Plastic Surgery - Would You Let Your Teen?

There are people who have money to do this? I don't know anyone who has money. With excessive job loss, and loss of health insurance people would consider paying out of pocket for expensive medical procedures that are not necessary? And guess what? They are predicting that in '09, individual health insurance - the kind you have to research and pay for alone, not the work-sponsored group insurance (which is already ridiculously high-priced, while paying for very little) will be going up significantly while the group insurances will stay the same. So people who are out of work but need to protect their families with insurance will not be able to afford it. Shoot, this month my Cobra payments, for just me, went up $100.

Right now, the only people doing this should be the very rich who are afraid of aging, or actors who need to stay young as long as possible. All can afford it.

As for the rest of us: If the economy was great and we all had jobs and life was good, I think that if a teen had physical trait that bothered her a lot and got her a lot of attention, like a cleft lip, a boy with breasts, even a nose that is way too large, then absolutely. But how is the flat-chested girl going to feel better about herself after breasts implants? If she is teased for being flat, what will happen when she goes to school now? She will be a huge joke. She will have to go to another school.

Kids need to be taught that life would be boring if we all looked alike. And small breasts are prettier than large, and won't hang to your knees when you are 40.

Reply

If my kid was a burn victim or one of those kids with tumors the size of a tv on their face or somewhere else on them yes I would get surgery done on them so they would like they did

Reply

I had plastic surgery on my nose when I was 14, and it completely changed my life. Yes, I was teased by both kids I knew and kids I didn't know, and I was horribly self-conscious, to the point that I didn't even want my profile to be seen when I was riding in the car in traffic (I would turn sideways to look out the window). And suddenly, after the surgery, my nose was something I didn't have to worry about anymore; it was such a relief. I am not sure how my parents paid for it, but it was worth everything to me. 20 years later, I have no desire to fix anything else, from my tiny chest to my ample bottom, but I am so grateful for the plastic surgery I had.

Reply

I'm in 11th grade and when I showed up at school this year a girl I knew from English class had an entirely different chin and nose. Then a girl in senior year who I am friends with got a nose job. I would personally never consider plastic surgery unless I was in an accident or it would help with my health somehow. Unfortunately, as a teenage girl I can never be skinny enough, big-breasted enough, etc. While I am not completely satisfied with my naturally thin frame (I weigh in at 105 lbs and 5'3 1/2") I would not go to any drastic measures to change. I think that diet and exorcise is the best method for weight loss and if you're born with a nose you don't like, at least it's natural and you know that other girls look like that.

Reply

I agree on certain things. I was 16 when I had a breast reduction. One was 2 sizes bigger than the other and I had back pain. Certain things like that are ok. But the ones where you get implants are stupid. It teaches teenagers that looking sexy is the only thing that will get you noticed.

Reply

Why cut in a healthy body? I can understand that some teenagers might be insecure but that is where as a parent you step up and make sure they don't get surgery. I actually saw a documentary about this subject last week and there were several parents paying for their daughters' breast implants! Unbelievable to me.

Reply

Big noses run strongly on my husband's side of the family - even the guys end up having their noses fixed! So my husband decided before she was even born that if our daughter has inherited this unfortunate issue that she could get it fixed as a teen if she wanted. At 2 her nose is just the right size so it appears this will be a non-issue. But if she had needed it, I would support it. I think boob jobs are completely unnecessary - just wear a Wonderbra! I did... :)

Peace!

Reply

Like Leslie, I had my nose done as a teenager (17). Best thing I ever did. Would I have led a worse life otherwise? Probably not. But it certainly helped my self confidence at a sensitive age. It's funny, because 22 years later, as I read all the stories about the controversy over plastic surgery at a young age, I have to remind myself that I was a teenager at the time of my surgery. I think it totally depends on the girl and the situation whether surgery is reasonable or excessive.

Reply

Absolutely! I wouldn't let my kids get something superficial as breast implants or lipo. But if their nose gets crooked, they have a really obvious mark or scar, gigantic boobs! Absolutely. If it's something they really want, depending on physical maturity (for safety), I'm willing to help them feel more comfortable through those awkward years. And seriously not about to give my daughter a nose job if she thinks it's too "ethnic" or something. We're talking a situation that makes them really, really stick out awkwardly.

Reply

Depends on the situation. A really, really obviously, disproportionally much too large or much too small nose or ears, sure. Boobs, no way.

Reply

When my son was born, after finding out he had all his fingers and toes the first thing I wanted to know was if his ears stuck out. Mine did and I was horribly self-conscious. Sure enough, by the time he started school his were flapping in the breeze and by kindergarten a few little brats were making fun of him. After a few months of him coming home crying I called the best plastic surgeon in town and we got those ears fixed. He is now (at 12) self-confident and has tons of friends. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat!

Reply

I am very interested in this topic and am writing a feature about it for the UK's biggest selling teen magazine. I would love to speak to teenage girls who have had a procedure done (and their parents) about what surgery they underwent and how it changed their lives. Natasha - do you think any of the girls you mentioned would be willing to be interviewed about it??

Reply