The popularity of teen plastic surgery has increased dramatically over the past five years. Before now it was almost unheard of to get plastic surgery unless at least 18 years of age. Now however, it is getting much attention and might not be a good thing, especially when stars young people look up to like Kylie Jenner are altering their looks.
Society is setting unrealistic expectations for teens in recent years and many are self conscious because of this. We are being taught to compare ourselves to others and held to an unrealistic expectation of beauty. 10 years ago, it didn’t matter what you looked like, everyone was beautiful in some way, which is still true today, people just don’t believe it because of the media. Everyone is so quick to judge. If your lips aren’t big enough or your nose is shifted slightly, you’ll hear about it and it makes people, especially teens, very uneasy. Society is teaching kids not to love themselves. They are being taught to criticize themselves and the others around them so much that plastic surgery is now an option as young as 13.
Stars like Kylie Jenner have a lot to do with the rising popularity of cosmetic surgery. Young teens look up to people like her and she got lip fillers at age 16. She is almost teaching her followers that it is easy and that it takes surgery to look beautiful. Dr. Terry Dubrow from the television show Botched said in an interview “I find it fascinating because I think Kylie has become such a huge star now that she can actually start a trend. She started a trend of young girls coming to our office with pictures of Kylie, showing her lips, wanting her lips.” This is horrible because in present times, people are so quick to jump on trends and having a Kylie Jenner pout is what is trending right now. Another problem arises from this, trends are constantly changing. Although Kylie’s lip fillers are temporary, some may not know this and they may go out and get permanent fillers and be stuck with large lips forever. Then if they change their mind, they will get upset and potentially regret the decision they made when they were 16 or 18 years old.
Along with the negative self image teens have, there are problems that can occur in surgery as well. Botched is a reality show based off of poorly performed plastic surgeries, and although they feature some of the worst cases of failed surgery, they do show real people and their experiences. That can happen to anyone and many people do not think about all of the negatives before going into surgery, they get an image of how they want to look in their head and expect that as the result, which is not always the case. If one is insecure and expects to go into surgery and come out looking flawless, they might need to reconsider. Allergic reactions can occur as well as botched surgeries. The goal of most cosmetic surgery is to improve self image, but it can also destroy it if something bad happens. A lot of people experience complications during or after the procedure, because of this 65% of patients regret getting surgery(Ani). This is why people need to think about their decisions instead of making them on impulse.
Of course if you are getting surgery to correct a medical issue it is another story. From a medical standpoint, If someone has a deviated septum or hooded eyelids which can impair vision or make breathing difficult, plastic surgery should be an option to consider. However, if it is only for looks, it needs to be known that appearance is not everything. Unless strictly for medical reasons, plastic surgery should not even be an option under 18 years old.
At such a young age, it is hard to tell if you know what you really want, and that is the big issue with this topic. Our parents were taught that looks aren’t everything and we now live in a world that seems to be revolving around them. Social media is not helping at all, and is a big influence on people. We need to stop criticizing looks and spread positive vibes instead.By Brittany Fuller
