Plastic surgery for a teenager sounds like the definition of a terrible idea, and it’s on the rise. Only 2% of plastic surgeries are performed on teenagers, but that number has doubled since 2002. This trend has mental health professionals concerned – plastics operations have psychological side effects that are often unanticipated and difficult for adults to deal with, much less emotionally vulnerable teens.
Solving a teenager’s self esteem issues with a scalpel might have dangerous, long term side effects. ”Mom and Dad, please be sure your adolescent or your teen is aware that this is not a coping skill – that every time we feel uncomfortable about ourselves, then we go out and get surgery,” psychiatrist Charles Sophy said on the Today Show Tuesday morning. ”Because that’s how we begin a huge line of problems.”
To address this problem, cosmetic surgeons recommend at least four sessions with a therapist before they are willing to operate on a teenager. The idea is to help kids discover what their real motives are for wanting surgery and make sure the patient is emotionally mature enough to handle the results.
Teens are most likely to want plastic surgery so they can fit in, unlike adults who usually turn to the knife because they want to stand out. In most cases, less drastic measures are best. But for some kids who are in real psychological distress because of a physical defect or in actual pain because of the way their body has developed, surgery may be an effective alternative. Dr. Sam Rizk, a plastic surgeon who helped Jen Selter, a teen with an unusually wide nose that led classmates to call her a pelican or refer to her as “butter face,” says of certain procedures: “It’s no different than kids getting braces for crooked teeth.”
Parents might disagree, but Selter told the Today Show that, “[Her] advice to teenagers is don’t have a nose job just ’cause you’re worried about what other people say or think,” said Selter, who had rhinoplasty done last summer at age 15. ”It all has to do with how you feel on the inside. And getting a nose job made me feel good inside and out.”
Jon Escalante, who had his remarkably flared ears pinned back, says that now he has the confidence to cut his hair short enough to pursue his dream of being a firefighter. For Hannah Olson, who developed DDD-sized breasts as a teenager, surgery was a way to rid herself of both name calling and very real physical pain. With her newly reduced breasts, she is able to move more comfortably, which means a healthier, more active lifestyle.
If you’re thinking of letting your teen have surgery, remember that there are guidelines for health and safety. Facial work should not be done until facial growth is complete. For females that’s usually around age 14, males, about 15. The FDA doesn’t allow breast augmentation before the age of 18 and most reputable surgeons won’t do liposuction younger than 18 either.
(Photo of Jen Selter courtesy of The Today Show)
