Medicalization and the Market Economy: Constructing Cosmetic Surgery as Consumable Health Care

Throughout the last decade, cosmetic surgery has been a steadily growing industry. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, in 2007, consumers spent 12.4 billion dollars on both surgical and minimally-invasive cosmetic procedures. This article draws upon in-depth interviews with individuals who have had cosmetic surgery, specifically focusing on how they construct and articulate their experiences in economic terms. Findings suggest that individuals characterize cosmetic surgery as a preventative or health-maintenance practice and often weigh the potential costs of surgery against other consumable goods they may wish to purchase. Additionally, there tends to be recognition that the services purchased are luxury items that are evaluated along the lines of cost and quality, supporting prior assertions that cosmetic surgery as a practice and an industry is qualitatively different from more traditional modes of health care. Finally, this article explores how the interaction between patient and physician, particularly from the patient's perspective, is increasingly transformed into an exchange between a consumer and service-provider.