For context, Dr. Murray was both a plastic surgeon and a transplant surgeon. That being said he's clearly more proud of his plastic surgery than transplant work even though he's obliged to mention the kidney transplants since those won him a Nobel prize. He calls plastic reconstructive/cosmetic surgery surgery of the soul due to the relief brought to the cosmetically challenged, hence the title. Okay man.

But he brings up a good point in that reconstructive and cosmetic surgery can greatly impact interactions with others, even for a nose job. We don't throw normal intelligence people into asylums for the mentally disabled for the crime of being born ugly anymore, but looks still can make major impacts on the lives of others. I know all the users here came from redscare subreddits where people whine daily about nose jobs and plastic/cosmetic surgery, but I'm not comfortable telling others what surgeries they're allowed or not allowed to have. Cleft lips are technically cosmetic only, but it's not like we tell those patients they shouldn't have surgery, and most of the notable people telling others to "#loveyourself ♥️" are actually quite conventionally attractive and have thus never felt anxiety from unique features. None of this takes away from the risks of surgery up to and including death but there's a disconnect between preached values and revealed preferences.