What do you think of when you hear the word beauty? Chances are that you would envision someone young and beautiful, someone in good health. Today the words health and beauty have become so confused, almost standing as synonyms for each other, that they are almost impossible to differentiate. But if you think for a moment, why do you buy a certain kind of health food? Surely, yes, you want to maintain good health, but more likely, you bought it mainly because it contains fewer calories, thus allowing you to eat more and maintain your good looks. This is a normal reaction because disease prevention, as a part of good health, feels so distant while the benefits of beauty are so immediate.

Cosmetics, skin care and plastic surgery constantly tempt us to make that decision, wavering between using slight tricks to improve upon or help the natural and actually adding or removing parts to the body. In the USA alone, 696,904 people have cosmetic surgery, and the numbers seem to be on the rise in this youth-worshipping, health- conscious culture. People really think that attractiveness indicates good health. It's just that they're mistaken about it.

GLOSSARY

to envision = visualizar

thus = assim, desta forma

to tempt = tentar

to waver = oscilar

slight tricks = pequenos macetes

youth-worshipping = cultuador da juventude

In "In the USA alone, 696,904 people have cosmetic surgery, and the numbers seem to be on the rise...", it means that the amount of cosmetic surgery is