Teen plastic surgery is becoming increasingly common as popular culture places greater pressure on people to look perfect. There was over “223,000” cosmetic surgery procedures performed on minors in 2003. Over “236,000 cosmetic procedures” were given to people aged 13- 19. “75,000” of the procedures were surgical and include “nose reshaping, breast lifts, breast augmentation, liposuction, and tummy tucks (Zuckerman). The question that remains is, should plastic surgery be legal for people under the age of eighteen? Over “five times more teens” have plastic surgery than they did fifteen years ago. The image shows the number of teens that received each type of plastic surgery (Finney). (See Picture) Other cultures …show more content…
The media leads teens to think that plastic surgery is acceptable and do anything to fit in with peers. Bully victims have been turning to plastic surgery to correct flaws making them stand out, but a psychologist, Vivian Diller claims, “A solution to bullying that involves surgical procedures (which have their own set of physical risks that few talk about) is a terrible message to give both bullies and their victims (Zhao).” Also, sociologists say that when teens get plastic surgery they are likely to be disappointed in the future, because they have not fully grown into their bodies yet (Austin). With this in mind, teenagers should not undergo plastic surgery in order to gain acceptance from their peers and fit in with what society deems as …show more content…
Based on the opinions of other cultures and my own, I think that plastic surgery should become illegal for teenagers. It is important to make changes in order to protect teenagers from problems occuring during plastic surgery, before it is too late. While the American Society of Plastic Surgeons in the United States “has no formal position on plastic surgery for teenagers” (Schwiegershausen), people need to step forward and work to expose the dangers of performing plastic surgery on teenagers and how they could easily be