Arcturian's Notes: Biosculpting in Terran Society

"The flesh is a prison, and I am its master." 
-Biosurgeon Xiomara Cabrera-Garcia
A note from my collection, detailing my thoughts on the unique Terran propensity to alter their own bodies beyond the naturally capable. (Honestly guys, this stuff is pretty cool. Many races possess the capacity to change their forms, especially with magic, but none are as prolific as the terran humans.) 
== The Text ==
The Terrans of the 22nd century have some of the most unique cultural processes I have found so far. While many species -both Arkonic and Mastaerian- undergo physical augmentation to some degree, none do it as successfully and prevalently as the Terran humans.
Biotransplantation -the process of replacing limbs and organs with donor (or now far more commonly) lab-grown replicas, is one of the most widespread of the terran bioaugmentational practices. Used for both the enhancement of the physical form to withstand high stresses and radiation, as well as to replace damaged tissue, biotransplantation has become prolific in Terran culture, especially in the Colonies. 
The prevalence of biotransplantation is so vast that entire industries have sprung up around the growth of new body parts. One company in particular, the Baku-based Wilstrom Industries, has cornered large parts of the market, and holds a virtual duopoly on biotransplantation in many parts of the world, along the Nigeria-based N'gatuye Pharma.
it should be noted however, that biotransplantation is resource-intensive, expensive, and requires an expansive routine of immunoblocker medications in order for the body to accept the new limb or organ as part of itself. While many may choose to undergo these procedures in order to ensure minimal nerve or sensory loss, the procedures cannot be afforded by everyone, and may actually be less efficient in some cases. Thus, when a person needs it, they may receive a cybernetic implant instead, which is both cheaper and more versatile, at the cost of sensory loss. Many who accept a cybernetic implant may feel that the piece never truly adapts to the body, and feels 'cold' or 'distant'.
Other forms of flesh sculpting include plastic surgery, which is very common among the upper classes. This is not a new practice, though recent scientific breakthroughs have allowed people to more accurately and fully change their appearance, with less health downsides.
There is also another from of biosculpting that is one the rise: the full-body conversion. While extremely expensive and time-consuming, the end result can see a person completely change their physical appearance, and even take on aspects that will render them indistinguishable from monsters. These monsteroid conversions are very popular, especially in the Ambition Colonies.
Catgirls are often the most popular biosculpting procedure, because of course they are. (It should also be noted here that many demi-humans consider this an insult to themselves.) 
Addendum: Many Arkonic races see the transplantation of limbs as heretical, due to the commonly held belief that a person's body is sacred, and an irreplaceable part of oneself. Violators of this belief are widely reviled, and even persecuted on Arkon. Thus, it was a shock to the survivors of the Convergence when the Terrans offered them their own limbs and organs in the many emergency medical procedures that needed to be performed post-conjunction.