Plastic surgery is popular among teens and children in the U.S. Some authorities are questioning whether it’s healthy and what role the Boomer parents might be playing.
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reported that in 2008, more than 160,000 American youth, ages 19 and younger, underwent cosmetic surgery.
This number, which includes procedures such as liposuction, Botox injections, breast augmentation and eyelid surgery, is actually quite a bit lower than the 2007 figure of 205,119. The economic bust of 2008 certainly explains this best. But a story at NaturalNews.com originally cited this data and suggested that 2007 is when plastic surgery really hit a stride among teenaged patients, even children.
Of course, some of these cosmetic procedures are medical in origin, such as when a child needs a reconstructive operation to correct an injury or birth defect. But many of them are purely cosmetic,. The most possible – and most likely – culprit is the influence of celebrity media coverage and reality shows.
“One of the challenges is that there is not a lot of evidence that it improves psychosocial well-being,” Alice Dreger of Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University said to NaturalNews.com. “The goal is admirable, right? Better lives. The question is: Does it work and is it necessary?”
Of course, patients who are younger than 18 can’t undergo plastic surgery without parental consent, but today many parents are saying yes. “Boomer parents may themselves even be undergoing cosmetic surgery and may feel for our children that it’s not such a stretch,” said Donn Chatham, American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery president.
Figures for the year 2009 aren’t finalized. But based on statistics, the trend of plastic surgery among minors shows no sign of fading.
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