Teenage Girls and Plastic Surgery
Mr. Archer
English 11 AP
1 April 2011
Underage Girls Going Under the Knife
Should teenage girls under the age of eighteen be allowed to undergo plastic surgery? According to recent statistics, rhinoplasty was performed on nearly 35,000 patients between the ages of thirteen and nineteen in 2009. The procedure accounted for nearly fifty percent of all cosmetic surgical procedures performed on this age group. If all cosmetic procedures like chemical peels, Microdermabrasion and Botox are included, the number shoots up to 336,000--up over fifty percent in one year. Reconstructive procedures correct defects on the face or body. These include physical birth defects like cleft lips and palates and ear deformities, traumatic injuries like those from dog bites or burns, or the aftermath of disease treatments like rebuilding a woman 's breast after surgery for breast cancer. Cosmetic procedures alter a part of the body that the person is not satisfied with. Common cosmetic procedures include making the breasts larger (augmentation mammoplasty) or smaller (reduction mammoplasty), reshaping the nose (rhinoplasty), and removing pockets of fat from specific spots on the body (liposuction). Some cosmetic procedures are not even surgical in the way that most people think of surgery — that is, cutting and stitching. For example, the use of special lasers to remove unwanted hair and sanding skin to improve severe scarring are two such treatments. Some teens want plastic surgery so badly that they will travel all the way to New Zeeland to get it. Breast augmentation costs about $5,500, with around $2,000 travel in New Zeeland. While in America a breast augmentation can cost up to $13,000. (Fertman-Ryan).
There are many people who object to this topic and believe teenage girls should not be allowed to undergo plastic surgery if they are under the age of eighteen. There are many risks that come along with plastic surgery that can put teenage girls in danger. Plastic surgery can
English 11 AP
1 April 2011
Underage Girls Going Under the Knife
Should teenage girls under the age of eighteen be allowed to undergo plastic surgery? According to recent statistics, rhinoplasty was performed on nearly 35,000 patients between the ages of thirteen and nineteen in 2009. The procedure accounted for nearly fifty percent of all cosmetic surgical procedures performed on this age group. If all cosmetic procedures like chemical peels, Microdermabrasion and Botox are included, the number shoots up to 336,000--up over fifty percent in one year. Reconstructive procedures correct defects on the face or body. These include physical birth defects like cleft lips and palates and ear deformities, traumatic injuries like those from dog bites or burns, or the aftermath of disease treatments like rebuilding a woman 's breast after surgery for breast cancer. Cosmetic procedures alter a part of the body that the person is not satisfied with. Common cosmetic procedures include making the breasts larger (augmentation mammoplasty) or smaller (reduction mammoplasty), reshaping the nose (rhinoplasty), and removing pockets of fat from specific spots on the body (liposuction). Some cosmetic procedures are not even surgical in the way that most people think of surgery — that is, cutting and stitching. For example, the use of special lasers to remove unwanted hair and sanding skin to improve severe scarring are two such treatments. Some teens want plastic surgery so badly that they will travel all the way to New Zeeland to get it. Breast augmentation costs about $5,500, with around $2,000 travel in New Zeeland. While in America a breast augmentation can cost up to $13,000. (Fertman-Ryan).
There are many people who object to this topic and believe teenage girls should not be allowed to undergo plastic surgery if they are under the age of eighteen. There are many risks that come along with plastic surgery that can put teenage girls in danger. Plastic surgery can
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