February Family Circle
The Plastic Surgery Epidemic
Why are teens getting botox and breast
implants
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Getting dressed can be a major undertaking for
any teenager, but choosing the right outfit is what
swallowed up time for 19-year-old Crystal Mast.
In her eyes, Crystal had a distinct disadvantage.
"I was totally flat chested. I grew up always
wearing padded bras." Crystal's mother tried
to reassure her daughter. "My mom said, 'Oh,
they'll grow, it's normal, don't worry." But
as Crystal grew, her breasts didn't. Of course,
camouflaging a less than ample chest has been a
challenge for generations of teenagers, but today's
fashions are unforgiving. "With lots of great
clothes you can't wear a bra. If I didn't wear a
bra, I went out with no boobs that night."
The solution was something Crystal thought about
for a long time. When she turned 18, she underwent
breast augmentation and went from a size A to a
size C cup. "People used to take out car loans
at 18, so I just took out a boob loan," Crystal
says. Her mother, although apprehensive, saw just
how much it meant to her daughter. "It was
my mom who said, 'This can give you the confidence
that you're lacking, so if you want to do it, why
not do it now?' I did and I'm totally happy I did."
The Food and Drug administration is not so enthusiastic,
warning, in its "2004 Breast Implant Consumer
Handbook," that "Breast implants will
not last a lifetime. Either because of rupture or
other complications, you will likely need to have
the implants removed." The FDA recommends that
no one under 18 receive implants.
But Crystal is by no means alone in her satisfaction.
Today teens are increasingly unwilling to settle
for wha nature has dished out. "It's amazing.
Everyone wants what they don't have - in every area,"
says Darrick Antell, M.D., a plastic surgeon
in New York City. In 2003, 3,841 women 18 or younder
underwent breast augmentation, according to the
American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Compare that
to only 978 girls in 1992. And it's not just breasts
htat are being altered. In 2003, 331,886 cosmetic
procedures including nose jobs, ear surgery, cheek
implants and even liposuction were performed on
girls and boys 18 years or younger.
The Pressure for Perfection
"It's disconcerting hou unhappy people are
with what they've been given," say Dr. Antell.
"To someone else it may be cosmetic, but for
them it can relieve a lot of psychological discomfort."
Crystal Mast agrees. "I'd felt selfconscious
about being flat chested since I was 12 or 13."
Tough Questions Parents Must Ask
Who wants it? It's crucial that the
teen's wishes for surgery are the motivating factor.
Dr. Antell recalls one especially disturbing
call from the mother of a teen. "She wanted
to schedule her 16-year-old daughter for liposuction
sight unseen." Such pressure often prompts
doctors to insist that they also interview a prospective
teen without parents hovering.
Do they know the risks? "Teens
think they're invincible," Dr. Antell continues.
"That's why you have to get a parent on board
to stress the possible risks."
What do they expect? "I want
them to have realistic expectations," says
Dr. Jonas Domanskis. "A nose job or breast
augmentation is not going to make you homecoming
queen."
Are they emotionally mature? Doctors
want to see an appropriate understanding of what
will happen. "You don't want to underestimate
the relative permanence of surgery," says Dr.
David Sarwer. "It will be with them for life."
Are they physcially mature? Procedures
like nose jobs and ear pinning can be done with
younger teens since noses and ears stop their development
early on. But breast development can continue into
the late teens.
Is theirs a consistent concern? Surgeons
want to know that teens aren't looking to correct
the nose one month, the ears the next and then on
to liposuction. Dissatisfaction that keeps changing
indicates underlying problems.
- Excerpted from an article by Ellen
Sherman
Other pages on how to pick a plastic
surgeon:
Phone: (212) 988-4040
