[Salika]

Originally Posted by Bruinrab

Sure.

One surgeon that I worked with did a lot of post-bariatric surgery work. These were patients who had lost 100+ lbs. Now, these people, while far healthier than before, still have issues, the worst of which is excess skin. The fat is gone, but the stretched skin remains, empty. It not only looks very unattractive, but for many people it gets in the way (imagine running with a mass of redundant skin hitting your legs with every step) and can lead to fungal infections, etc. Once you get to a certain amount of weight loss, that skin simply won't go back on it's own. But once you go to a plastic surgeon, they aren't just going to hack it all off. They make sure it looks neat, everything's symmetrical, and that it looks as good as it possibly can.


Another example is post-mastectomy reconstruction. After a mastectomy, you could argue (and for many years, insurance companies did) that a reconstruction has no medical benefit. The reconstructed breast can never be functional, and it's form can be substituted by prosthetic devices. However, reconstruction clearly has psychological benefits for patients.

Generally, though, it's impossible to get a decent looking result by just operating on the affected breast - the other one usually needs a lift and/or reduction to get anything approaching a "normal" appearing chest. So, not only have you reconstructed something that arguably didn't need to be reconstructed, you've also operated on a perfectly normal breast as well. But as a woman, try even thinking of whether you could deny another woman that right, especially one who has already suffered through cancer.

I can't imagine a scholar not allowing those to be honest, especially when there are real practical ramifications such as the excess skin getting in the way of doing activities.

I think what scholars are usually talking about and what the questioner is often referring to are nose jobs, lip jobs, breast enhancements, calf enhancements and the like..

Even at the end of the SunniPath fatwa he states:

Originally Posted by SunniPath

In conclusion, cosmetic and plastic surgery for the purpose of beautifying and adornment is impermissible. However, if there is a genuine need due to something abnormal, then there is a dispensation of permissibility.

And consider this example also in the fatwa:

Originally Posted by SunniPath

Imam Abu Dawud, Imam Nasa�i and Imam Tirmizi (Allah have mercy on them) relate in their respective Sunan collections, that a Companion (sahabi) by the name of Arfajah ibn Aswad (Allah be pleased with him) had his nose damaged in the battle of kulab. He replaced it first with silver, and then with a nose made of gold, with the order and consent of the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam).

Also, I think we need to remember the context of some of these older fatwas talking about mutilation as cosmetic. For example, Arabs used to purposely put a gap between the front teeth, some tribes (particularly in Africa) make scars and consider this a form of beauty.