Why Teens Are Seeking Plastic Surgery

You often hear of people having plastic surgery to improve their looks or to fix some physical "error" whether real or imaginary. Many people have been shown to be addictive to plastic surgery were they require more and more to try and achieve " the look" that they long for to make their life better. In recent years it has come to light that more and more teenagers are seeking the benefits of plastic surgery, liken to the adults that already saturate the market. These teens have various reasons for wanting to change themselves cosmetically. Whether real or imagined the problems they seek to cure are becoming a booming business for plastic surgeons nation-wide. There is much controversy around the necessity for teens to "go under the knife" to achieve their desired look. But whether you agree or disagree or feel it is normal or abnormal to fulfill the urgent need for plastic surgery in younger adults there is the pros and cons that each side of the debate offers.

Have you ever wished you looked like a model or a movie star? Arizona twins Mike and Matt Schlepp had that wish and made it come true in a sense. The two 20-year-olds wanted to change their looks in hopes of becoming duplicates of actor Brad Pitt. They wanted this wish to come true so much that they got nose jobs, cheek and chin implants, and porcelain dental veneers. The cost of their "dream" was more than $22,000 each.

The music television show "MTV" documented the twins' experience for the first episode of a show called I Want a Famous Face. Though the brothers didn't think they turned out looking anything like the Hollywood heartthrob, they still loved their new looks. "I would do it 10 times over," Matt told MTV

Matt also said he never realized how happy he could be until after plastic surgery. "If any part of you drains all your self-esteem, then why live like that?" he said to MTV. "The longer you go on living like that, the more it's going to affect you and bring you down. There is something you can do about it." And, he says, there is another plus. "It has definitely helped me get more girls."

Though the Schelpp twins had their surgery completely for vanity reasons, other teens and young adults view having surgery as a way of correcting serious flaws in their appearance.

Melanie Weiss told The Philadelphia Inquirer. "When I was younger, I had the cutest nose, but when I got older, my nose got worse. It got bigger, and I had a bump," Sixteen-year-old Melanie thought the benefit of plastic surgery was worth the risks. The Philadelphia teen had rhinoplasty, or a "nose job."

Melanie's mother (who also underwent rhinoplasty) endorsed her daughter's decision. She said she didn't want her daughter's self-esteem to suffer. "I had been ridiculed about my nose from the time I was in fifth grade, and I didn't want my daughter to go through the same thing," she said.

According to a survey by a popular British magazine, Bliss, many other teens would opt for plastic surgery to correct an "imperfection". A sampling of 2,000 girls, with an average age of 15, found that 42 percent have considered getting plastic surgery. Many of the teens who do decide to have the surgery have the blessing and support of their parents. Many of the parents who felt their own "teenage" looks either where a positive or negative influence in their teenage years are for having their children have that "perfect" look. Noting and correcting imperfections they feel will add positively to their child's social acceptance.

Although teens make up just 2 percent of cosmetic surgery patients in the United States, these numbers have increased, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). The number of procedures performed on kids aged 13 to 19 nearly doubled to 244,124 (including about 47,000 nose jobs and 9,000 breast augmentations) from 2002 to 2006. Now more than 280,000 teenagers had cosmetic procedures in 2003--a 50 percent hike from the previous year, teenage patients--a whole new population--reach out to cosmetic surgery for treatment. Having plastic surgery is on the rise for younger patients. It was also found that the media touting of the ease of becoming "the person you want to be" through cosmetic surgery has added to the increase of teenagers seeking that "perfect look."

Critics of teenage plastic surgery say cosmetic surgery for teens can be dangerous and cause irrevocable damage. As teenagers grow older their body changes from breast size and nose shape to overall body shape and size. This may cause regret in the decision of originally having the surgery and cause the individual to have additional surgery to "fix" the new problem. Plus all surgeries carry risks. Surgery involves anesthesia, which can be risky. In addition, wound healing can be painful and does not happen overnight.

These risks may increase if a child or teen is obese. A new study from the University of Michigan Health