The Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council recently issued a set of recommendations for controls on plastic surgery for teens in that country. Along with a variety of restrictions on the practice, the recommendations propose to implement consistent standards from state to state in Australia, where growing demand for teen plastic surgery, according to the report, is "a disturbing trend."
Should we consider more restrictions on plastic surgery for teenagers in this country?
On one side of the debate, it seems that the perception that teen plastic surgery is increasing sharply in the Unites States is mainly just that--a perception. According to the American Society of Plastic surgeons, the number of both surgical and non-surgical procedures among teens stayed relatively flat from 2008 to 2009. In fact, both numbers decreased a bit year over year. The ASPS reports that nearly 75,000 people aged 13-19 underwent cosmetic surgery in 2009, and about 135,000 teens chose a non-surgical cosmetic treatment. Young people make up only 2 percent of the entire U.S. plastic surgery population.
Furthermore, the majority of the 75,000 teen plastic surgery cases from last year are procedures you might expect, and even consider appropriate, for teenagers. There were nearly 13,000 operations to reduce the size of male breasts, for example. And almost 8,000 instances of otoplasty, the surgery that pins back ears that stick out. By far the most popular surgery for teens is rhinoplasty, with almost 35,000 operations in people 19 and under in 2009. These three procedures alone account for well over two-thirds of all teenage plastic surgery in the U.S.
Of the non-invasive cosmetic treatments teens elected in 2009, laser hair removal was the clear winner with 65,000 instances. That's nearly half the total of all non-surgical procedures for teens. Also popular were laser leg vein treatment and laser skin resurfacing, the latter presumably an acne-fighting or scar-fighting measure.
For the most part, then, teens seem to be choosing surgical and non-surgical cosmetic treatments that make a certain amount of sense. But that's not the whole story. More than 8,000 young girls underwent breast augmentation in 2009, and more than 3,000 had liposuction. Not as worrisome, perhaps, but undoubtedly perplexing, is the 12,000 teens across the United States choosing Botox treatment.
A study by Associate Professor Charlotte Markey at Rutgers found that teens who seek cosmetic procedures are more likely to be fans of TV shows like Dr. 90201. This raises questions about whether the motivations of such patients have anything to do with reality (despite the shows’ classification as "reality TV.")
Adding one more wrinkle to the debate is the way plastic surgeons market to teens. The two leading professional societies in this country, the ASPS and the ASAPS (American Association for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery) urge their members to evaluate teen candidates carefully both mentally and physically while suggesting that procedures can have a "positive impact on physical and emotional development" for "appropriately selected teenage patients." To be fair, most plastic surgeons who discuss teenage plastic surgery on their websites do mention the need for careful evaluation, a look at the parent-child relationship, time for weighing all factors and so on. But most also discuss how distressing an awkward feature can be for a teen and how caring and compassionate the surgeon is. In a teenager's skin, it might be hard to resist even a subtle pitch like that.
The Advisory Committee's recommendations for Australian teen plastic surgery include: mandatory psychological exams and a three-month waiting period for the teen and a ban on offers of gifts, discounts and loans by clinics marketing to teens. The report also proposes a crack-down on before and after photos used for advertising purposes.
What's your position? Do we need more regulations on teen plastic surgery in the U.S?
Resources:
http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/wellbeing/clamp-on-child-cosmetic-surgery-20100814-1247x.html
http://www.plasticsurgery.org/Documents/Media/statistics/2009-teen-cosmetic-surgery-minally-invasive.pdf
http://www.surgery.org/media/news-releases/teens-and-plastic-surgery
http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2010/08/03/2010-08-03_teen_cosmeti