Clarifying the Question of Cosmetic Surgery

Although there have been cases of plastic surgery that date back to 2600 years ago, there has been a relatively recent upsurge in plastic surgery operations due to improved sterilization techniques and the advent of anesthesia [1]. Since plastic surgery operations were so rare until recently, teshuvos did not appear on the subject until about 60 years ago [1]. The topic of plastic surgery raises many halachic issues. While some of these issues seem clear-cut, upon delving into them it becomes evident that the prohibitions potentially encountered with plastic surgery are not well defined. This has led to a disagreement among poskim as to the permissibility of cosmetic surgery.