A mapping of the ethical, cultural and psychological aspects of attitudes towards Cosmetic Surgery Tourism

Abstract: This qualitative research maps the attitudes of the cosmetic surgery tourism stakeholders towards the phenomenon from their ethical, cultural and psychological aspects. Utilitarianism, media culture and mental health state that leads to the decision to experience cosmetic tourism, inform the investigation of the aforementioned aspects. There is a pronounced socio-cultural pressure affecting the motive to travel for cosmetic services, combined with the mental health issues ascending largely from culturally prescribed norms. The authors, by utilizing the constructivist genre of grounded theory, established conclusive evidence that a certain amount of emotional well-being does stem from cosmetic surgery, as long as the societal beauty standards are not solely what drove this decision, in the long run. Thus, the postoperative eudaimonia is temporary, and in order to gain physical and psychological benefits from this medical tourism experience in the long term, a positive aging shift in the perception and operations of cosmetic surgery tourism is deemed as necessary, as the findings of this research demonstrate. Finally, future research opportunities should be directed towards the implications of cosmetic surgery tourism on evolution and the establishment of biohacking as a large share of the offered cosmetic tourism services.