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Cosmetic Surgery and the Internal Morality of Medicine

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2000

FRANKLIN G. MILLER
Affiliation:
Center for Biomedical Ethics at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville
HOWARD BRODY
Affiliation:
Center for Ethics and Humanities in the Life Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing
KEVIN C. CHUNG
Affiliation:
Section of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and University of Michigan Hand Center, at the University of Michigan Medical Center

Abstract

Cosmetic surgery is a fast-growing medical practice. In 1997 surgeons in the United States performed the four most common cosmetic procedures—liposuction, breast augmentation, eyelid surgery, and facelift—443,728 times, an increase of 150% over the comparable total for 1992. Estimated total expenditures for cosmetic surgery range from $1 to $2 billion. As managed care cuts into physicians' income and autonomy, cosmetic surgery, which is not covered by health insurance, offers a financially attractive medical specialty.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2000 Cambridge University Press

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