Is It Legal to Get Plastic Surgery under 18

If the operation is reconstructive in nature – that is, to improve health or correct a serious deformity – a person is never too young for surgery. For example, if a child suffers from a laceration, parents may decide that the child needs stitches, even if the child cries in protest. A similar situation arises for a child who has a cleft palate or cleft lip. An operation is appropriate. A slightly more delicate situation is that of a 5-year-old child with protruding ears. Parents believe that the child is teased by his classmates when he goes to school and wants to have his ears surgically reset. That would make it a reconstructive operation, and I believe the parents would act appropriately. The educational process associated with informed consent should help the patient and parents/guardians understand the risks, benefits and potential complications associated with the intervention. [8] One way to ensure that adolescents are mature enough to make decisions about plastic surgery is to screen potential patients with psychological testing. In media interviews, plastic surgeons often describe meticulous interviews to determine why the teen wants plastic surgery. Unrealistic expectations or surgery to please a friend are considered inappropriate, but surgery to “make me feel better” or “clothes fit better” are considered reasonable reactions. For the same reason, teens who use drugs, drive drunk, and have unprotected sex may also make these choices to please themselves and not others, so reaction alone is not enough evidence for a mature decision. At present, there is no evidence that effective screening is widespread.

If a 16-year-old girl is not happy with the size of her breasts and wants breast implants, she may only be able to wait a few years for her breasts to fully develop and not have to worry about surgery. As the body continues to grow and develop, you really want to make sure you don`t interfere with things that might happen naturally. In the United States, there is no specific legislation for cosmetic surgery in adolescents. As with any medical procedure, parental consent is required for patients under the age of 18. In Australia, there was a legislator who makes it difficult for teenagers to undergo cosmetic surgery, including a “cooling” period between consultation and surgery. There have been discussions about similar laws in the United States. Often, teenage girls who request cosmetic breast augmentation are younger than the legal age for medical consent and need parental permission for the procedure. In general, the risks of cosmetic surgery are similar in adults and adolescents. However, there are cases when the operation before full development can affect cosmetic results. For example, breast surgery before the full development of the breasts or rhinoplasty before the nose is fully developed. One of the concerns about plastic surgery in teens is that their bodies are still maturing. In addition to the development that can occur in late adolescence, growth charts show that the average girl gains weight between the ages of 18 and 21, which will likely change her desire or need for breast augmentation as well as liposuction.

There are no epidemiological studies or clinical trials on the safety and long-term risks of these procedures for adolescents. Although the FDA has approved saline for women 18 and older.3 It is legal for doctors to perform breast augmentation for anyone under 18 as an “off-label” application, and the number of teenage girls under 18 undergoing breast augmentation tripled from 2002 to 2003. It wasn`t until December 2004 that the American Society of Plastic Surgeons published an official position against breast augmentation in patients under the age of 18. Let`s look at some specific procedures and age-related considerations. • Breast reduction for young women and excision of gynecomastia for young men are often requested. In my opinion, not only should the patient be mature enough to make a decision, but it should also have been several years since the significant breast growth occurred. • Nose surgery should be avoided until facial bone growth is complete, which usually occurs between mid and late adolescence. Previous surgery can damage the growth centers of the nose, which can lead to significant nasal deformities. • Breast reconstruction in young women with strong asymmetry between the two sides should normally be postponed until the patient`s breasts have stopped growing for two years. Otherwise, the patient may notice that her breasts continue to grow after surgery and the deformity returns! This surgery usually involves a combination of augmentation and lifting. If the deformity is not serious, I think it is wise for the patient to be 18 years of age or older for the above reasons.

A surgeon will probably still tell you to wait until you`re over 18 before undergoing rhinoplasty, but in some cases, such as reconstructive surgery or rhinoplasty to help breathe (deviant septum, etc.), it may be necessary to perform the procedure at a younger age. As mentioned earlier, breast augmentation is not recommended for women under the age of 18. However, breast reduction surgery may be an option at a younger age if it causes physical problems. If you are under the age of 18 and considering plastic surgery, you should discuss this with your parents first. Understanding exactly why you want to change your body is the first step. You may find that there is another underlying cause of your dissatisfaction that can be corrected without surgery, but it`s always important to talk to a parent or doctor first. New South Wales Medical Council guidelines require minors considering cosmetic surgery to have a 3-month cooling-off period followed by an additional consultation. [2] Thank you for that great question. Yes, minors (under 18 years of age) can benefit from a breast reduction. Before considering breast reduction, breast growth must be completed and this is also known as Tanner`s stage 5. Performing breast reduction before completing growth can lead to unacceptable cosmetic results.

Another thing to keep in mind for any woman of childbearing age is that there is always a decrease in the ability or inability to breastfeed while breastfeeding (milk production). To determine if you are a candidate for breast reduction, please contact a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Best wishes! The economic costs of an operation are considerable, as corrective operations are rarely covered by health insurance funds. Since many plastic surgeons offer breast implants on the pouring plan, our center (National Research Center for Women and Families) is regularly contacted by young women who need to have a broken or painful implant removed, but still pay for the first augmentation surgery and cannot afford corrective surgery. In addition to the influence of persuasive and ubiquitous advertising and television makeover programs that stimulate demand, it is difficult for a physician to neutrally present the risks and benefits of a non-elective procedure that he or she is selling at the same time.7 The parental consent requirement for patients under the age of 18 does not guarantee informed consent due to the lack of research on long-term risks. for many aesthetic procedures. The reasons why a teenager wants plastic surgery can be suspicious.