--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Using medicine in the service of cosmesis…" description: "\"Using medicine in the service of cosmesis is generally bad for patients, bad for doctors, and bad for democracy. The only exceptions are when we know t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/970/alice-dreger-14333_actually_using-medicine-in-the-service-of-cosmesi_183725.jpg" --- # Using medicine in the service of cosmesis is generally bad… ![“Using medicine in the service of cosmesis is generally bad for patients, bad for doctors, and bad for democracy. The only exceptions are when we know the intervention will actually reduce suffering, as with a primary cleft lip repair.” quote by Alice Dreger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/970/alice-dreger-14333_actually_using-medicine-in-the-service-of-cosmesi_183725.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/970/alice-dreger-14333_actually_using-medicine-in-the-service-of-cosmesi_183725.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/970/alice-dreger-14333_actually_using-medicine-in-the-service-of-cosmesi_183725.jpg) > “Using medicine in the service of cosmesis is generally bad for patients, bad for doctors, and bad for democracy. The only exceptions are when we know the intervention will actually reduce suffering, as with a primary cleft lip repair.” [Alice Dreger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-dreger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prioritizing cosmetic use over medical necessity harms patients, physicians, and societal values, unless the procedure clearly alleviates suffering. **In simple terms:** Cosmetic focus can be harmful unless it truly reduces pain. Key Takeaway Avoid unnecessary cosmetic interventions. Themes ethics medicine cosmetics Mood cautious reflective Type ethical clinical When to use this quote - clinical decision making - policy development - patient counseling Key Concepts patient welfare democratic impact Questions to Reflect On - What criteria determine when a cosmetic procedure is ethically permissible? - How can clinicians balance aesthetic desires with medical necessity? A Different Perspective Cosmetic procedures may be justified when they have clear therapeutic benefit. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actually/) [Bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad/) [Bad Patients](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-patients-1957896/) [Cosmesis Generally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmesis-generally-1957893/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Doctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctor/) [Doctors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctors/) [Exceptions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exceptions/) [Generally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generally/) [Intervention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intervention/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Lip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lip/) [Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [Patients](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patients/) [Patients Bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patients-bad-1957897/) [Primary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/primary/) [Reduce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reduce/) [Repair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/repair/) [Service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/service/) [Service Cosmesis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/service-cosmesis-1957894/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Using](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/using/) [Using Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/using-medicine-1957895/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/) ## Related quotes > [Instead of using medicine, better fast today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/instead-of-using-medicine-better-fast-today/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [They want a lip print for their autograph books. I'm a sport; I go along.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cleo-moore/they-want-a-lip-print-for-their-autograph-books-i-m-a-sport-i-go-along/) [Cleo Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cleo-moore/) > [Lip balm can double up for taming the brows, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-coyle/lip-balm-can-double-up-for-taming-the-brows-too/) [Nadine Coyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-coyle/) > [No matter how you cut them, paste them, rotate them, or distort them, lip syncing and air-guitar playing are fundamentally foolish activities, and anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/no-matter-how-you-cut-them-paste-them-rotate-them-or-distort-them-lip/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [“The lyrics gather in my soul, as the blooms burst in air, and what flows from my lips is a symphony long held inside.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayita-bhattacharjee/the-lyrics-gather-in-my-soul-as-the-blooms-burst-in-air-and-what/) [Jayita Bhattacharjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayita-bhattacharjee/) > [I've been embracing the red lip and just wearing it every day, not just for going out. And I get so many compliments on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-march/i-ve-been-embracing-the-red-lip-and-just-wearing-it-every-day-not/) [Stephanie March](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-march/) > [I always carry a tinted moisturiser with SPF sunscreen. A good lip balm is a must - I can't go past Lucas's Papaw Cream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hart/i-always-carry-a-tinted-moisturiser-with-spf-sunscreen-a-good-lip/) [Jessica Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-hart/) > [It is not enough to pay lip service to diversity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/it-is-not-enough-to-pay-lip-service-to-diversity/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [I got a tooth bust by somebody who decided they didn't like me and I thought the moustache hid a scar on my lip.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-ainsworth/i-got-a-tooth-bust-by-somebody-who-decided-they-didn-t-like-me-and-i/) [Bob Ainsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-ainsworth/) > [I always have at least four different lip products in my purse - I'm obsessed! I'm into L'Oreal Infallible Le Rouge 'Unending Kiss.' It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edy-ganem/i-always-have-at-least-four-different-lip-products-in-my-purse-i-m/) [Edy Ganem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edy-ganem/) > [I always put a layer of lip balm first, and then I layer the lipstick on by using a lip brush to help get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-gold/i-always-put-a-layer-of-lip-balm-first-and-then-i-layer-the-lipstick/) [Gracie Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracie-gold/) > [If I have a pocket, then I'll have lip balm, my keys, and $10 cash.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-messing/if-i-have-a-pocket-then-i-ll-have-lip-balm-my-keys-and-10-cash/) [Debra Messing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-messing/) > [That's how we behave in this country. Stiff upper lip and all that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-allen/that-s-how-we-behave-in-this-country-stiff-upper-lip-and-all-that/) [Heidi Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-allen/) > [I don't worry about chemicals. There are enough chemicals entering my body through all the fizzy drinks I consume to worry if my lip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edie-campbell/i-don-t-worry-about-chemicals-there-are-enough-chemicals-entering-my/) [Edie Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edie-campbell/) > [When I get home, I'm not the boss like I am at work - I slip into a more feminine role. I take everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-kerr/when-i-get-home-i-m-not-the-boss-like-i-am-at-work-i-slip-into-a-more/) [Miranda Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-kerr/) ## More by Alice Dreger > [You want a child who never makes you anything but proud? Please. 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What we do know is that the evidence we have that sexual orientation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-dreger/we-don-t-really-know-where-human-sexual-orientations-come-from-yet/) [Alice Dreger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-dreger/) > [Doctors are human animals. They want to be loved, they are tribal, they instinctually favor stories over scientific evidence, they make mistakes, and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-dreger/doctors-are-human-animals-they-want-to-be-loved-they-are-tribal-they/) [Alice Dreger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-dreger/) > [If we have a situation where a man is particularly graceful in a sport that rewards grace - say, for example, figure skating -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-dreger/if-we-have-a-situation-where-a-man-is-particularly-graceful-in-a/) [Alice Dreger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-dreger/) > [So many times I've heard people say that the right to marry for gay and lesbian couples won't really change anything other than some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-dreger/so-many-times-i-ve-heard-people-say-that-the-right-to-marry-for-gay/) [Alice Dreger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-dreger/) > [Instead of constantly enhancing the norm - forever upping the ante of the 'normal' with new technologies - we should work on enhancing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-dreger/instead-of-constantly-enhancing-the-norm-forever-upping-the-ante-of/) [Alice Dreger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-dreger/) > [A hospital may spend several million dollars separating a pair of conjoined twins even though that separation is likely to leave them worse off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-dreger/a-hospital-may-spend-several-million-dollars-separating-a-pair-of/) [Alice Dreger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-dreger/) > [A democratic medical establishment does not alter people's bodies to fit regressive social norms; it advocates for patients by demanding the social body get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-dreger/a-democratic-medical-establishment-does-not-alter-people-s-bodies-to/) [Alice Dreger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-dreger/) > [We now know that sex is complicated enough that we have to admit nature doesn't draw the line for us between male and female,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-dreger/we-now-know-that-sex-is-complicated-enough-that-we-have-to-admit/) [Alice Dreger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-dreger/) > [The safety argument against steroids may be a good one, but let's be honest. It isn't the one that motivates most officials and fans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-dreger/the-safety-argument-against-steroids-may-be-a-good-one-but-let-s-be/) [Alice Dreger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-dreger/) > [Doctors and scientists, being part of that two-sex culture, have done everything they can to try to force people who are in-between into one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-dreger/doctors-and-scientists-being-part-of-that-two-sex-culture-have-done/) [Alice Dreger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-dreger/) > [Surely, sport is not fundamentally about the safety of athletes. If it were, we'd probably have to ban professional football, right after boxing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-dreger/surely-sport-is-not-fundamentally-about-the-safety-of-athletes-if-it/) [Alice Dreger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-dreger/) > [You know what Oprah taught me? Unless you count as changing your life having a neighborhood dad say to you every morning at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-dreger/you-know-what-oprah-taught-me-unless-you-count-as-changing-your-life/) [Alice Dreger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-dreger/) [Explore all 47 Alice Dreger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-dreger/) ## More Actually quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [I actually like getting out of my comfort zone. It shakes me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/i-actually-like-getting-out-of-my-comfort-zone-it-shakes-me-up/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [You have to talk about why things happened the way they did. You can't actually explain my political life except by a series of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lange/you-have-to-talk-about-why-things-happened-the-way-they-did-you-can-t/) [David Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lange/) > [Failure actually makes you strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neha-sharma/failure-actually-makes-you-strong/) [Neha Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neha-sharma/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. 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I'm so disappointed that we're not better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-brownlow/somebody-said-that-part-of-my-reaction-to-british-cinema-is-actually/) [Kevin Brownlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-brownlow/) > [I actually do sing sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morten-harket/i-actually-do-sing-sometimes/) [Morten Harket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morten-harket/) > [I've actually got quite a good memory. I've good recall. 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