Posted: October 15, 2012
You read every so often some story or report of a new trend where teens are flocking (or being dragged by their Botoxed stage mothers!) to the office of their local Plastic Surgeon for that pre-prom Breast Augmentation or a sweet-sixteen Liposuction..This article is usually followed by others of outrage at what our society has become, the influence of the media on young women and the condemnation of the witch doctors who touch these teens with a scalpel.
I can testify that I have not seen that wave of teens crashing through my door and I can also report that neither I, nor any Board Certified Plastic Surgeons that I know personally would be a party to this, even with the threat of “well I’ll just have to find someone who will do the surgery!”…And I’m sure they will. And it may not even be a Plastic Surgeon they are getting. But it won’t be me and not the ones I know…
But here is what I do see. It usually comes in 3 varieties and is usually accompanied with very upsetting and tearful stories of teasing from peers and shattered self-confidence. It can be ears that stick out really far, an oversized nose that does not fit the face, or breasts that are very, very uneven to the point of disfigurement. And even as far as the nose, most surgeons would rather wait until the patient is a bit older like right after high school, before heading off to college. But the stories of torment are gut-wrenching, and worse today with cyberspace. I recently treated a young 16 year old girl who presented with breasts so uneven and drooping that wearing a bra was almost impossible. Her mother heard her sobbing one day in a dressing room and all she could ask is “why am I like this”. And then to add onto all of that, a malicious posting on the web, for all in the school to see, from another young girl who said “your breasts are droopier than my Grandmothers”…For a teen, devastating.
I know we could argue that even these kids should learn to be OK with themselves. But just ask this mother now how her daughter feels. It makes my job very rewarding…