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These days, plastic surgery is everywhere. With reality TV taking a new turn we are bombarded with shows like ABC’s “Extreme Makeover,” and Fox’s new show “The Swan.” With most of the shows highlighting the benefits of plastic surgery, many people are beginning to have a clouded view of the risks involved with undergoing such procedures.

Lisa Peralta was a young woman who felt that surgery could help make her into someone she had always wished to be. “Simply put, I was tired of feeling like a 19-year-old woman trapped inside a 12-year-old girl’s body, “ recalls Lisa, now 23. “ I was almost positive that having a breast augmentation would help change the way I felt about myself and help me move past my own personal hang-ups about my body.” Lisa was like a lot of young women today, who feel pressures of wanting to change their appearance. “I knew there was a chance of something going wrong, but in all honesty, I really didn’t think it would happen to me.”

A few short months after receiving her breast implants, Lisa began to experience what she described as “extreme fatigue,” and could not do things that she once loved. “I was really involved in track during high school, and running had become a big part of my life. After my surgery though, it became very hard to enjoy things that I used to. I would get tired really fast, and I was always sore. I remember having to stop in the middle of a jog once, about four and a half months after my surgery, because they hurt so bad.”

Lisa was living alone, and was aware of the fact that you are very sore after such a surgery. She figured the pain would pass with time. But her pain got so bad that Lisa could no longer stand up straight, and could barely walk. “When I went back to the doctor, and explained what was going on, I remember my doctor asking me why I hadn’t thought to call sooner and tell my condition to them. He told me that my body was rejecting the implants, and my symptoms were my body’s way of fighting off what it thought was an infection.” Lisa’s case is not as extreme as some, and she has since fully recovered, with only scars to remind her of the trauma she faced a little less than five years ago. “If I had to go back, I would have never had them done in the first place.”

Lisa’s story is of a surgery gone wrong, but a surgery can change someone for the better, and help increase their quality of life.

For example, Debbie Gibson, a physical therapist and trainer from Chandler, AZ. Debbie is 32-year-old woman, who is healthier and in better shape than most women half her age. She lives to help others to live healthier lives. It’s no wonder then why her life was drastically altered when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. “Breast cancer runs in my family, so I started going for screenings when I turned 21.” It wasn’t until the spring of 1998 that Debbie was stricken with the reality that she was to be another statistic. “I was shocked. I knew that I was at a high risk, but I never expected to be so young when and if it hit me.”

Debbie’s cancer progressed so quickly that she had to undergo a mastectomy and lost most of her left breast. The outcome left her devastated. “In my work environment, it is hard to hide losing such a significant part of your body. Every day I grew more and more depressed, and no longer felt like the woman I once was.” She began to research options, and discovered a procedure known as DIEP flap or “breast flap” surgery. In this procedure skin and fat from the abdomen are used to form the breast, along with harvested fat from other areas of the body. It is not widely practiced, but poses less risk of rejection than saline or silicone implants. “Since the surgery to help return my body to its appearance prior to my experience with cancer, I have regained much of the confidence I lost following my mastectomy. I no longer feel awkward in my work-out clothes, and I feel much more comfortable working with my clients.”

Plastic surgery poses long lists of benefits as well as risks. While having surgery done can dramatically improve someone’s quality of life, it can also take on another light when something goes wrong. People should be informed, and do research before going under any knife. Remember that what you see on television isn’t always what you get in real life.

All unsigned articles appearing on the opinion page are staff editorials and reflect the majority opinion of the editorial board. All signed columns are the opinion of the writer and not necessarily that of The Times, San José City College, its administration, student government or that of the San José / Evergreen Community College District.