Posted April 27, 2017 in Blog, breast surgery, facial rejuvenation
While it is a bit controversial, thousands of teenagers have plastic surgery every year. Here, we’ll discuss the reasons for teenage plastic surgery and how cosmetic surgery can be helpful for teenagers.
Reasons Teens Seek Plastic Surgery
While adults often seek to enhance their appearance and stand out from the crowd, teenagers who have plastic surgery are usually motivated by a different desire—the need to fit in. As such, the nature of teenage plastic surgery is generally intended to change some physical attribute that makes them stand out, such as protruding ears or an awkwardly shaped nose.
Common Teen Plastic Surgery Procedures
Given the goals that teenagers often have when opting for plastic surgery, the following procedures are fairly common:
- Ear surgery (otoplasty), to correct protruding ears by pinning them back;
- Nose surgery (rhinoplasty), which changes the nose’s appearance or opens up the nostrils;
- Breast augmentation, which can also be used to correct breast asymmetry; and
- Breast reduction, to correct asymmetry or ease the weight of overlarge breasts. (This procedure is also done for teenage boys who suffer from the condition gynecomastia.)
All of these procedures are routinely done on teenagers, with parental approval, if they meet the medical criteria for the procedure.
Benefits of Cosmetic Surgery for Teens
The benefits of teenage plastic surgery are both psychological and physiological. Teenagers who undergo plastic surgery usually experience higher confidence and self-esteem after healing from the operation. In the case of teens with very large breasts, having breast reduction surgery may allow them to participate in sports that were previously uncomfortable, either physically, emotionally, or both.
Requirements for Teen Plastic Surgery
There are, of course, requirements that teens will have to meet before qualifying for plastic surgery. These include:
- Parental approval if they are under 18;
- Sufficient physical maturity, i.e. one’s nose should be fully grown before surgery, for example;
- Sufficient emotional and mental maturity to be able to cope with post-op recovery;
- Realistic expectations for surgery and what it will do for them;
- In the case of some procedures, such as breast augmentation, the teenager must be at least 18.
The purpose of these requirements is to make sure the surgery is completely effective and to minimize the risk of complications.
Insurance Coverage
One further issue that should be considered is insurance coverage. Sometimes procedures that are considered to have cosmetic components are covered by medical insurance when the operation corrects problematic physical symptoms. Some examples of this include breast reduction surgery that corrects back or shoulder pain, or rhinoplasty, which treats sleep apnea by opening the nasal passages and correcting a deviated septum.
Do you have questions about plastic surgery for teens? Contact Dr. Pollock at North Dallas Plastic Surgery to set up a consultation.
