Cosmetic procedures become common for young adults

When asked what comes to mind upon hearing the words plastic surgery, many students think of celebrities that are famous for enhancing their features. Although many celebrities have opted for plastic surgery in the past, today it has become a common choice for the rest of America.

According to The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, about 11.7 million cosmetic procedures were performed in the United States in 2007, bringing in over $13 billion in costs. The number of overall procedures done is over 400 percent from 1997.

While many find these statistics shocking, ECU junior, special education major, Laurel Poe, felt differently.

"Everyone is getting it," said Poe, "Heck even I've thought about it."

Poe has a positive look on plastic surgery. She feels that it's a great solution for people that are not satisfied with their bodies. However Poe did have concerns about the risks.

"Younger people get procedures done on impulse without really being aware," Poe said.

Young adults ages 19 to 34 account for 21 percent of the total cosmetic procedures done in 2007, according to The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. That's 2.4 million procedures.

Karen Warren, the Director of ECU's Campus Wellness, feels that plastic surgery has become a cultural norm.

"It's not uncommon for students to get nose jobs or boob jobs as graduation gifts," said Warren.

As director of Campus Wellness, Warren encounters many students who have poor body image and feel that they are pressured into looking a certain way or being a certain weight.

With the exception of extreme circumstances, Warren feels that plastic surgery is a bad idea. With every cosmetic procedure, surgical and non-surgical, there are many risks ranging from infection to heart problems. There have even been a few cases of deaths.

"Who wants to risk the loss of life just to have what you think is a better body?" Warren said, mentioning that even after turning 18, most young adults are not done growing, physically and emotionally. Later on in life they may physically develop in the department they want to or even decide that they really are satisfied with the way that they look.

Shenida Adams, a senior Business major, feels that in the future, plastic surgery will become more common and available.

"There will probably be clinics on every corner where you can go and get wrinkles removed, and bigger breasts," said Adams.

When enlightened about the current statistics of plastic surgery, Adams said that it only confirmed her position on the fact that plastic surgery is becoming a more common thing to do "It's not slowing down," Adams said. "The numbers will only get higher."

This writer can be contacted at features@theeastcarolinian.com