Elective Cosmetic Surgery in Halacha

וְשֶׂ֣רֶט לָנֶ֗פֶשׁ לֹ֤א תִתְּנוּ֙ בִּבְשַׂרְכֶ֔ם וּכְתֹ֣בֶת קַֽעֲקַ֔ע לֹ֥א תִתְּנ֖וּ בָּכֶ֑ם אֲנִ֖י יְהֹוָֽה׃

You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves: I am GOD.

וַהֲרֵי מוּכֵּה שְׁחִין, דְּאַף עַל גַּב דַּאֲמָרָהּ ״הָוְיָנָא בַּהֲדֵיהּ״ — לָא שָׁבְקִינַן לַהּ. חוּץ מִמּוּכֵּה שְׁחִין, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁמְּמִקָּתוֹ וְקָתָנֵי!

As we learned in the mishna: Apart from a situation where her husband is afflicted with boils, because it consumes his flesh. The Gemara answers: Even so, there is a difference between these cases, as there, with regard to a man with boils, if she says: I am willing to live with him under the supervision of witnesses; that is, I will not seclude myself with him but I will nevertheless remain his wife, we leave her alone.

וְקָתָנֵי: הַחוֹבֵל בְּעַצְמוֹ, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינוֹ רַשַּׁאי – פָּטוּר! הָכִי קָאָמַר לֵיהּ: לָא מִבַּעְיָא בּוֹשֶׁת, דְּאָדָם רַשַּׁאי לְבַיֵּישׁ אֶת עַצְמוֹ; אֶלָּא אֲפִילּוּ חֲבָלָה, דְּאֵין אָדָם רַשַּׁאי לְחַבֵּל בְּעַצְמוֹ – אֲחֵרִים שֶׁחָבְלוּ בּוֹ, חַיָּיבִין. אֶלָּא תַּנָּאֵי הִיא; דְּאִיכָּא לְמַאן דְּאָמַר: אֵין אָדָם רַשַּׁאי לְחַבֵּל בְּעַצְמוֹ, וְאִיכָּא מַאן דְּאָמַר: אָדָם רַשַּׁאי לְחַבֵּל בְּעַצְמוֹ.

and it teaches: With regard to one who injures himself, although it is not permitted for him to do so, he is nevertheless exempt from any sort of penalty, indicating that the prohibition is in effect even with regard to humiliation. The Gemara answers: This is what Rabbi Akiva said to the man: It is not necessary to say with regard to humiliation, where it is permitted for a person to humiliate himself, that someone else who humiliated him is liable. But even with regard to injury, where it is not permitted for a person to injure himself, others who injured him are liable. Rather, it must be that this is a dispute between tanna’im, as there is a tanna who says that it is not permitted for a person to injure himself, and there is a tanna who says that it is permitted for a person to injure himself.

אַבָּיֵי וְרָבָא דְּאָמְרִי תַּרְוַיְיהוּ: כׇּל דָּבָר שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ מִשּׁוּם רְפוּאָה אֵין בּוֹ מִשּׁוּם דַּרְכֵי הָאֱמוֹרִי.

With regard to the halakha in the mishna, the Gemara cites Abaye and Rava, who both said: Anything that contains an element of healing and seems to be effective does not contain an element of the prohibition against following the ways of the Amorite. There is no cause for suspicion of one who engages in their practice, gentile or Jew.

אָסוּר לְאָדָם לַחֲבל בֵּין בְּעַצְמוֹ בֵּין בַּחֲבֵרוֹ. וְלֹא הַחוֹבֵל בִּלְבַד אֶלָּא כָּל הַמַּכֶּה אָדָם כָּשֵׁר מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל בֵּין קָטָן בֵּין גָּדוֹל בֵּין אִישׁ בֵּין אִשָּׁה דֶּרֶךְ נִצָּיוֹן הֲרֵי זֶה עוֹבֵר בְּלֹא תַּעֲשֶׂה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים כה ג) "לֹא יֹסִיף" (דברים כה ג) "לְהַכֹּתוֹ". אִם הִזְהִירָה תּוֹרָה מִלְּהוֹסִיף בְּהַכָּאַת הַחוֹטֵא קַל וָחֹמֶר לְמַכֶּה אֶת הַצַּדִּיק:

It is forbidden for a person to injure anyone, neither his own self nor another person. Not only a person who causes an injury, but anyone who strikes in strife an upright Jewish person, whether a minor or an adult, whether a man or a woman, violates a negative commandment, as Deuteronomy 25:3 states: "Do not continue... to flog him." One may conclude that if the Torah adjures us against adding to the blows due a sinner, surely this prohibition applies with regard to striking a righteous person.