young women (under 18) account for about 2-3% of all patients presenting to plastic surgeons offices to discuss cosmetic surgery. Personally, I have seen an increase in both surveys and consultations by adolescent patients. Some of the most common reasons young women present for cosmetic surgery is breast augmentation, liposuction, rhinoplasty e. This is controversial. "The challenges include maturity, decision-making capacity, security and legalaspects.
Maturity and Judgement
There are many good reasons that age restrictions were placed on all sorts of things that require maturity and opinion, as the purchase of a gun, driving and drinking. The frontal lobe of the brain is not fully developed until 20 to 30's. This portion of the brain controls decision making, impulsivity and understanding the consequences. There have been studies suggesting that 20-30% of high school students consider suicide.This is also a period with a high rate of experimentation with illicit drugs. Clearly, adolescence is a period of time that decision can be challenged. This does not mean that adults always make appropriate decisions for themselves, adolescents are simply a biological distinct disadvantage. The reasons for an adolescent may be useful plastic surgery may be questionable. "Fitting in" or want to look like a specific air-brushed celebrities are not good reasons for pursuing plastic surgery. This is a moment ofself-discovery, not self-alteration.
Security
In general, the risks of cosmetic surgical procedures are similar in adults and adolescents. However, there are cases where the full effect of operational development soon as possible cosmetic results. For example, breast surgery before the full development of the breast or nose before rhinoplasty is fully developed.
The Law
There is no specific legislation in the U.S. regarding teen cosmetic surgery. As with all medicalprocedure, parental consent is required for patients under 18 years of age. In Australia, it is the legislature to make it difficult for adolescents to have cosmetic surgery including a "cooling-off period between consultation and surgery. There have been discussions of similar laws in the United States for breast augmentation, the American Society of Surgeons plastic and the FDA have both taken a position. Women under 18 are not allowed to have saline implants and those of which 22 are notapproved for silicone implants. There are risks for life as related to breast implants and capsular contracture, deflation, which become longer than the implants were in place.
Vs Reconstructive Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
In my practice, all patients presenting for procedures that are purely cosmetic must be big enough to sign their consent form (18 years) and must be suitable candidates for the procedure provided with realistic expectations. Thedifficulty is that some of these patients have problems that are both aesthetic and reconstructive in nature. For example
Children with protruding ears resulting self-consciousness
Girls with breast development very asymmetric
Girls with large breast development that limits physical activities
Boys with the development of male breast
facial scars from a previous injury
Nose deformity causing significant respiratory problems
There is clearly a continuumpurely purely reconstructive cosmetic surgery. It takes experience and opinion of a good plastic surgeon to make the decision whether an operation is indicated, while the patient is still a minor, or should be required to wait until they are 18, in these difficult cases. If you are a teenager considering plastic surgery visit with a reliable, board certified plastic surgeon to discuss these issues.