In 2013, 63,623 cosmetic surgical procedures were performed on people ages 13 to 19. (American Society of Plastic Surgery) Out of all the different kinds of doctors, plastic surgeons are known to be some of the most contentious. They have the knowledge of completely transforming one’s body into a jaw dropping new image. When it comes to teenagers, specifically the age group of 13 to 18 year olds, a new plastic look is becoming more and more popular. An age group like this should hopefully seem shocking, considering the human body will not halt its development until ages 18 to 21, or even after for some. When performed prior to a body’s full development, plastic surgery could become quite problematic in the near future. These effects may include pain during final growth or even a limit on how much more one’s body can grow. People in their teenage years should not be allowed to endure any kind of plastic surgery since their bodies are still developing and maturing. 

In high school, it is hard to always feel confident in oneself. There’s always going to be someone smarter, kinder and better looking, so why change who you are just to get there and realize you’re still not the smartest, kindest, and best looking? Changing one’s body to satisfy other people’s perceptions of you is wrong, especially in high school. From personal experience, I’ve disliked my nose ever since I broke it in fifth grade and didn’t get the surgery to fix it. I then began having breathing problems through my right nostril, yet still never got the surgery. It wasn’t until my freshman year of high school that breathing through my nose really began to bother me. I ended up having to go see a plastic surgeon to fix a bone that was out of place. I remember telling my mom before the surgery if I could ask the doctor to make my nose a little slimmer and more appealing, as he was already fixing my nose anyways. My mom said, “Honey, who cares what other people think of your nose, I love it and you’d look so weird with a ‘perfect’ nose anyways!” I laughed and thought to myself, “I really am the only one that truly notices the smidge crookedness anyways.” It is understandable why people want to change what they look like. The thought crosses most people’s minds at some point. Although for me, there were no personal hidden effects, just that it took over a month for my nose to heal. The surgeon told me to be careful doing certain things because I would know be more susceptible to breaking my nose again. However, for people that elect to have plastic surgery, the personal impact is greater. Therefore, voluntary cosmetic surgery is when this topic becomes controversial. 

Plastic surgery has increased in teenagers in recent years. Studies show that in 2012 more than 236,000 cosmetic surgeries were performed on people below the age of 19. (Web MD) A greater number of teenagers are convinced that such an impactful surgery is okay before they even know the potential outcome on their bodies. The purpose of getting plastic surgery all stems from one overpowering bully: self-consciousness. Do not forget that not only teenagers deal with this common theme, but adults too. Any person of any age can be unhappy with their body image. Self-consciousness starts at a young age, and for some, never disappears. Young girls in particular are influenced by sociocultural factors such as dolls, television characters, and characters in children’s books and movies. (Zuckerman and Abraham) Now in this age and era, girls are making the decision to get plastic surgery because of what they believe the “ideal woman” should look like. What really is the “ideal woman?”

Body image is continually developing in response to internal and external cues, and it just so happens that during these physical changes of puberty, teens are especially sensitive to how others look and what others think (Zuckerman and Abraham). Teenagers believe that it is acceptable to have plastic surgery at such a young age just because of their self-consciousness. High school is full of this. Around the time that school starts back up again in the fall, about 64,000 teens get some sort of plastic surgery (Pesce). 

The difference between surgical and non-surgical procedures is its effects on a person and how long it lasts. Dr. Peter Adamson discusses this argument, stating that Botox is a non-surgical procedure lasting around three months, while something like a facelift, which is a surgical procedure, that lasts about 12 to 15 months. It depends on the strength of what you use as well. Therefore, because it’s not as strong as the full-on procedure of a facelift, Botox won’t last as long. On the other hand, because Botox is a non-surgical procedure, healing isn’t as long as it would be for a surgical procedure. Some surgical procedures can take up to 3 months to heal, while some non-surgical procedures can be done one day and then the next day you are back to your daily life. Whether the choice is a surgical or non-surgical procedure, both have their own positives and negatives.  

Breast reductions, breast implants, liposuctions, nose jobs, and lip injections—the top five surgeries within teens. These procedures are costly, and painful as well. The most expensive procedures include breast reductions, costing from $10,000 to $12,000, breast implants, ranging from $8,000 to $10,000, and nose jobs, costing up to $10,000. (Pesce) Liposuction can range anywhere from $2,000 to $3,500, while lip injections, the least expensive, may cost anywhere from $500 to $2,000. For how much these teenagers, or their parents, are paying, they should know the hidden effects of what they’re doing to their bodies.

Back problems are no fun, especially if they begin at a young age. The most common source of teenagers getting breast reductions are back problems. According to plastic surgeons, in order for the surgery’s best results, it is best to get a breast reduction once one’s breasts have stopped growing. (Gardner) Although most girls don’t want to wait to get this surgery, it is best for their still-developing bodies. The 17-year-old Modern Family star Ariel Winter, just reduced her breast size from a 32F to a 34D. Winter stated that it was a huge weight off her mind. (Pesce). If they do continue growing after the surgery, another surgery could be needed.

Alternatively, another common surgery for young girls is breast enlargement. Some of those who are extremely self-conscious of their body want this surgery no matter the circumstances. For those whose bodies aren’t done growing, getting implants can become harmful towards their body’s natural process. Saline implants are approved for people over the age of 18 and silicone gel implants for those 22 and over. The difference between the two is that the saline implants allow room for growth if needed, while the silicone gel implants do not. People under the age of 18 can still get breast augmentations, but only under certain circumstances with different implants. By this age, women’s bodies have not yet fully developed. Women should wait until at least the age of 21 to get implants and should be more aware of their bodies. Recently, the FDA stated that both saline and silicone breast implants can cause a rare form of cancer. As of this announcement, the cancer has killed at least nine people. (NBC News) This cancer is called Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma, or commonly known as ALCL. This is just know coming into light because the FDA didn’t link this cancer to implants. Hopefully ALCL will bring awareness to not just teenagers, but to all women who are thinking of getting these implants. 

Liposuction is less popular surgery for teenagers to get, but not uncommon. It is a form of surgery in which localized deposits of fat are removed to re-contour an area (Zuckerman and Abraham). Liposuction is a much bigger procedure than most think. For a smaller procedure, the patient is put under anesthesia. On the other hand, for bigger procedures, the patient is put under a much heavier anesthesia and is given instructions to stay the night at the hospital to be monitored. Post-surgery effects include heavy bruising, damage to the skin, and in some cases an infection can form. Not as may teenagers get liposuction, but those who do are some of the most self-conscious. (Our Bodies Ourselves)

Noses: they are right there, in the middle of a face and everyone can see them. One of the largest insecurities in society today is one’s nose. (The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery) As I said earlier, I got my nose fixed because I had to. Most people’s reason as to why they resort to fixing or reshaping their nose is because they think it’s crooked or it’s “too big.” Two years ago, my cousin’s girlfriend got a nose job as her graduation present. She had always been extremely insecure of her nose because thought her nose was too big compared to her face. She got very good at makeup as she would contour it every day to make it look smaller and more to her liking. Those around her never thought it was too big and always thought she was just looking at it too hard. Once she had the mindset that it was too big, she never thought otherwise. She got her nose fixed the summer after her senior year and has never been happier. Although, the recovery process was long and painful. Having stents pulled out of your nose is one of the most uncomfortable things she has ever experienced. Including breast reductions and enlargements, nose jobs are one of the most popular plastic surgery procedures for teenage girls. 

Lastly, lips injections are definitely becoming more and more popular among teenagers. This trend of bigger lips started about 5 years ago when models and actresses started sharing their new ways of getting luscious, plump lips on social media. One of the most well-known women around the world, Kylie Jenner, played a huge role in starting this new look. Last year, the “Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge” went viral, as people would suction their lips to get them to look plump like Kylie’s. Most of the teenagers that are getting lip injections are considered to be more wealthy and famous. Although, the number of women all ages starting to get this procedure is only rising. 

Celebrity influence plays a key role in people’s choices towards plastic surgery today. With celebrities Photoshop, professional make up, and designer clothes, there’s no telling why people wouldn’t want to follow in their footsteps. People are constantly trying to conform to their standard of living, therefore, changing how we look. Due to plastic surgery’s ability to transform people’s looks, many resort to this. There are endless stories of how people reach out to plastic surgeons exclaiming, “I want my nose to look like Jennifer Aniston’s”, or “I want my boobs as big as Kate Upton’s.” Celebrities play a huge role in how we decide to live. One man named Rodrigo Alves’ life goal is to become the first human Ken Doll. Alves has been getting tons and tons of plastic surgery procedures in order to become what he believes is the “perfect body.” The Ken Doll might not be a celebrity, but Barbie and Ken are still a huge influence on how people look at themselves. Barbie and Ken have been known to have the perfect body for ages, dating back to 1961. Yeah, they’re dolls, but they have somehow still had a huge influence that leads women, and men, to have poor body image.

Poor body image stimulates many teenagers to resort to plastic surgery. Teenagers believe that paying huge amounts of money to change their bodies will improve how they look at themselves, but does it? One well-known study found that body self-body image did in fact improve after cosmetic surgery, but body satisfaction between boys and girls who did not undergo plastic surgery was also on the rise. (Our Body Ourselves) American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery said that teenagers and young adults could be the new face of plastic surgery for 2015. (AAFPRS) After seeing these studies and this fact made by the AAFPRS, many mixed emotions come to mind. Self-consciousness is something that should be fought. Teenagers should not turn to plastic surgery to help their self-consciousness issues. After knowing these studies, that have even proved to be true, teenagers should just wait until they are old enough to make such a rash decision that could potentially cost their body. 

Waiting is hard, everyone knows that. Although, one would think that people would want to wait with certain circumstances. Waiting to get plastic surgery would be smart because of the effects it can have, but also to see if it is still something one would want in the future. Since the body is not done developing until the age of 21, nobody knows what their body is meant to look like until they reach this age. These facts are not meant to harp on those teenagers who want to have plastic surgery, but to just show them the risk of it. Most do not know all the hidden effects plastic surgery can have. In being more aware, some may change this rash decision. Waiting never hurts anyone, especially when potential risk of one’s life is at stake. 

Awareness can be raised on this topic by exposure. Currently, there are no major studies that show the true effects of plastic surgery on teenagers. (Our Bodies Ourselves) If these facts can be exposed to teenagers, maybe they will second guess any quick decisions of getting plastic surgery. Industries could even start hanging posters in their offices to show the hidden effects of plastic surgery on young girls and boys. Yes, this might be a money loss in the plastic surgery industry, but at least young girls and boys will be safe.  

Another way to battle this issue and raise awareness would be to make doctors operate at a certain age. Currently, most doctors offer an objective judgement on whether they think a teenager is ready for plastic surgery. (Our Bodies Ourselves) If a teenager believes they are ready, the doctor may still not think they are. There is a minimum age limit for breast implants, but this seems to be only an age restriction, not a restraint on whether one’s ready or not. If more guidelines are put in place, the option of getting such large surgeries at such young ages can come to an end. 

Although it may seem that plastic surgery at a young age is not a big issue in society, it is in the medical world. We as a society need to open our eyes to this issue because it is becoming a superior issue since its start in 2013. I side with the belief that people in their teenage years should not be allowed to endure any plastic surgeries. The human body doesn’t discontinue its development until the ages of 18 to 21, depending on the person, therefore, teenagers’ bodies have not yet been able to fully mature. This issue is on the rise because more and more teenagers are turning to plastic surgery due to the corrupt culture we live in today. 
