Cosmetic surgery has become a phenomenon in these past few years. People are spending hundreds and even thousands on procedures from tummy tucks, liposuction, brow lifts, botox injections, nose jobs, hair transplants, and everything else. All of this raises an interesting question:
Does the Bible Say Anything About Plastic or Cosmetic Surgery?
We have to keep in mind that at this point in history, medical knowledge was not very advanced. If someone had surgery, there was an incredibly high risk of infection due to unclean surgical practices.
Also, people were not as concerned with their appearance as they are today. We live in a society where we are judged by our appearance often. So people in biblical times would not have been so quick to want a cosmetic procedure as they might today.
But the Bible is silent on the issue of cosmetic surgery. We know that people did try to improve their appearance on occasion. The ancient Egyptians painted their eyes, and also wore perfumes and oils to make themselves more appealing looking.
We have a warning in the New Testament about vanity in the book of Timothy:
“In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array…”
This verse warns women of not putting too much focus on physical appearance. This doesn’t necessarily forbid any kind of physical care or makeup, but is more saying to limit it and not put too much focus on it. It seems that this would also apply to excessive plastic surgery procedures as well.
Is It a Sin to Get Plastic (Cosmetic) Surgery Done? What About Corrective Surgery for a Deformity?
In my view, fixing minor or major deformities would not be considered excessive vanity. In fact, many deformities or conditions can severely limit our lives (such as a tumor growth on the lip, etc.). They can interfere with functions such as eating. So I don’t think it would be a sin to get these things corrected.
After all, did Jesus not heal a man’s withered hand on the Sabbath? We can live without a hand can’t we? Or what about Lepers? They can still live with their skin conditions but they were healed as well. This seems to indicate that he healed them not only because of the condition, but also perhaps to restore them to perfect health and also give a better appearance in the process.
I am sure Jesus didn’t heal them just so they could look better alone, but at the same time, I see nothing wrong with fixing minor problems if they are harming your self esteem dramatically, or causing functional problems (such as tumor growth, enlarged mole, etc.). The thing we have to keep in mind when we start looking at this is the very fine line that exists here. We can get to a point where we become very focused on us, us, us. When instead we need to focus on others.
On the other hand, I think there is a difference between a minor cosmetic fix, and using plastic surgery for vanity. Especially people that tend to have multiple plastic surgeries for things such as liposuction (when people can just diet and workout to lose the weight), or multiple brow lifts to prevent aging. Sometimes, people actually look worse than if they just let themselves age naturally.
Is it right spending thousands and thousands of dollars trying to look perfect when some people could be saved if they got a $2 pill tonight? Not necessarily. Yet at the same time having a procedure to correct a major issue, or even a minor one time fix may not be considered wrong. We have the right to take care of our bodies.
So I don’t think correcting a major or minor deformity is vanity. But at the same time, there is a fine line and we should all take care to think about what we do and how we spend our money. Don’t fall into the cycle of multiple plastic surgeries. It can be a very destructive and risky behavior. Surgeries are serious and many people die on the operating table every year by trying to look better.
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