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Teens and Cosmetic Surgery

In 2012 over 236,000 cosmetic procedures were performed on patients ages 19
years and younger (Dittman, Plastic Surgery: Beauty or Beast?). The top surgical
procedures were nose reshaping, breast lifts, breast augmentation, liposuction, and
tummy tucks. The rising trend of plastic surgery among teenagers 18 years old and
younger has tripled over the past 10 years due to changes in abilities of medical
procedures, which allow surgery to be implemented on teenagers with a parental consent.
There are numerous pros and cons pertaining to the procedures of teen cosmetic surgery
and how it affects the lives it changes.
One of the rising reasons for teens to desire plastic surgery is because of teasing
and bullying at a young age. The reasons cited for bullying include, being overweight,
chubby, or not up to someones perceived personal standards. A survey was recorded with
135 girls, all under the age of 11 about being teased for their weight. The survey indicated
that fifty-two percent of respondents had been teased about their weight. Over sixty
perecent of the young girls reported were teased by a mixture of boys and siblings
(Dittman, Plastic Surgery: Beauty or Beast?). Olivera, the woman who developed the
survey, found that the girls became at risk of developing eating disorders to control their
weight. Seventy percent of the girls tracked during the survey were reported to be
implementing weight-controlled behaviors. Those behaviors included: cutting back on
eating meals; skipping many meals; harsh dieting, and starving themselves in order to
become thinner and have a slimmer appearance. Oliveras study concluded that twelve
percent engaged in binge and purge behaviors to lose and control their weight. Thirty-

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three percent of the girls ended up practicing emotional eating. The teasing leads to selfimage problems causing eating disorders, which eventually leads to the emotional need
for cosmetic surgery at young ages.
Self-image is very important for most people, especially during young and
developing ages. For some, the outlook on ones self-image has no price limit if their own
self-image is not up to their personal standards. The feeling of being pleased and satisfied
with their own appearance can make a huge impact on their life. Even though surgery
procedure prices can range from a couple hundred to over ten thousand dollars, some
patients believe the cost is not a deterrent for having the cosmetic procedure. In Sunil
Choudharys survey on young college students, it was found that eighty percent said they
considered the face to be the most important aspect of their appearance. Sixty-eight
percent believed that how they looked affected their relationships with the opposite sex.
This causes young adults to be more conscious of their own body.
A recent study of 37 patients around the age of 18 on psychological and psychofunctional functioning before and after cosmetic procedures suggests positive outcomes
in patients. The improvements include positive self-image and a boost in quality of life. A
study conducted by Sarwer, an associate professor of psychology at the University of
Pennsylvania School of Medicine found that a year after receiving cosmetic surgery,
eighty-seven percent of the patients reported satisfaction following their surgery. They
reported to have improvements in their overall body image, emotional improvement of
the body feature that was altered in the procedure, and less negative body image
problems during social interactions. There area a handful of people who receive teen
cosmetic surgery due to health issues. Septoplasty is a cosmetic procedure that corrects

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the deviated nasal septum. The procedure helps with breathing, pain, and nose bleeds. It
can correct the shape of the nose to further help breathing problems (Roth,
Septoplasty). Also an accepted procedure for young teens includes fixing a cleft pallet.
These physically help the health of the teen patient and create less health problems that
would come in the future. These types of cosmetic procedures can bring plenty of
benefits to the patients life.
Although the costs for cosmetic procedures are high, it does not mean perfect
results are achieved. In fact, some significant dissatisfaction with surgery has lead to
suicide. The National cancer institute found in 2001, that patients with breast implants
were four times more likely to commit suicide than women without implants
(Zuckerman, Teens and Cosmetic Surgery). Plastic surgery may take care of physical
flaws, but deep emotional scars often stay. Not only do emotional scars remain, but also
cosmetic surgery on a developing body can be dangerous. Human bodies continue to
mature until a couple years ranging around 18 or older. Having cosmetic work treated to
an area that is still developing can cause many problems for the future. Breast implants
commonly interfere with mammography. This dramatically increases the chance that a
woman trying to breastfeed will have many complications. The milk will be hard to
produce and decrease in nutrition due to the lack of milk production. It was found that
poor outcomes often result with people who have a history of depression, anxiety, or very
high unrealistic expectations. Many unrealistic expectations come from social media and
Hollywood stars in our new era of the rising trend in social media. Some common
negative outcomes of teen cosmetic surgery involve adjustment problems, social
isolation, self-destructive behaviors, depression, or even a request of repeat procedures.

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Even with some of the reasonable teen cosmetic surgeries come consequences. Plastic
surgery is the third riskiest method to change ones image. Fifty percent of teenagers are
willing to take the risk of going under the knife and anesthesia. Hematoma is a common
complication after cosmetic surgery. Hematoma is a pocket filled with blood that is very
painful and resembles a swollen bruise; this condition commonly after breast
augmentation and needs a separate procedure to drain the blood. Nerve damage is another
common side effect of surgeries through any cosmetic procedure. More than 15% of
females who receive breast surgeries permanently lose sensation in their nipples resulting
in never feeling normal again. Many infections can also come along with the risks of teen
or any cosmetic surgery. (Schaefer, 10 Most Common Plastic Surgery Complications)
With the rise of social media and its influence on teens self-image, society has
seen an upward trend in teen cosmetic procedures. There are both pros and cons with
these new statistics. Depending on the procedure, the patients mental health history and
need for surgery, one just carefully weigh the advantages or the disadvantages before
proceeding.

Works Cited

Choudhary, Sunil. "Am I Beautiful the Way I Am?." India Today.19 Jan. 2015: n.p. SIRS
Issues Researcher,Web. 07 Dec. 2016.

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DITTMANN, MELISSA. Plastic Surgery: Beauty or Beast? Pardon Our Interruption,

Apa.org, Sept. 2005, apa.org/monitor/sep05/surgery.aspx.
"Plastic Surgery Okay, Say Teens." China Post. 10 Jul. 2014: n.p. SIRS Issues
Researcher. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.
Roth, Erika. Septoplasty. Healthline.com, Healthline, 8 Nov. 2015,
www.healthline.com/health/septoplasty.
"Study Finds Teasing Girls About Weight Is More Than a Playground Joke." NewsRx
Health & Science. 29 Nov. 2015: 363. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.
Zuckerman, Dianna. Teens and Cosmetic Surgery. Our Bodies Ourselves,
Ourbodiesourselves.org, 6 May 2016, www.ourbodiesourselves.org/health-info/teenscosmetic-surgery/.