The pros and cons of cosmetic surgery are up for discussion during Coastal Carolina University's next "Java Jabber" on Thursday, Feb. 4, at 5 p.m. at the Myrtle Beach Education Center. No ticket is required, and the event is open to the public.

According to recent statistics, 56 percent of women and 43 percent of men reported that they were dissatisfied with their overall physical appearance. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons said the number of cosmetic surgery procedures performed in the United States and Canada has risen dramatically over the last ten years.

How should we evaluate this development from an ethical perspective? Does cosmetic surgery lead to higher self-esteem or are there good reasons to be skeptical?

Professor Jonathan Trerise from CCU's Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies will join local cosmetic surgeons Kimberly Goh, Cal Cunningham and Steve Duffy as panelists to discuss these questions and others.

Java Jabber is a forum sponsored by the Jackson Family Center for Ethics and Values at CCU. The Jackson Center creates opportunities for open conversations about how ethics and values affect individuals, the University, the region and the world. It aims to inspire individuals to make ethical and value-based decisions, and thus lead lives of courage, compassion and integrity.

For more information on the Jackson Center, call 843-349-2547 or visit the center in the Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts in Room 232A, located at 133 Chanticleer Drive W. on the Conway campus.

The 79th Avenue Theatre is located in CCU's Myrtle Beach Education Center at 900 79th Ave. N., Myrtle Beach.

For more information, contact David Holiday, ethics fellow for the Jackson Family Center for Ethics and Values, at dholiday@coastal.edu or 843-349-5058