Our appearance is an obsession

Alteration of our appearances has always been a human obsession.  Fashion is a concept alien to other animals but created and embraced by us.  Whether it is as a way of fitting in, or of trying to become more popular, or of expressing something about your personality, we all dress in certain ways because we want our clothes to say something about us.

This extends beyond just clothing to our bodies.  Tattoos (and tattoo removal) are a big market, as are piercings and other body modifications.

Cosmetic surgery has been accepted for decades and continues to grow in popularity and it is not hard to see why the majority of these procedures are carried out on women.  It seems built into our culture that women in particular must concentrate on their appearance above all else and go to great lengths to be more attractive than women around them.  However it is far from uncommon for men to undergo laser hair removal or liposuction these days as the mass media convince us that image is everything and that if you don’t look perfect then you are worthless.

The massive demand for these treatments has another element of risk to it.  The prices which can be charged by surgeons who know people will pay them mean that unlicensed cut price clinics are always around.  Some of these places are little better than the back street abortion clinics which left many women scarred, crippled, dealing with infertility or even dead in the days of abortion prohibition.