The Impulsive Nature of the Teenagers and the Lack of Awareness Among Parents - Essay Example

?Teenage Cosmetic Surgery The concept of teenage cosmetic surgery has been gaining considerable popularity during the current decade. This phenomenonis the result of teen branding, which means how the teenagers in today’s generation are essentially victims of the contemporary economy (Quart, 2003). The inherent consumerism in today’s world has an effect on children from a very age and by the time they reach teenage, they already adopt a commodity culture. One important aspect of this culture is the consciousness about how they look and what they wear. Branded clothes have firmed their place in the wardrobes of the teens. Apart from that, many teenager girls develop anorexia, a condition, which was earlier attributed to models, and actors who were in their mid twenties. In addition, the self-consciousness has elevated to such a high level that many teenagers indulge in cosmetic surgery at a very young age to enhance their looks. According to Quart, the rate of cosmetic surgery rate has increased from 1% to 3% of the total 4.6 million surgeries during the period of 2001 to 2003. In this study, the attempt is to explore the various aspects of cosmetic surgery among teenagers and how it has affected their lives. Consumerism and Teenage Cosmetic Surgery Consumerism does not always correspond to physical goods, but it propagates itself through other notions too. For example, the television programs, which show teenage prodigies in music and movies looking glamorous, teenage magazines, that show girls with a great body clad in skimpy clothes, advertisements that appeal to teenagers with young girls and boys who have the perfect smile, nose, face and body (Quart, 2003). These tendencies send out a message showing that these are the elements that would make the popular among their own group and among the opposite sex. This phenomenon applies to teenage boys as well, as they want to look as masculine as possible at the earliest. While the boys resort to excessive gym sessions, protein shakes and steroids, the teenage girls typically take the route of cosmetic surgery. For teenagers and adolescents, the two major cosmetic procedures, liposuction as well as breast enhancement are gaining immense popularity. In 2003, around 223, 000 cosmetic surgeries were performed on teenagers and out of that, around 39,000 were enhancement procedures such as breast enhancement, silicone implants, tummy tucks and nose reshaping (American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 2003). Hence, it is necessary to take a detailed look, understand and evaluate the circumstances in which cosmetic surgery is appropriate and can be recommended to teenagers. While, there is very less research on this topic, it is necessary to explore it, in light of increasing number of surgeries. Cosmetic Reconstructive Surgery – When is it recommended? It goes without doubt that reconstructive surgery is a great boon for many teenagers as well as preteens. The surgeries that are conducted to correct conditions like cleft lips or palates can be classified under those. In addition, surgery to remove big warts or moles on the face that mar the appearance is also popular. These procedures are necessary because they help the teenagers and the children lead a normal life and prevent them from being objects of ridicule. Hence, removal of these conditions can help the teenagers get rid of any psychological negative effects because of the deformity. However, with the advent of showbiz world and television programs, it has become very challenging to define what constitutes a ‘normal’ physical appearance and when the desire to look stylish and noteworthy takes dominance in such a way that they consider opting for surgery. The definition of this ‘normal’ appearance has various facets as the teenage girls become increasingly conscious if the nose is slightly small or if the breasts are not as large as of their favourite teen diva. Cosmetic surgery and Teenagers The biggest concern with regard to teenagers and plastic surgery is that the body is not fully mature until they cross 21 years of age. In such a scenario, the body is not yet ready for a procedure because the surgical procedure may interfere with the natural ways of growth of the body. In addition, in cases the body may grow along after the surgery, resulting in very abnormal conditions once the body has fully grown. Hence, enhancement and liposuction-based procedures are not recommended for anyone whose body has not yet achieved full growth. In the case of liposuction, the growth of the body can take a different direction and can cause different physical as well as mental trauma. In addition, before the age of 18, the teenager also does not have the mental maturity on deciding what is good for them. The FDA has approved saline-based breast implants only for those who are above 18 years (Thompson & Smolak, 2001), it has been commonly noted that the surgeons are performing the procedure on teenagers under the clause of ‘off label’ use. After a drastic increase was noted in the number of cases of teenage breast enhancement procedures, the American Society of Plastic surgeons declared an official position against breast enhancement for those less than 18 years of age in December 2004. Cosmetic Surgery and Risks Cosmetic surgery is a one that has a considerable number of risks associated with it. Hence, it is worthy to think if the adolescents who are obsessed with looking the way they want to according to the trends, would be able to seriously understand the risks related to this form of surgery. According to the statistics provided by the Institute of Medicine (1996), the women who undergo breast implants report at least one form of complication during the first three years of implantation. These complications include severe infection, painful hardening of breasts, hematomas, scarring and regular pain. Undergoing such forms of physical trauma at a young age can prove to be very difficult for the teenager as they may regret it later. In addition, it is also necessary to understand that any implantation lasts for 10 years and during this period, they may face some other problems such as not being able to go through a mammography program, or difficult in lactation (Wright, 1989). These issues are serious and need to be thought about in a very rational way, before they take any action or step. Similarly, the risks of the implants getting broken or leaked are also high in teenagers because of the interference it causes to the natural growth of the body. Hence, teenagers may be forced to go through multiple surgeries in order to fix their condition. This can also cause a financial crisis because surgeries such as breast enhancement or liposuction are not covered in health insurance plans. In many cases, teenagers have to undergo trauma of living with a painful implant because they are still paying off the cost of the augmentation surgery. Apart from breast enhancement, liposuction also comes with serious risks such as infection, blood clots, fat clots, and damage to nerves, damage to key organs and allergic reactions. The body’s growth also gets severely affected when liposuction is carried out in teenagers. It also has many different long-term results, such as emotional trauma after surgeries and financial crisis. As there are regulations against cosmetic surgery for teenagers that are purely for beauty enhancement purposes, many teenagers approach doctors to carry out the procedure in a secretive manner. These doctors are often not well qualified and hence, such cases become even more complicated as the risks are very high. In spite of these clear risks, the general opinion is in favour of a higher sense of benefits and low risk (Thompson & Smolak, 2001, Quart, 2003). Hence, the teenagers are even less aware about both the long term and short-term consequences of the surgical procedure and they just ignore the consequences as the mind set is to do everything possible to get the image that they want to. The trends in advertising, movies, stage shows, makeover programs, and other commercial venture is so prominent that it often becomes difficult for the doctors to convince both the teenagers as well as the parents (Dubler, 2000). There is not much of documented research on nose surgeries and nose upliftment. However, as with any form of enhancement, the chances of its clashes with the normal growth process of the body is high. The Power of Decision In such a complicated scenario, an ideal solution would be that the physicians and parents work together so that they can help their teenage daughters take informed decision about what works best for them. However, due to the impulsive nature of the teenagers and the lack of awareness among parents, a high chunk of responsibility rests with the doctors. Before consenting for any form of surgery, the physician should always check for parental consent and provide counselling about the negative effects of such a surgery on the body. It is very important that the teenagers understand the necessity of a healthy body and hence, more education and awareness of the negative effects of cosmetic surgery is imperative. References American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, (2003) National Totals For Cosmetic procedures. Cosmetic Surgery National Data Bank. Retrieved March 21, 2011 www.surgery.org/download/2003-stats.pdf.:10 Institute of Medicine (1999). Safety of Silicone Implants. Washington DC; National Academy Press Dubler NN, (2000). Women, breasts, and the failure of informed consent. J Amer Med Women’s Assoc pp 55. Quart, Alissa (2004) Branded: The Buying And Selling Of Teenagers, Basic Books Thompson K, Smolak L. (2001) Body Image, Eating Disorders, and Obesity in Youth: Assessment, Prevention, and Treatment. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Wright M Rauste-von (1989). Body image satisfaction in adolescent girls and boys: a longitudinal study. J Youth Adolesc. Vol 18 pp 78-81. Read More