She was tired of “being 39 and still looking like a 10-year-old”. Can we really say that it’s wrong for a woman to desire to feel more feminine? The fact is that the Bible is not prescriptive when it comes to the issue of cosmetic surgery, and any explicit conclusion we attempt to draw from it is a stretch. Therefore, we need to season our opinions about this subject with a certain amount of grace.

The problem with “Nip/Tuck” reality TV is that it’s not reality. That’s an important point for young people to remember, because the interest in elective plastic surgery among teenagers is on the rise. I say the interest, because there are certain procedures you can’t undergo legally until you’re eighteen. But the curiosity is there .

Teens currently make up only 4 percent of the cosmetic surgery market. They most often opt for rhinoplasty and otoplasty (nose and ear reconstruction), microdermabrasion, and breast reduction. But with plastic surgery ’s rise in pop culture, requests for liposuction and breast augmentation are on the rise as well.

I spoke with Renaissance Cosmetic Surgery Center and Day Spa in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, where the employees noticed a marked increase in the number of teenage girls requesting consults on breast augmentation. Some call on their own, but most come in with a mom who is willing to pay. Surprisingly, in every case, the mother has not had a similar procedure herself. It lends some credibility to the stories about breast implants being the graduation gift-of-choice among swank y neighborhood girls!

The problem with reality shows, according to reputable surgeons, is that they don’t paint a realistic picture for teens. “This is not like going in and asking for a certain hairstyle that you can change if you don’t like it,” they say. This is real surgery with real risks. TV doesn’t show the real pain, real recovery, real cost, and sometimes the real consequences of surgery gone wrong.

As teens, you have a double battle. On the one hand, your body is still growing and changing. On the other hand, the world is telling you to look a certain way. And while there is nothing wrong with a Christian getting cosmetic surgery, we always need to examine our motives. If you view cosmetic surgery as a means of changing other people’s opinions about you, getting them to notice you, or giving you more value as a human being, it’s time for a serious reality check.

Remember that real value comes not from what we, or the world, place on outward appearance, but on the infinite value God placed on us in Christ. Think of it! The God of the universe counts you worthy of relationship with Himself because of the finished work of Jesus Christ on Calvary. When you stand clothed in Christ, God looks at you and sees no imperfections. None! He sees His perfect Son. So count the cost. Jesus did. It just may be that when you do, you’ll discover the reality that, as a redeemed, ransomed, and for given child of the King, you’re already pretty great just the way you are!

Darren Eliker is Creative and Production Director of Word FM radio in Pittsburgh. He is an award-winning writer in radio advertising. A graduate of Carnegie-Mellon University with a B.F.A. in Acting, he is one Pittsburgh’s best-known stage performers and a prolific freelance voice-over artist in radio and television. He currently serves as an elder at Zion Lutheran Church in Bridgeville where he and his wife Jennifer are members. His email address is deliker@wordfm.com.