Recent studies have shown that many teenage girls start thinking about plastic surgery around 17, sometimes planning for their first procedure by age 20. An alarmingly small number of these girls claim they would never have plastic surgery, leaving 83 percent actively considering it as an option. Plastic surgery can be an incredible tool for many women and men to achieve the aesthetics they have always desired for their faces and bodies. Yet, the formative teenage years are a difficult time, riddled with body image problems and other insecurities. Is this high figure of young girls considering surgery a problem? Can you be too young for plastic surgery?
What’s Causing the Rush to the Operating Table?
From selfies to social media to bullying in schools, there is a tremendous amount of pressure placed on today’s young women to brand themselves as perfection: look perfect, act perfectly, wear the perfect clothes. Getting the perfect look is something many teenage girls believe they can’t achieve without surgically altering whatever is “wrong” with them. The newest trend for the thigh gap, a space left between the thighs when a person is standing, have been driving new waves of teens to the plastic surgeon. In addition, many young women are looking for different noses, bigger breasts, thinner hips, and more. And the patients requesting these life-changing surgeries are getting younger and younger.
Are Celebrities Doing It Too?
Many young celebrities have also admitted to having plastic surgery at very young ages. Some stars, like Glee’s Dianna Agron, have come clean about surgeries done to correct trauma. Agron had two rhinoplasty surgeries performed to repair a broken nose, one during high school and another while on tour with the show. Other stars sought procedures for purely cosmetic reasons: Kourtney Kardashian had breast implants at just 22 while both Jenny McCarthy and Denise Richards were only 19 at the time of their breast augmentation surgery. More celebrities have come clean about their surgeries at a young age, like Heidi Montag’s series of a whopping 10 cosmetic procedures by the age of 23. Some of these celebrities are happy with their choices and others claim they have some regrets. Does this mean there’s a magic age for that first plastic surgery? When one is mature enough to be sure?
Unfortunately there are no set answers to these questions. A person’s eligibility for any plastic surgery procedure is heavily reliant upon other factors, such as whether the body is fully mature, whether the candidate is in good health, and whether the candidate has a realistic expectation for her desired results.
Which Procedures Must Be Delayed?
In the world of plastic surgery, some procedures tend to be preferred by women and men in specific age groups, such as the 30-50 demographic and its preference for facelifts. Among young women, the most popular procedures are often body contouring like liposuction, breast augmentation, and rhinoplasty. However, it is important to note that for both breast implants and rhinoplasty, the body must be physically mature before surgery is even possible. Eleven year olds looking for breast implants are going to be turned away because their own breasts haven’t had the chance to fully form. With rhinoplasty, a certain age must be reached for the nose to be fully mature and eligible for surgery. Board certified plastic surgeons performing these procedures will likely advise younger patients to wait for their noses to reach full development. It’s a safer and more effective procedure all around and will deliver the right results to the patient. Sometimes, waiting can mean the difference between a change you regret and one you’re grateful for.
Why Does Age Matter?
A person’s maturity level, in the physical, mental, and emotion sense, is a better determinant of his or her eligibility than a birth date. By consulting with a plastic surgeon, even young candidates can establish their own eligibility for certain procedures. The plastic surgery process involves much more than physical changes, so it is vital that a surgeon can assess the prospective patient’s maturity level and ability to process the emotional effects of surgery.
To put it simply, teens can be too immature and emotionally vulnerable to manage the life-long implications their procedure may involve. No reputable plastic surgeon wants to be involved with a procedure their patient will one day come to regret, so this consultation process is an essential step toward evaluating any patient of any age. While the age on paper only matters so much, it is this meeting that can reveal a prospective patient’s ability to request a procedure, follow through on the necessary recovery, and enjoy the results.
Where Can I Learn More About Planning for Plastic Surgery?
As an experienced plastic surgeon, Dr. Sheldon S. Kabakercan provide you with sound advice about the procedures that may or may not be appropriate for your age. As an Aesthetic Facial Plastic Surgeon and Hair Transplant Specialist, he also offers nonsurgical skincare treatments at his practice. He received his medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in 1964, before serving in the US Army Medical Corps and seeking active duty in Vietnam. Dr. Kabaker has studied and taught facial plastic surgery internationally in countries such as France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Israel, Mexico, Argentina, several within the United Kingdom, and Australia. Today, he continues to educate himself while delivering satisfactory results to his patients. To book a consultation with Dr. Kabaker, contact his office located at 3324 Webster Street in Oakland, California by calling (415) 379-9015.
Recent studies have shown that many teenage girls start thinking about plastic surgery around 17, sometimes planning for their first procedure by age 20. An alarmingly small number of these girls claim they would never have plastic surgery, leaving 83 percent actively considering it as an option. Plastic surgery can be an incredible tool for many women and men to achieve the aesthetics they have always desired for their faces and bodies. Yet, the formative teenage years are a difficult time, riddled with body image problems and other insecurities. Is this high figure of young girls considering surgery a problem? Can you be too young for plastic surgery?
What’s Causing the Rush to the Operating Table?
From selfies to social media to bullying in schools, there is a tremendous amount of pressure placed on today’s young women to brand themselves as perfection: look perfect, act perfectly, wear the perfect clothes. Getting the perfect look is something many teenage girls believe they can’t achieve without surgically altering whatever is “wrong” with them. The newest trend for the thigh gap, a space left between the thighs when a person is standing, have been driving new waves of teens to the plastic surgeon. In addition, many young women are looking for different noses, bigger breasts, thinner hips, and more. And the patients requesting these life-changing surgeries are getting younger and younger.
Are Celebrities Doing It Too?
Many young celebrities have also admitted to having plastic surgery at very young ages. Some stars, like Glee’s Dianna Agron, have come clean about surgeries done to correct trauma. Agron had two rhinoplasty surgeries performed to repair a broken nose, one during high school and another while on tour with the show. Other stars sought procedures for purely cosmetic reasons: Kourtney Kardashian had breast implants at just 22 while both Jenny McCarthy and Denise Richards were only 19 at the time of their breast augmentation surgery. More celebrities have come clean about their surgeries at a young age, like Heidi Montag’s series of a whopping 10 cosmetic procedures by the age of 23. Some of these celebrities are happy with their choices and others claim they have some regrets. Does this mean there’s a magic age for that first plastic surgery? When one is mature enough to be sure?
Unfortunately there are no set answers to these questions. A person’s eligibility for any plastic surgery procedure is heavily reliant upon other factors, such as whether the body is fully mature, whether the candidate is in good health, and whether the candidate has a realistic expectation for her desired results.
Which Procedures Must Be Delayed?
In the world of plastic surgery, some procedures tend to be preferred by women and men in specific age groups, such as the 30-50 demographic and its preference for facelifts. Among young women, the most popular procedures are often body contouring like liposuction, breast augmentation, and rhinoplasty. However, it is important to note that for both breast implants and rhinoplasty, the body must be physically mature before surgery is even possible. Eleven year olds looking for breast implants are going to be turned away because their own breasts haven’t had the chance to fully form. With rhinoplasty, a certain age must be reached for the nose to be fully mature and eligible for surgery. Board certified plastic surgeons performing these procedures will likely advise younger patients to wait for their noses to reach full development. It’s a safer and more effective procedure all around and will deliver the right results to the patient. Sometimes, waiting can mean the difference between a change you regret and one you’re grateful for.
Why Does Age Matter?
A person’s maturity level, in the physical, mental, and emotion sense, is a better determinant of his or her eligibility than a birth date. By consulting with a plastic surgeon, even young candidates can establish their own eligibility for certain procedures. The plastic surgery process involves much more than physical changes, so it is vital that a surgeon can assess the prospective patient’s maturity level and ability to process the emotional effects of surgery.
To put it simply, teens can be too immature and emotionally vulnerable to manage the life-long implications their procedure may involve. No reputable plastic surgeon wants to be involved with a procedure their patient will one day come to regret, so this consultation process is an essential step toward evaluating any patient of any age. While the age on paper only matters so much, it is this meeting that can reveal a prospective patient’s ability to request a procedure, follow through on the necessary recovery, and enjoy the results.
Where Can I Learn More About Planning for Plastic Surgery?
As an experienced plastic surgeon, Dr. Sheldon S. Kabaker can provide you with sound advice about the procedures that may or may not be appropriate for your age. As an Aesthetic Facial Plastic Surgeon and Hair Transplant Specialist, he also offers nonsurgical skincare treatments at his practice. He received his medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in 1964, before serving in the US Army Medical Corps and seeking active duty in Vietnam. Dr. Kabaker has studied and taught facial plastic surgery internationally in countries such as France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Israel, Mexico, Argentina, several within the United Kingdom, and Australia. Today, he continues to educate himself while delivering satisfactory results to his patients. To book a consultation with Dr. Kabaker, contact his office located at 3324 Webster Street in Oakland, California by calling (415) 379-9015.