Teens and Cosmetic
Surgery
Chapter
5
Teens are having cosmetic procedures in
increasing numbers every year. Some
experts see this as a logical extension in the quest to
look better and gain self-esteem. Others are worried
that this trend is resulting in many teens having
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procedures done at too early an age. Teens may not
be emotionally prepared for such a change.
A Vulnerable Age
Many people develop and establish their selfimage
during their teenage years. The way they view
themselves can affect their personality, academic
performance, and emotions. For many, the way they
feel about their looks plays a large role in their selfimage.
Peer pressure and social position
play a big part in a teenager’s life.
Looks are important. Teens are often
quick to follow fashion tends. They
can also be cruel to peers who do
not have a certain look. As Bethanne
Snodgrass states in The Makeover Myth,
“Adolescents tend to fixate on visible
body parts that fall anywhere outside
the ‘average.’ Typically, noses for boys
and breasts and noses for girls receive
the most self-scrutiny.”1
Often, teens are teased for having
a big nose, a flat chest, or large ears.
As the American Society of Plastic
Any Girl Can Be Good
Looking
The push for young women
to be as attractive as
possible is not a modern
phenomenon. In 1927,
Hazel Rawson Cades
wrote a beauty guide for
young women titled Any
Girl Can Be Good Looking.
Cades wrote, “Being
good-looking is no longer
optional. . . . There
is no place in the world
for women who are not.
Competition is so keen
and . . . the world moves
so fast that we simply
can’t afford not to sell
ourselves on sight.”2
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Surgeons states in its briefing paper
“Plastic Surgery for Teenagers,”
Teenagers who want to have plastic
surgery usually have different motivations
and goals from adults. Teens tend to have
plastic surgery to fit in with peers, to look
similar. Adults tend to have plastic surgery
to stand out from others.3
Teens are often exposed to media
images of beauty through movies,
television, celebrities, magazines, and
the Internet. Even more than adults,
they are aware of their looks. They see examples of
how cosmetic procedures can help people change the
way they look. Teens know that these procedures are
generally acceptable to society. They may believe that
by fixing their flaws, their lives will improve.
As a result, teens are having more procedures.
In 2007, teens and children under the age of 18
accounted for 2 percent of all cosmetic procedures.
Teens and young adults from ages 19 to 34 accounted
for 21 percent of all cosmetic procedures. Teens were
most likely to have laser hair removal, dermabrasion,
chemical skin peels, ear reshaping, and nose jobs.
Cosmetic Surgery in Teen
Magazines
Magazines for teen readers
often publish articles
about the benefits of
having plastic surgery.
Matthew Feller of the
Center for Media and
Public Affairs says, “The
press brandishes a double-edged
sword. By telling
and retelling stories
about teens and plastic
surgery, they’re actually
turning into an advertisement
for that very thing.”4
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According to Dr. Darrick Antell, a New York City
plastic surgeon,
Today’s teenagers are growing up with parents who have had
cosmetic surgery, so they see and hear about it more. The
media has also done a good job of making people aware of
the procedures available.5
Before Surgery
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons has
not made a formal statement about whether or
not plastic surgery is suitable for teens. However,
the organization has developed guidelines to be
considered before surgery is performed on patients
in this age group. It is important that the surgery is
the teen’s idea and not something his or her parents
have initiated or urged them to do. A doctor should
know that the teen wants the surgery and has thought
about it for a long time. Teens must also fully
understand the benefits and the limitations of having
plastic surgery.
Psychological maturity is also important.
According to the American Society of Plastic
Surgeons,
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• 46 •
Teenagers must be able to tolerate the discomfort and
temporary disfigurement of a surgical procedure. Plastic
surgery is not recommended for teens who are prone to mood
swings or erratic behavior, who are abusing drugs and/or
alcohol, or who are being treated for clinical depression or
other mental illness.6
Benefits of Teen Surgery
Some groups would like to see a
ban on any kind of cosmetic surgery
done on teens. Others feel that there
are situations in which cosmetic
surgery is appropriate for teenagers.
A large part of being an adolescent
is self-image and self-esteem. If
cosmetic surgery can improve a
teen’s self-image and social life, it
may be worth considering. Surgery
can make a big difference in a teen’s
self-esteem. It can also change the
way a teen relates to the world and
approaches new things.
A young woman named Abigail
had a nose job as a high school
Regrets
A young woman named
Kacey Long had breast
implants at age 19. Several
of her friends had
gotten implants as high
school graduation presents
as well. She says that
the surgery has brought
her many problems. In
an interview, Long said
that her implants were
so big that she “looked
like a porn star.”7
In addition,
Long experienced
shooting pain in her arms,
joint pain, and fatigue.
She had difficulty getting
out of bed. Eventually,
she paid for another surgery
to have the implants
removed. Afterward, her
health improved.
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senior, at age 16. She felt that her surgery made a
major difference in her life and was happy with her
decision:
It wasn’t an awful nose that people picked on or anything . . .
If you’re heavy, you can lose weight. If you don’t like your
Brook Bates had liposuction at age 12.
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hair, you can change the color or cut it. But my nose was
something that bothered me and lowered my self-esteem, but
that I couldn’t personally change.8
Many psychologists agree that cosmetic surgery is
sometimes a good choice for teens. If teasing about
a certain body part is so overwhelming that a person
can no longer function normally, then cosmetic
surgery may be worth considering.
Negatives of Teen Surgery
Others argue that teens are too young to make
decisions about something as important, and
potentially dangerous, as surgery. In addition, most
teen bodies are still growing and have
not yet reached full maturity. As a
result, a procedure such as a nose job
that looks great at age 16 might look
out of proportion by age 25.
Cosmetic surgery for teens has
both physical and psychological risks.
In all surgeries, there is a danger
of negative side effects. Allergic
reactions to anesthesia can result in
breathing or heart problems, heavy
Breast Tissue Growth
in Boys
It is not unusual for teenage
boys to develop breast
tissue. Most of the time,
the extra tissue goes away
on its own. However, if it
does not, it can be very
embarrassing. This tissue
development can be
caused by hormones or
from being overweight.
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bleeding, or infection. In addition, the results of
the surgery may not be perfect. Everyone has unique
facial features and
bone structure.
Those factors
influence the
outcome of any
cosmetic surgery.
There is also
a psychological
risk for teens
having cosmetic
procedures. They
may not recognize
the limitations of
the surgery. The
realities of what it
can and cannot do
for them may not
be understood.
Surgery can change
a part of their
bodies that they
feel is unattractive.
But it does not
Jenna Franklin
In 2001, a 15-year-old British girl named
Jenna Franklin made the headlines throughout
the world. Her parents had agreed to pay for
her to have breast implants. It has since become
common for parents to buy their daughters
cosmetic surgery procedures. However,
Jenna’s was the first case to get media attention.
Jenna’s mother ran a plastic surgery business
and had breast implants herself. She said that
she did not want Jenna to have any hang-ups
about the way she looked. Jenna herself was
quoted as saying,
You’ve got to have breasts to be successful.
Every other person you see on television
has had implants. I just want to be
happy with my body and I think having
my breasts enlarged will give me more
self-confidence.9
Psychology experts thought that the operation
was a risky way to resolve this teenage anxiety.
Jenna’s parents said that she had grown up
around the plastic surgery industry, and Jenna
considered surgery a normal way to improve
her looks. Her parents felt that Jenna was mature
enough to make the decision. However,
they said they would defer to the decision of a
medical doctor. Jenna’s doctor said that at age
16, she was not physically mature enough for
the surgery. Jenna would have to wait until she
was 18 or 19 years old to have it.
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necessarily improve their self-esteem if their
problems are emotional. Teens need to talk with
their doctors about their expectations. They need
to make sure they have realistic expectations and are
going into surgery for the right reasons.