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Teenagers and Cosmetic Surgery
As cosmetic surgery becomes more and more prevalent in our society, procedures are being done at a younger age. But, how young is too young? We've all heard stories of 12-year-old girls having rhinoplasty before they enter high school. Plus, dermabrasion and facial peels are quite common in the treatment of acne scars. Many teenage girls, who are not even out of high school, have elected to undergo breast augmentation. It is important that parents look at all the pros and cons before allowing their teenager to undergo any cosmetic surgery procedure.
There are many times when cosmetic surgery on children is required. This type of surgery is usually reconstructive to repair birth defects or the damage caused by tragic accidents. Many newborn infants, born with a cleft palette, go through reconstructive cosmetic surgery to repair the defect. In addition, children who are born with large facial birthmarks, called Port Wine Stains, can have laser treatments to reduce its size and color.
That doesn't mean that all cosmetic surgeries performed on children are for reconstruction alone. Many times there are parts of children and teenagers' bodies and that causes them severe embarrassment. In this case, it is up to the parents, the child, and the doctor to decide the best course of action to take.
Most surgeons take great pains to ensure that their teenage patients do not undergo needless surgeries or a surgery that is not appropriate. For instance, most surgeons do not recommend that a teenage girl under the age of 18 undergo breast augmentation surgery. A teenager's body is still developing and therefore, it would be inappropriate to insert breast implants at this time. Always check the credentials of any perspective cosmetic surgeon to ensure that he or she is a licensed as a plastic or cosmetic surgeon and is affiliated with a local, major hospital. A reputable cosmetic surgeon will have a certification from the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
It is vitally important that both the parents and the teenager understand the risks involved in any cosmetic surgery procedure. Choosing a qualified cosmetic surgeon, who can thoroughly explain the entire procedure, its risks, and how long the recovery process will take, is one of the most important steps. The surgeon will need to explain everything so the young patient can understand it. If the teenager is not mature enough, either physically or emotionally to handle such a serious operation, then it may be best to put surgery off for awhile.
Even though most certified cosmetic surgeons hesitate to operate on teenagers, in the past 10 years the number of cosmetic surgeries performed on teenagers has increased. Since 1997, cosmetic surgery procedures performed on teenagers' account for about 3%, on average, of the total cosmetic surgeries done in America. The total number of procedures increased from 2,500 to about 3,750 in the last 10 years. The most common cosmetic surgeries performed on teenagers are rhinoplasty, followed by breast reduction, chin augmentation and liposuction.
Cosmetic surgery is not the "dirty little secret" it used to be. In fact, there are more television shows that deal with cosmetic surgery and improving one's looks than ever before. Attaining beauty has become almost more important than attaining wealth. Frank discussions must take place anytime a teenager feels that cosmetic surgery is the only solution to their problem.
Teenagers today are bombarded with images of people with "perfect" bodies and "perfect" faces. They see them in the magazines they read, the movies that they go to, and the television shows that they watch. This is the time in their lives when they start becoming aware of their bodies and how their looks affect their self-esteem.
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