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Cosmetic surgery on the NHS - should it be allowed?

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Reply 80
I don't know about other trusts, but with mine at least, you can't just turn up and say 'ooh, my nose is a bit big and it's making me depressed' and then get a reduction. You have to demonstrate significant need in order to get help, so anyone who actually gets cosmetic surgery on the NHS (at least in my area) will actually have been suffering really rather a lot because of it. Don't forget that some people are bullied or mocked because of how they look, or can feel very, very self-conscious, to the extent that they might be scared to leave the house. I would imagine that most people would agree these people do deserve a decent quality of life.

There's also a lot of stuff that can be fixed by relatively minor cosmetic treatments. For example, I get acne cream (I'm sure you all wanted to know :colondollar:) on the NHS. Acne is really a cosmetic problem, as mine wasn't bad enough to get infected and cause me massive physical health problems... but the cost of the prescription can't be much to the NHS, and yet the increase in confidence/etc it gives me is absolutely massive, and means I can do a lot of stuff that I wouldn't otherwise feel comfortable with. The cost to the taxpayer is definitely justified in that sort of case.
Reply 81
I don't see why straightening children's teeth, removing scars, moles or other things shouldn't be permitted. I've had some 'cosmetic' surgery on the NHS (I had a couple of prominent moles removed a while back) and I had no problem with it being done, it was all done and dusted within two months of requesting an appointment. I'm also in the process of getting braces on the NHS to fix my teeth, which I'm really self conscious about.
1) I have a birth defect regarding my face/disfigurement = yes as its medically an "illness"
2) I dont like my nose its too big = NO, deal with it our pay for it yourself

Simple.
Reply 83
Whoa, I could use a nose job! Make it smaller...

I do have difficulties breathing through the nose - bet I can use that as an excuse + the whole " i feel insecure and I wanna die T_T"

But I wouldnt:

1st- because of the risks - u never know whether the new nose would turn up to be better (if i knew for certain, i would have done a private nose job)

2nd - It is unfair to those that pay the taxes for the NHS. It's a total waste of money. It may benefit 1, but 10 will suffer and 2 might not get the money when they need it for a transplantation for example. After all, if you give a certain financing for plastic surgery, you have to either increase the taxes, or substract the money from elsewhere.

It should be used only in extreme cases such as burning, extreme bullying (saw a discovery show about a girl, who was called a stone face and tbh...she was pretty insightful /=poor kid..) or a mole that can easily turn to be a "bad" cancer. My examples would go along the line of "life threatening" ( suicide because u are ugly doesnt count.)


I simply cannot accept the idea that just because you want to be pretty like "Melissa", you have to ask the NHS to pay for your surgery. In that case almost all chavs and neds would want one :biggrin:


However, who decides the amplitude of this "severeness", what is severe? It is a subjective matter...
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by hayzelle
Someone I know has just had cosmetic surgery on the NHS. It's not normally allowed except to correct health issues, but she claimed it was making her depressed about herself and they allowed her to have it (she had a chin reduction).

On one hand, it was clearly something she was insecure about and she's definitely more confident now after she's undergone the surgery.

However it is using money from taxpayers, which could be spent on treatment for a patient with a life-threatening illness.

And more philosophically, is this sending the wrong message? She's adopted the attitude that she's 'beaten everyone who ever called her ugly' because she's pretty now, but this could easily be seen as her giving in to the media's idea of beauty, i.e. sending the message 'your life sucked because you were ugly, but now you fit the media's standards of beauty more, your life will get better'.

What do you think? And if you had something about your physical features seen as extremely unattractive in today's society, would you consider plastic surgery? If it was avaliable on the NHS would you take it or would you go private?

TL;DR: What are your views on purely cosmetic surgery given to people on the NHS?


I think it shuldnt be allowed on NHS as almost everyone in the world/cuntry has something they dont like about themselves and could claim to be depressed because of it. Your friend shouldnt have been allowed to have it done. I wouldnt expect it to be done on NHS. I even had to pay for laser treatment for keloid scars that just formed for no reason, I applied 3 times for laser treatment and they have compltely ruined my quality of life, havent been swimming for 10 years cos Im so self conscious about them. I have other faults with my appearance but I think perhaps scarring should be treated and thats about it. Ears etc. are all different and thats what makes people interesting, having different features, it would be boring if everyone looked the same!!
I agree with it for those who have suffered burns, certain cancers and diseases, but not for purely cosmetic concerns.
Reply 86
I've signed up to say to the person using Once's username, mentioning her children is disgusting. You have no right to upset people like that. :mad:

I'm sure the students here do not want you ruining their forums, so just pack it in.
Original post by Fiver29
I've signed up to say to the person using Once's username, mentioning her children is disgusting. You have no right to upset people like that. :mad:

I'm sure the students here do not want you ruining their forums, so just pack it in.


its not her? :rofl:
Reply 88
Original post by tinktinktinkerbell
its not her? :rofl:


Sorry Tink, but there's nothing funny about it at all. I'm sure you wouldn't like anyone going on a forum talking about your mum. Taking about someone's child is far worse.

You should be ashamed for laughing, although I'm sure you will say she deserves it. Some things override personal animosity, and this is one of them
Original post by Fiver29
Sorry Tink, but there's nothing funny about it at all. I'm sure you wouldn't like anyone going on a forum talking about your mum. Taking about someone's child is far worse.

You should be ashamed for laughing, although I'm sure you will say she deserves it. Some things override personal animosity, and this is one of them


ive had people impersonating me, including the prick that signed up to MSE after i got banned, didnt see anyone kicking up a fuss there

btw, i wasnt laughing at what they said about her kids but im certainly not going to feel anything for that woman
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by tinktinktinkerbell

Original post by tinktinktinkerbell
ive had people impersonating me, including the prick that signed up to MSE after i got banned, didnt see anyone kicking up a fuss there


Maybe that's because they didn't go as low as to mention anything about your deceased relatives
Original post by xXMessedUpXx
Maybe that's because they didn't go as low as to mention anything about your deceased relatives


once herself said something along the lines of 'so what your mam died' not so long ago MU
for vanity no.

If it's actually causing mental illness then ok but if looks are causing someone mental illness they've probably got something else wrong with them.
Original post by boba
the bold pretty much sums up my feelings although I wouldn't have the requirement of scar reduction being on the face or arms, possibly because I've had it done somewhere else making me bias but I'm only human.


If it's on your foot then it's not hard to live with, perhaps a really big one on your chest, back or buttock would be okay.
Reply 94
It's a tough issue. On the one hand as you say, there are illnesses which will directly kill people without treatment and the money could go towards that.

Having said that I think people sometimes underestimate the effect that this kind of thing can have on someones health and wellbeing- remembering here that mental health is also very important. I can see that dealing with what may be the cause of the problem directly could often be most effective. But then you have the problem of how to make the judgement on whether it's the right thing, whether the problem is down to that or that's just a small contributing factor to a bigger problem.

I guess it's mainly if I think about those occasional times when I feel sad thinking about a part of me I don't like so much, and imagine if I felt like that every single day most of the day, I would not want someone to have to go through that.

Also this is a big area- ranges from stuff like moles etc which I would imagine cost very little to the NHS. Also of course as mentioned above there is the case of the cause- for example, previous surgery, burns etc. The stuff I've but above is mainly talking about more costly operations to alter someone's 'natural' appearance.

xxx
(edited 12 years ago)
Yes, but only for things that have resulted from accidents like big unsightly or painful scars etc. If the thing that you wanted surgery on was affecting your health like not being able to breath through your nose then that should be ok.

Things like boob jobs (enlargement) shouldn't be allowed imo, people should pay for it themselves if they want it that badly.
Reply 96
It shoud only be allowed for disfigurements which have resulted from illness or a physical accident/attack etc.

As an example, my friends mother contracted breast cancer a while ago and in order to remove it they had to remove one of her breasts. Recently she just had a "boob job" on the NHS which involved giving her a fake breast and nipple from flesh from her leg. She also had her other, remaining breast corrected so that the two didn't look totally different.

I think this is perfectly acceptable, as its a physical discrepancy which has resulted from an illness. If its just a case of "My nose is a bit small and I dont like it" (i.e. vanity) and not "OMG THAT DOG BIT MY NOSE OFF!!" (an actual scar) then people should definitely have to go private.
Reply 97
Original post by Xyls
You pay money for the NHS, You should be allowed to get what you want from it WITHIN REASON (Not getting 10 surgeries/excessive surgery/not needed (example going from a DD boob to a F boob). For example, If someone has been working for 6 years full time, there should be no problem with them asking to get a boob job. However, You can't just demand one when and where you want it. There will need to be certain things like, paying in for X amount of time/ Paying in a certain amount.


The problem is, what if you haven't been working 6 years full time, or you've been working at a low paid job, do you not have the same right to feel confident in yourself as someone who pays more tax than you?

It's a tricky subject! I had a wart removed from my lip when I was 14 (lovely, I know!), and it was something I was incredibly self conscious about. I felt brilliant after it was gone. Obviously this isn't a major procedure, but nor is it exactly life threatening so i think the principle still applies. I think that if someone has a (for want of a better word, sorry!) deformity that affects their confidence significantly, they should be able to get rid of it. I'm not talking about going up a cup size, it should be available for unusual situations.
Reply 98
I don't mind things like reconstructive surgery on noses, cancer-affected boobs, anywhere else. I know plenty of people who have had to have their noses moved back into place from half way across their cheekbones to help their breathing, and i dont mind knowing my taxes pay for that.

But girls wanting boob jobs? I think they should be subsidised (but not paid for entirely) and limited as to how far up they can go size wise in order to stop the flow of would-be glamour models doing it because it's free and they can pull the psychological damage card. I appreciate there are girls out there who do genuinely loathe their boobs but so did I, I used to stand for hours and wish they'd get bigger, cry myself to sleep etc. Had I not got a grip in my own time and started modelling, i'd probably have been considered a prime candidate, but now i'm not so desperate (I would if I could, but I can live with them til then).

Less boob jobs (apart from reconstructions from mastectomies), more breast reductions for people genuinely struggling with their health because of their boobs. And more money for accident victims' skin grafts/reconstructive sugery. Lots more for that!
Reply 99
Original post by Hotlips255
The problem is, what if you haven't been working 6 years full time, or you've been working at a low paid job, do you not have the same right to feel confident in yourself as someone who pays more tax than you?

It's a tricky subject! I had a wart removed from my lip when I was 14 (lovely, I know!), and it was something I was incredibly self conscious about. I felt brilliant after it was gone. Obviously this isn't a major procedure, but nor is it exactly life threatening so i think the principle still applies. I think that if someone has a (for want of a better word, sorry!) deformity that affects their confidence significantly, they should be able to get rid of it. I'm not talking about going up a cup size, it should be available for unusual situations.


Well obviously they would have to set a 'reasonable' boundary? If the minimum wage is whatever it is at the moment then it should be like 6 years at minimum wage taxes etc, if they wish to top it up by paying abit more each month (which could be optionally done) then they may be able to get it in 3 years, or 2 years or whatever.

If you earn more then why shouldn't you be able to get it faster? I don't see why we want this whole equality thing all the time (sure its good in some cases but you cant give someone one rule and then say but that rule doesn't apply to this this and this), People who get paid more pay more taxes, people who get paid less pay less taxes, they can't all of a sudden start demanding they get the same rights as someone who pays more taxes now can they? (I'm talking with the amount they pay in vs the time they can have the proceedure)

I'm a very black and white thinker in life generally and normally leave out the if, buts and maybes, If they want to rich to pay more in taxes then they should be able to use their tax money when it gets paid in to the certain amount then and there.

Think what this country is missing is a lack of ambition in some cases, People need to strive to get better jobs and work there way up the ladder from the top etc and cosemitic surgery is something people are growing up with then this could be a good way for people to have that ambition. I would also like to point out that thousands of women and men take out loans to get surgery every year which puts them into debt, this would be a way of helping people keep debt free, which is always good! :cool:

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