Pass the Scalpel: The New Graduation Gift

When 18 year old Courtney was preparing for high school graduation, she knew she was about to receive gifts from family and friends. Something big from her parents. Courtney knew that she didn’t want a shiny new car, a flashy new wardrobe, or a speedy laptop for college. She wanted something much closer to her heart- literally. Courtney had been self conscious throughout all of her high school years about the small size of her chest. When springtime rolled around she asked her parents for a graduation gift alright- a set of full C breast implants. In Courtney’s mind, she could have been part of the "popular crowd" in high school if only she had the right physical attributes. She wasn’t about to let the same scenario play out in college.

17 year old Trisha never had a problem with the size of her breasts, just her size in general. Constantly made fun of for being overweight, she never felt welcome at parties, football games, the locker room, or anywhere for that matter other than her own bedroom. She is a straight A student and by all means a "normal" kid. Like Courtney, she wants to make a change before she packs up and moves to college for a fresh start. She doesn’t want jewelry. She doesn’t want a mutual fund in her name. She does want to be in a good sorority. She wants to jumpstart her switch to college life by having liposuction on her thighs, stomach, and face.

The thought of teenagers having plastic surgery has become an increasingly major issue as plastic surgery continues to become more relevant, and prevalent, in our society. With the plethora of media coverage devoted to the stars and starlets teenagers look up to and follow their every whim, it should come as no shock that teens aspire to emulate the sex appeal of their idols. The wave of plastic surgery reality shows over the past five years also has no doubt played a role, if only to show these young girls that what they want IS indeed attainable. And oftentimes Daddy is more than willing to foot the bill for whatever his little Princess wants.

To Slice or Not to Slice

Arguments have been made both for and against the practice of teenagers having cosmetic surgeries performed. On the side for, the point is made that if the patient is 18 she can have it done legally on her own anyways, so why should society frown upon it? Good point. Where things get a little sketchy in most peoples’ eyes is a situation involving say a 17 year old girl. In this scenario she would need written permission from a legal guardian to have any sort of elective procedure such as breast implants. However, it really is the judgment of the parents that is called into question in both scenarios, as few high school seniors have generated enough income to completely fund plastic surgery, meaning that in the end the decision remains in the loving hands of mom and dad. There are definite concerns, as most plastic surgeons advise against plastic surgery in a case where a teenage body has not yet finished its natural maturation process. Also a concern is the mental aspect. What will having such a drastic procedure do to a young and possibly fragile psyche? Will the young patient be able to handle the mental side of recovery, and is the mind ready to handle adjusting to this new body?

The stance proponents most often champion is that these young women have been making life decisions for some time now, seeing as how they are away from home all day and must deal with problems on their own including school, social life, and often a part time job. They will say that kids these days are just more mature than they used to be, although it might just be more knowledgeable, with a little maturity thrown in as a result. The children of yesteryear (today’s parents) simply did not have to "endure" the same amount of media saturation that kids today feed off of. Go into any high school across the country, and there’s a good chance that the number of US Weekly’s beats the number of calculus books in students’ backpacks. Young people today are "in the know" about much more adult things than they once were. Everything from sex to drugs to politics- kids today are more informed, and most often informed about it at an earlier stage in life. It’s just the day and age we live in. This includes the influx of in-your-face plastic surgery coverage in the media. Girls aren’t sitting around thinking about prom, they’re thinking about how they’re going to look in that prom dress. They aren’t sitting around the lunch table talking about movies and music, they’re talking about Ashlee Simpson’s adorable new nose and how they are going to get one just like it!

Stitching Everything Up

Now matter one’s stance on the issue of teenage plastic surgery, it’s impossible to simply generalize and say that every 18 year old is either ready or not ready for cosmetic surgery. Everyone has the friend that is of legal drinking age, yet belongs nowhere near alcohol. And today it’s not a stretch to find a high school sophomore with more concise thoughts on the upcoming election than the 30 year old young professional who hasn’t read anything political since college. Plastic surgery for teenagers is truly about individual circumstance and how well a parent knows their kid. There is certainly a high level of responsibility placed on parents to use sound and realistic judgment. Most likely the parents should bear the burden of doing the research and consulting with different surgeons until they are completely comfortable. It’s not just the body, but also their child’s future they are about to alter after all. The right surgeon is the one who will say "no" if he feels that the prospective patient is not a good candidate for a procedure. Is Courtney ready for breast implants? Can Trisha handle life changing liposuction? Is either girl even ready for college?? There is really only one way to find out.