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Teen Extreme Makeovers
Helping Teenagers Find Their Real Selves By Laura Cone
Many teenagers, influenced by the billion-dollar beauty industry, want to emulate big-bosomed Hollywood divas. In 2003, more than 11,000 girls 18 and younger went under the knife in search of a bigger cup size. With the average cost of breast implants hovering around $3,500 – an amount that would barely cover a teenager's first semester of college – cosmetic surgery is becoming more affordable. So what do you tell your teenage daughter when she wants liposuction or breast implants?
"I refuse to do a cosmetic breast augmentation until they are 18," he says. "There are reconstructive things where someone needs a breast implant on one side or has some type of problem &$150; that I will do before they are 18 #&150; but I don't feel a parent should be signing for a child to have breast implants in for the rest of their life. I think the child should have to be of age to make that decision and sign that consent themselves."
According to Dr. Abramson, teenage women's bodies are not completely developed. Since their breasts change in size and shape as they grow, it's best to wait to have a breast augmentation.
As for liposuction, some teens see their mothers having the procedure and want to try it themselves. "Usually people don't need tummy tucks until they have had children or previous surgery or massive weight loss," Dr. Abramson says. "That's unlikely to happen to someone younger than 18."
Still, there are times when cosmetic surgery is necessary and even beneficial to a teen. "The most common thing people do in teenage years is rhinoplasty (a nose job) and odoplasty (an ear reduction)," says Dr. Abramson. He advises parents of teenage daughters to wait until their child is 15 or 16 to have a nose job. "Some people have [rhinoplasty] done in high school," he says. "It definitely can help their self-esteem. It's a self-confidence issue."
