Should teens get plastic surgery? Dr. Oz weighs in, and shares the most common procedures. From YOU: The Owner’s Manual for Teens: A Guide to a Healthy Body and Happy Life, by Michael F. Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet C. Oz, M.D.
Who should get plastic surgery? People with a deviated septum (crooked inside of the nose) who can’t breathe easily can benefit from a brand new nose. Laser surgery can help with birthmarks such as port-wine stains: purple, flat birthmarks that can be quite large and prominent. People with chronic back pain due to a seriously large set of breasts may be better able to enjoy sports, fit into clothes, and so forth after a breast reduction. And plastic surgery may be of great benefit to those who feel the psychological weight of one isolated perceived defect.
Here are the most common cosmetic surgeries undergone by teens. Please do not do these procedures on yourself; and if you think you are going to have your younger sister do any of these, don’t risk it. Please discuss these with a qualified plastic surgeon for the particular procedure (qualified is board certified who can prove to you she has already done more than fifty of these a year for at least five years).
Male breast reduction: It is normal for adolescent guys to have a brief time, somewhere between ages eleven and fourteen years, when their breasts grow just a bit. This can be so embarrassing that guys may refuse to take off their T‑shirt for gym or to swim without a shirt. Most of the time, this breast growth is transient, going away within a year or two of when it started. Some guys, however, do get stuck with breast tissue moving beyond the nipple line that plans to be there for the duration. This kind of breast tissue can be removed surgically under general anesthesia and usually leads to a cosmetically pleasing result.
Guys with gynecomastia often worry that they’re “turning into a girl”; ironically, the real cause of that extra breast tissue may be a surge of testosterone. Other causes of gynecomastia include use of marijuana or steroids (not the kind you use for asthma; we’re talking about the kind used by weight lifters who artificially try to achieve that carved look). Obesity can also cause enlarged breasts, but in this case, it is fatty tissue, not real breast tissue. Cosmetic surgery will remove only the breast tissue; the fat you are stuck with unless you follow our exercise plan and start eating healthier.
Breast implants: Implants are placed either in front of or behind your pectoralis (chest wall) muscle in this two-hour surgery, which is best performed with general anesthesia. The newest technique, in which the muscle is actually cut through to let the implant hang more naturally, makes it harder for women to flex their pecs. Unless you’re headed for the Olympics, this won’t hurt your athletic performance.
One of the main problems with breast augmentations is that implants distort X‑ray mammograms (something to think about down the line), meaning that you’ll require annual MRIs to check for breast cancer. You need to consult with a doc and determine whether your breasts are finished growing and developing — as some women’s breasts can grow into their early twenties (especially if they start puberty at fourteen and it takes up to eight additional years for breast development to be complete).
Rhinoplasty: It sounds like a procedure performed on zoo animals, but nose jobs are serious business. This two-to three-hour procedure can be done with you either awake or asleep. The doc will sculpt the cartilage and bones in your nose, making you look like . . . yourself, but hopefully without that hump. The noses of today are much more conservative than your mother’s rhinoplasty, but even so, 15 percent of people who have their noses operated on have to go under the knife for a touch-up. Don’t expect your insurance to cover rhinoplasty; it’s usually cosmetic.
If you think you need plastic surgery, you should be able to spell out your reasons pretty clearly to both your parents and your doctor. The plastic surgeon may require you to discuss the surgery with a psychologist — not to see if you’re crazy but to make sure that this will be a useful procedure for you, rather than leaving you with scars but otherwise still not happy with yourself. If plastic surgery is truly for cosmetics only, then most insurance companies won’t pay for it. So, if you feel that plastic surgery must be part of your future, start saving now.
For more great advice to help your teen, BUY YOU: The Owner’s Manual for Teens from: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Borders, Hastings, IndieBound.
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I really admire how methodical and genuine Dr. Oz is; you can tell he really puts patients first. He really wants to make sure cosmetic surgery would actually make an individual happy.
Thanks for the publish,its really informative.In certain women, simple breast augmentation will not produce the desired cosmetic result. In these cases extra procedures can be undertaken by Doctors in order to correct simple problems at the time of breast augmentation
Teens are not supposed to have implants, their bodies are not yet fully developed and for sure certified surgeons will discourage enlargement among teens – http://www.plasticsurgeryguide.com/teen-breast-enlargement.html
Just read from the above link: “Teens should remember that breast implants are not a quick-fix for self-esteem – or a dating accessory. “
So true. Thanks for sharing.
Even though many teens want plastic surgery, I don’t know many surgeons who will actually perform it. We pay way too much in malpractice insurance to begin with. There are too many things that can go wrong when the body isn’t fully finished developing.
They shouldn’t be allowed to have one.