One of science fiction's most enduring themes involves a future world where
everyone looks perfect but no one is happy.
At least, no one is happy without succumbing to the peculiar form of
zombie-ism that physical perfection sometimes seems to generate. If you
doubt this, consult any of the tabloids and magazines available at your
supermarket checkout, and give my regards to Hollywoodland.
One old "Twilight Zone" episode involves a young woman refusing to select
the "model" body in which she'll spend the rest of her life. Another takes
place in a hospital ward where doctors struggle to transform the criminally
homely.
It turns out that these poor creatures are quite glamorous by our standards
and the "normal" folks rather repulsive, but the point's the same.
Striving for physical beauty via surgery and other medical procedures can
land you in deep crackers.
Sadly, this dilemma has left the realm of universal fantasy and entered
reality. In the 19 October 2006 issue of "New Scientist," Rachel Nowak
reports on a growing trend in America: Women and men who have had cosmetic
plastic surgery and other procedures are, as a group, more likely to commit
suicide than the average American. Her article is a calm-yet-damning
indictment of too-eager surgeons and too-eager patients.
According to the Nowak article: "In 2005, Americans had at least 10.2
million cosmetic surgery procedures, ranging from breast implants (291,000)
to liposuction (324,000), other implants, and restructuring and Botox
injections. None of these procedures is risk-free and most surgeons make the
physical perils very clear before proceeding.
Far less clear are the psychological aspects. Indeed, the link
between suicide and cosmetic plastic surgery is only now beginning to be
investigated. And what we're learning is, well, ugly.
Clearly, people who seek cosmetic surgery are unhappy with some aspect of
themselves. But the unhappiness may go far deeper than body image. According
to one study, 18 percent of a sample of patients having these procedures
were also taking drugs for psychiatric conditions such as depression; while
only 5 percent of patients having non-cosmetic surgery were taking such
medication.
According to another study, women having breast implants were two to three
times more likely to commit suicide than women not undergoing the procedure.
There is also evidence that these women are more likely than their
non-enhanced sisters to suffer from drug and alcohol abuse. Most chilling of
all: One expert estimates that people suffering from "body dysmorphic
disorder" may be up to 45 times more likely to kill themselves.
Perhaps this is because the psychological benefits of these procedures are
transient. And after you've fixed whatever you thought was wrong with you —
and you find out you're still unhappy — what next?
Clearly, cosmetic plastic surgeons and other health professionals who
deliver everything from breasts to Botox need to pay far more attention to
the psychological states of their patients, and recommend against or refuse
procedures they feel are emotionally inappropriate. But we as a society also
need to consider why this situation is blossoming now.
To say that this culture values youth and the physical attractiveness
associated with it would be a magnificent understatement. But this nation's
population is also aging and it must be asked whether the mass pursuit of
such imagery is good for a civilization in such an unstable mental state.
At the moment, the baby boom generation is the chief consumer of these
procedures. It may turn out to be one more of that generation's excesses and
a passing fad. But if not, perhaps we should ask ourselves whether we really
want a nation of perfect zombies, and are we willing to spend untold
billions to achieve it. What people do with their bodies and their money is
their own concern.
But a society that confuses maturity with ugliness, as a norm, is
everybody's concern.
The heroes of those "Twilight Zone" episodes chose individual ugliness and
plainness over mass-produced "beauty" because they were human beings who
valued their humanity as well as their uniqueness. Perhaps, once again,
science fiction has something to tell us. Those considering cosmetic
procedures should always keep in mind Zeus' warning to Narcissus: "Watch
yourself."
Finally, we should ask ourselves, "What would happen if we invested the same
amount of time, energy and money in improving our internal features such as
character, compassion and consideration for others?
Editor's Note: Michael Arnold Glueck, M.D., wrote this week's commentary
