Is plastic surgery a sin?

[KarenJoanna]

If done just because we want to look better because of low self esteem? Is it still vanity?

[AccountDeleted]

If done just because we want to look better because of low self esteem? Is it still vanity?

​Plastic surgery is morally neutral, and depends on many factors. Many women have breast implants after a mastectomy. This is considered reconstructive surgery to replace what was taken away. Some women have implants who have not had a mastectomy or they have breast reduction and there are many reasons for having this done. And this is only one type of plastic surgery (sometimes referred to as cosmetic surgery). There are many types, done for many reasons.

Your question is whether it is a sin if it is done to improve low self-esteem as opposed to just wanting to look better. But even with that question there are many reasons why a person would want to look better, whether a woman or a man. Self-esteem may be part of it, but there may underlying psychological reasons as well. In some cases, it might appear to be simply vanity, but then, what does that really mean? If a person is so unhappy with their appearance that they want to change it in some way, is it vanity or is it a lack of self-esteem? Or simply a need for reassurance?

If your self-esteem is so low that you want to change your appearance through surgery, then the first step would be to seek psychological help before undergoing any kind of surgery. Simply changing one's appearance is not a guarantee of improved self-esteem. In fact, some people actually become addicted to plastic surgery because no matter how much surgery they have, they can't seem to feel satisfied with their appearance, a sure indicator that the problem is more than just physical. 

My answer is not to judge others who undergo any kind of plastic surgery because you don't know what the underlying factors are, and not to judge yourself by your appearance. Seek psychological help first for any problems with self-esteem, and see if there aren't other ways you can improve this condition before resorting to something that is not even a guaranteed solution to the problem. 

Vanity is a sin, but plastic surgery of itself is not. True vanity is more often associated with persons who do not suffer from low self-esteem, as Vanity is the excessive belief in one's own abilities or attractiveness to others.

[MarysLittleFlower]

If done just because we want to look better because of low self esteem? Is it still vanity?

i agree with Nunsense that getting plastic surgery would not help a person feel better if they have certain wounds from the past and feel inferior because of their looks. That would only reinforce the feeling that appearance gives us our value, that more "beautiful" people have more value. Etc. Indeed people get addicted to surgery for this reason. As for vanity, - such a view is a focus on looks and creates "levels" of people and their worth based on looks. It is an inordinate focus that a person may need counselling for.

I personally believe in looking how God made us if anyone is struggling with this - I would say, - God is your Father, He loves you, and His view of you is infinitely more important than the world's. The way He created you was with great love and we do not need to change ourselves to match the fashions and ever changing expectations of our world I say this as someone who has dealt with much pain growing up about my appearance and always wishing I could change it. Try to rest in how God sees you which is as His beautiful daughter that He loves. In the end it does not matter what the world thinks in its obsession with vanity and fashions and judgements of people based on this. We are worth more than this. God bless you!