The Glamorization of Cosmetic Surgery for Young Adults

Posted October 28, 2011 by Sarah Marloff in Beauty

The Glamorization of Cosmetic Surgery Is cosmetic surgery seeping into generation young? It seems that more and more women today are seeking out botox, liposuction and nose and breast enhancement treatments at younger and younger ages.

Like many popular trends, plastic surgery for twenty-somethings seems to have originated in Hollywood. With younger celebrities like Lindsay Lohan and Kim Kardashian going under the knife or needle, it’s no wonder that ordinary girls are seeking out the same work. In fact, in 2009, botox was the most common cosmetic procedure in the U.S.

But maybe the cause for increased interest in plastic surgery for teens and young adults comes from the rise in school bullying. Just last week, ABC’s Nightline told the story of 13-year-old Nicolette Taylor from Long Island whose parents bought her a nose job because she was incessantly teased by her classmates.


	Actress Lindsay Lohan

Her nose, which had been broken twice, “developed a crooked bump,” the girl’s mother explained during her interview with JuJu Chang. “It made her the target of taunting both in person and online.” With the rise of social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, kids can no longer leave the teasing on the school bus. Rather, it follows them home, floods their computers, and at times, invades their phones via text messages. Taylor was harassed on Facebook almost daily by her classmates.

Many teens can relate to Taylor’s situation. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) website, “nearly 219,000 cosmetic plastic surgery procedures were performed on people age 13-19” in 2010.

Rhinoplasty, or in laymen’s terms, nose “reshaping” accounted for almost 50 percent of the procedures in that age group. Dr. Michael Olding, a board certified plastic surgeon by the American Board of Medical Specialties, confirmed that rhinoplasty was the most common procedure requested by teenagers. He added that acne treatments, as well as male breast reduction (Gynecomastia) were becoming increasingly common procedures for adolescents.

And while breast implant and liposuction procedures have lower numbers due to their higher risks, the demand for them have steadily gone up. In a 2008 report from the Journal of Adolescent Health, Doctors Diana Zuckerman and Anisha Abraham wrote that “there were roughly 3000-6000 breast implant surgeries performed yearly between 2004 and 2006” on American youth under 19 years of age.

“I see a lot of patients for breast augmentation, many of them are in their 20s, but there’s another slight peak in the 30s and early 40s after women have their kids,” said Dr. Olding.

The ASPS states on their website that “Teens frequently gain self-esteem and confidence when their physical problems are corrected.” However, couldn’t it be argued that the majority of teenagers undergo a period of physical dissatisfaction with their bodies that they will eventually grow out of within a few years?

Dr. Olding agreed, “I think everyone was teased at some point in time and that can prepare you for the rest of your life as well.” Noses stop developing between 13 and 16 years of age, and breasts continue to grow through the early twenties that teens and young adults don’t account for when they ask for surgeries at a young age.

TV shows, such as Extreme Makeover and Bridalplasty are also adding to the glamorization of cosmetic surgery. “Unfortunately, the media and the makeover shows have made it look so darn easy, like going to get a hair cut,” said plastic surgeon, Dr. Grant Stevens to the blog, PopEater.

“Honestly I don’t think there‘s been a dramatic drop in age over the past decade,” says Dr. Olding, “But the number of procedures has increased in general which means that a higher number of teenagers are seeking out cosmetic surgery.”

As for his thoughts on Nicolette Taylor’s nose reshaping, he sympathizes with her, but points out that “when someone is under 18, surgeons have to be very careful. If the patient isn’t mature it’ll make things worse.”

He went on to explain that cosmetic surgery will not stop bullying. “If anything, it will make it worse,” he said, “People need to be very aware that cosmetic surgery will not solve the problem…but Taylor seemed quite mature for her age and I don’t think it was an unreasonable thing to consider.”