Teenage Plastic Surgery

When I grow up I want to be just like Barbie

Around the age of three a girl receives her first Barbie doll, which is perceived

by society as perfection. This is a bad image to put into the mind of a young girl who is

developing since Barbie's figure is not proportional. After talking with Dr. Otto Placik, a

well renowned plastic surgeon, he informed me that if Barbie were real her intestines

would be smashed because of her awkward proportions. This perception of the body is a

problem since girls do not end up with perfect figures, and this idea of the "norm". They

can easily get low self-esteem if they are overweight and unattractive in society's eyes.

Some girls who feel they are overweight or ugly turn to plastic surgery to try to fix their

perceived flaws.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), the world's largest

professional organization for cosmetic surgeons "generally recommends that patients

under the age of 18 should not have plastic surgery" (Teenage Girls and Plastic Surgery).

Some reasons why they should not go through the procedure are the inherent risks and

obvious dangers of the surgery, their body may not be fully developed and the pressures

from the people who they are close to around them.

There are many risks and dangers when undergoing any type of surgery,

especially cosmetic surgery. One problem is there are not any regulations about who can

perform plastic surgery. Congress has been trying to pass a bill that would increase

patient's safety. According to Jane Friedman, the CEO and Co-Founder of Open Road

Integrated Media, "Congress is considering a patient-safety bill that would allow

surgeons to report 'medical mistakes' without the report being used against them in

court. This might help someone know the risks involved and statistics regarding a

specific type of surgery. However, this reporting would be voluntary, and critics say it is

unlikely that this law will make surgery safer." This law would be very helpful. Even

though it is voluntary the people reporting these things can make a difference. If teens

knew about the number of things that could go wrong with any elective procedure, it

might stop them from going through with the life changing decision. People are not fully

developed until they are around the age of 30. Arthur L. Caplan, chair of the Department

of Medical Ethics at the University of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine, wrote, "Young

people have not yet had a chance to become accustomed to their own bodies. In fact, at

16 or 17 their bodies are still changing and developing."

Many girls criticize themselves on a daily basis. Making matters worse is that

every day this criticism changes. As stated in an article from Issues and Controversies,

"Young girls are simply not emotionally mature enough to realize the costs and risks

involved in plastic surgery" (Teenage Girls and Plastic Surgery). Sometimes teens are

depressed about their appearances and have a skewed perception of what perfection looks

like. Instead of turning to plastic surgery these kids should try to figure out what is going

on inside themselves and if it is even justified to feel depressed, or if it is just a societal

issue that is making them think they need surgery. Critics of teens undergoing plastic

surgery argue that teens should be required to receive parental consent on nonessential

surgeries. Some surgeons, like Otto Placik, do not want to perform surgery on young

adults given that a teenager may still be growing. Critics note that teen patients who have

rhinoplasty may find that their nose continues to grow, and wind up having to have the

nose operated on again, often at great expense. Young girls could greatly decrease the

possibility of multiple surgeries and complications by waiting until they are fully

developed instead of having an unnecessary surgery. Teenage girls are surrounded by

pressure whether it is from their parents, friends, lovers, society, and/or the media. From

a young age, some girls learn to believe that the "pretty" people on television are perfect

and that they should strive for this when they grow older. A portion of society considers

it "normal" for someone to receive a nose job or other types of plastic surgery for a

graduation present from their parents. Caplan says, "If you are stumped about what to

give your daughter for her Sweet 16, forgo the breasts and buy her a book." At the age of

16 most teenage girls are excited to get their license or