The number of American teenagers undergoing plastic surgery to change their facial features or bodies is on a steep rise. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, about 219,000 cosmetic surgeries were performed on young people age 13 to 19 in 2010. Due to its increasing demand, we think it is appropriate to devote some time to analyze and discuss the forces driving this new trend of teenagers and plastics surgery.
Breast augmentation is the number one cosmetic procedure done in the United States, and rates continue to rise each year. In 2011, more than 4,000 of these procedures were done on minors, with teens most commonly citing “cosmetic reasons,” according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
Photo Courtesy of Fitness Magazine
However, vanity isn’t the only reason teenage girls are seeking to have operations to change their looks and or bodies: Bullying and taunting young people at school or on social media such as Facebook also is increasing. The response by teens to avoid this type of bullying is to have their parents pay for plastic surgery that will eliminate the bullying. And among procedures performed on teens who are taunted, otoplasty, or plastic surgery on the ears, is the most popular — more than 11,000 surgeries were performed last year.
The story of Nadia Ilse, a 14-year-old girl from Georgia who underwent taunts such as “Dumbo” and “elephant ears” about her oversize ears is one example. She was hurt emotionally for years before was lucky enough to have the Little Baby Face Foundation foot the sizeable bill for an otoplasty, reduction rhinoplasty and mentoplasty. The foundation is a charity that provides free corrective surgery to children born with facial deformities. After the surgery, Nadia and her mother pursued counseling to help the teen overcome the other psychological effects of the years of taunting.
Parents of teenagers who are bully victims often will pay for plastic surgery to ease their emotional pain. The parents of Nicolette Taylor, a 13-year-old from Long Island, paid for their bullied daughter’s rhinoplasty. The reason was simple: Parental love. When her bandages were peeled off, the teen cried with relief. Despite many criticisms, Nicolette’s father Rob told ABC News that, “You send them to a good school, you’d buy then shoes. You’d get them braces, which we did. It’s that kind of thing.”
Some plastic surgeons won’t perform procedures on teenagers who are having the surgeries purely for cosmetic reasons. These are teens who only want to look better for the high school prom, graduation or at the beach. Some teenage girls prepare for their freshman year at college by having plastic surgery to enhance their looks.
Doctors in Australia are advocating for national guidelines to ban cosmetic surgery for teens under 18. There the Cosmetic Physicians Society is proposing stricter, government guidelines that no doctor can perform liposuction or lip augmentation on teenagers. “Children should not receive cosmetic or surgical procedures of any kind unless there are compelling medical or psychological reasons to do so,” said Dr. Gabrielle Caswell, president of the Society.
My professional opinion as a plastic surgeon is that a ban or strict guidelines against surgeries on teens is too rigid. There must be some room for flexibility that allows the plastic surgeon to make informed decisions. In my own practice, when a teenager and her parents come to my office for a consultation, I examine the reasons why the teen wants plastic surgery. Is it for purely cosmetic reasons? Or is bullying a factor in this situation?
I must satisfy myself that the teenager, especially if under age 18, is mature enough to make a good decision and whether the parents are giving informed consent. I also tell them that plastic surgery itself carries inherent risks that must be weighed in this important decision. The topic about teenagers and plastic surgery must be decided on a case-by-case basis, and always with the patient’s safety and well-being in mind.
About Dr. Ramon Angel Robles
Dr. Robles, creator of the unique Latina Mami MakeoverTM, was trained at the prestigious Aesthetic Center at Duke University Medical Center. He is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. He specializes in breast augmentation surgery and corrective breast augmentation surgery. For more information, please visit www.RoblesPlasticSurgery.com.
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