Teens And Plastic Surgery: When Is It Appropriate?

The recent addition to youth channel MTV’s pool of uber cool shows, titled “MTV I Want a Famous Face”, documents the transformations of twelve young people aiming to look like the movie or rock stars that they idolize. The glamour business is one of the foremost propagators and followers of the entire cosmetic surgery revolution. Impressionable teenagers, who make up a majority of their fan following, are the ones who are more exposed to the implications of cosmetic surgery and the seemingly deceptive promise it seems to hold in turning their everyday world around.

Common disfigurements teenagers opt to correct include nose reshaping, protruding ears, overly large breasts, asymmetrical breasts, severe acne and scarring. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons [ASPS], over 333,000 people 18 years and younger had plastic surgery in 2005, up from about 306,000 in 2000. There is a section of teens that also opt for surgery procedures like augmentation, mammoplasty, reduction mammoplasty, Rhinoplasty, and liposuction. According to a survey by Bliss magazine, four in ten teenage girls have considered plastic surgery. Bliss editor Chantelle Horton said the survey results were a "21st century tragedy".

While cosmetic surgery is a relatively safe option for anyone to go for, the mindset with which a teenager sets up an appointment with a plastic surgeon is very important. Adapting cosmetic surgery in order to correct disfigurements is a good reason for taking recourse to plastic surgery. It is when cosmetic surgery is turned to for reasons of social acceptance by teenagers, and filial acceptance by parents, when the resulting implications are something that the parents have to take into consideration along with the doctor.

There is no specific age as such for an individual to undergo plastic surgery where correction of disfigurement is concerned. However, if cosmetic enhancement is what is desired by a patient, then the patient’s emotional maturity has to be carefully evaluated by the surgeon. If the patient is below 18 years of age, parental consent is an absolute requisite for surgery of any kind.

Click here to contact the Plastic Surgery Institute of California, to avail of consultation procedures for your teenager. An unbiased diagnosis and thorough advice is provided by our team of surgeons which will aid you in making the right decision.