I was recently asked this question and thought it might be helpful to others so I posted it here in my Q&A.
Question: Marcus I have an embarrassing and probably vain question, but what is the Churches position on plastic surgery. Specifically, I am interested in getting Botox in certain areas of my face. Oh well, if you can let me know so I don’t go and do something I have to confess later… Thanks Marcus!
The Church doesn’t have an official position on plastic surgery. It’s an issue similar to getting a tattoo. There is nothing inherently wrong with it. You’ll have to judge it’s rightness or wrongness based on intention. Plastic surgery to correct something like a cleft lip, cutting and styling your hair and wearing nice clothes are all similar means of self beautification. People want to look and feel beautiful and there is nothing wrong with that. However, material beautification cannot substitute for internal beautification. If a person doesn’t feel beautiful and they constantly buy new clothes to attract attention and are never satisfied then the problem is not wearing nice clothes but seeking to fill a void of self confidence through material means. I would take a few things into consideration when making your decision.
1) Do you struggle with feeling beautiful? If so, seek to resolve that through meditating on Theology of the Body and parts of Scripture where God speaks about your being created good and perfect and beautiful. It doesn’t mean you still can’t do it – just don’t do it because you don’t like the way you look. There’s nothing wrong with thinking “My hair looks terrible. I think I’ll go get a hair cut” but if you cry and feel depressed and think to yourself “I hate my hair, I wish I had another persons hair” then I would say it’s more important to address the issue of self love and self confidence first. Accept who you are and how God created you. Love yourself first and if this isn’t an issue for you then it’s not really a big deal.
2) Do you have the means to do it? If you don’t have the money than it may not be a moral decision. This can also help determine motivation and intention. For example, if I want to buy a new 60,000 BMW because I want a nicer car and think it might impress people even though we can’t afford it then I can more easily determine that it’s not a good decision. However, if I want to buy a car for 20,000 that I can easily afford and it’s a nice vehicle and I think it’s gonna impress some people there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. If I am stubborn and am willing to do anything (even put my family’s financial wellness in jeopardy) to get the 60,000 car then that is an indication of vanity.
3) Do some research and be completely aware and sure of what you are doing. Be aware of possible side effects, risks and the possibility that it doesn’t come out the way you had hoped. It’s a big decision and if there are any major health risks than it may not be a good idea depending on how severe they are. There’s obviously going to be a risk but if the risk was a 70% chance that you could lose sight or taste than I would weigh that risk as maybe too heavy considering you are now perfectly healthy and you are not looking to correct a health problem. If the doctor says there is a 1% risk you can lose sight or taste or something very low and insignificant and you feel confident you will be satisfied with the procedure then I don’t see a problem with it.