Plastic Surgery and Teens free essay sample

You can fix your nose if he says so. You can buy all the makeup MAC can make, but if can’t look inside you, find out who am I too? Be in a position to make me feel so damn unpretty, I’ll make you feel unpretty too. † In the late   90s TLC was known for writing about social issues that young women faced everyday. Their relateable lyrics and connection with their audience was why they were so famous. The song â€Å"unprettty† made that connection with the audience. The media and people around them were telling them how to act dress and behave, but they simply ignored what society told them what the â€Å"perfect† image was. This type of media influence is still prevalent in today’s society, the only thing that has changed is: instead of young girls making drastic fashion changes, they are now going so far as to change their physical appearance. We will write a custom essay sample on Plastic Surgery and Teens or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The purpose of this essay is to make teens aware that the increase of teens getting plastic surgery must be solved. Not only is plastic surgery among teens increasing, but parents are supporting these dramatic changes on their children. My target audience is teens who are thinking about getting some sort of plastic surgery. This is a trend because a teen getting plastic surgery has been on the rise for quite sometime. In past years this was not the case, adults would be getting plastic surgery not teens. The media today plays a big role as to why teens are opting to get plastic surgery. The research question that is posed and will be answered throughout this essay is plastic surgery becoming a problem with teens in today’s society? Plastic surgery is on the rise not only with adult, but within the teen community as well. Many teens resort to plastic surgery because they are bullied, or feel that they are imperfect and this will be the only way the can reach perfection. According to the American society for plastic surgeons, â€Å"nearly 219, 00 surgeries were performed on people 13-19 in 2010† (American society for plastic surgeons 2012). Plastic surgery might work for some teens, but often time they do not understand the risk factors that go along with type of surgery. One solution is that teens should undergo a psychological evaluation before getting any type of plastic or cosmetic surgery. Another solution is teens might also want to know the physical effects of plastic surgery, educate not only the teen, but also the parents on the risk factors of plastic surgery. Another solution is there should be stricter laws for doctors, parents, and teens. The most plausible solution is to educate the teens on the risk factors for plastic surgery. The first solution to the rise of plastic surgery among teens is a psychological evaluation might help determine if plastic surgery is needed. Making sure the teen is mentally mature is important. This solution is important because know what they teen feels and thinks can determine why he or she wants to undergo this surgery. According to an article in the Journal of Health Care and Law Policy (2001) entitled Adolescent medical decision making and the law of the horse, â€Å"the capacity for medical decision making exists (for adults) when a person has the ability to comprehend information relevant to the decision they want to make†(Ouellette 145). For example, a teen cannot understand the magnitude of what plastic surgery is. They often think it is a quick fix to something they think is not â€Å"perfect†, or it will stop a bully from picking on them. The way the view plastic surgery is how a normal functioning adult would view a change of wardrobe style or a haircut. According to a cosmetic contributor for People(2010) magazine, â€Å"singing your teen up for at least four therapy sessions to determine if there are other issues like depression†(Pham 2010). Teens do not like talking to their parents about their issues. Often times going to therapy, having someone to talk and listen to, can lead to what is the underlining problem and why a teen really wants plastic surgery. According to an article in Newsweek (2004) titled, Kids under the Knife, â€Å"Also make sure what is expected from the surgery is realistic. Procedures like rhinoplasty and breast augmentation should be performed only on kids who are fully grown. Otoplasty (pinning, however, can be done starting at the age of 5 or 6. † Teens who want plastic surgery often times show symptoms of depression, bipolar disorder, or even substance abuse. Teens with these and other serious disorders are not in their right state of mind to be making logical decisions; therefore therapists will not let them go through with the surgery. Teens with these conditions often are not the best candidates for plastic surgery. They are undergoing this surgery as a quick fix or for instant gratification. Decisions for medical and non-medical cosmetic body modification are more susceptible to peer influence than are other medical decisions. Most medial decisions are made in the context of the confidential physician-patient relationship. Teens for cosmetic body modification are much more public. Teens are bombarded with images of cosmetically enhanced models in the media. The pressure to meet a culturally defined ideal of beauty is tremendous. Reports of teens seeking cosmetic procedures to escape peer pressure are common. The article in Newsweek (2004) and People (2010) were written in two completely different years, yet they are still advising parents and teens to do the same. Teens must seek psychological help if they are depressed, or have love self-esteem, which leads to depression, or substance abuse. Both of these articles also convey the message that plastic surgery lasts a lifetime, and if you are not sure of this life changing surgery do not get it. The articles are conveying that talking to someone often times can help you become a better person, and help solve the underlining problem. The second solution to the rise of plastic surgery among teens is teens should understand the physical and emotional effects of plastic surgery. Teens and even some adults do not understand the magnitude of how big of a surgery this is. The recovery time to intense surgeries like that do not take weeks; they take months, and even up to a year to full recover. â€Å"Cosmetic surgeries such as breast reconstruction and liposuction are anesthetized. There is a risk of nerve damage, infection, scarring, and death† (Pham 148). Teens think plastic surgery is the solution to an imperfection they have about themselves. Teens have to understand that plastic surgery is not a quick fix. It takes months and years to get the result you desire. It also the patient has to put their part in the recovery process. The patient cannot expect the doctor, and surgery to heal itself, the patient must do what the doctor says to get the results they want, therefore getting the results they desire. Many teens are irresponsible conduct is not as morally reprehensible as that of an adult. Their own vulnerability, cognitive think, and control over their immediate surroundings means teens have a greater claim than adults to be forgiven for failing to escape negative influences in their whole environment. Most children, even in their teenage years, simply are not able to make concrete judgments concerning many decisions, including their need for medical care or treatment, therefore teen should really understand what is going on to their bodies. Adolescents will likely harm themselves, especially when the health care decision involves the exercise of moral judgment; teens find themselves wondering what they should do because they cannot make a judgment call on their own. If teens cannot make these decisions for themselves, they may be forced to live with the decision they made when they were a teens. Opportunities to fix what they have done to their bodies may be permanent, and the teen cannot change that. All in all, allowing teens to go through this surgery, the influences of peer pressure, and the possibility for impulsive decision making, play a key role when it comes to cosmetic surgery. Risk taking, impulsiveness, and responding to peer pressure are cognitive capacities not yet developed in adolescent brains; therefore they find plastic surgery as an outlet to make others like them or like their body. The third solution to the rise of plastic surgery among teens is there should be stricter laws in place for not only doctor, but the patient as well. Currently a teen can not get any type of plastic surgery without parental consent if under the age of eighteen. When a teenager who is younger than 18 comes in for the consultation, he or she must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. We first sit down and discuss the patients request Sometimes there are exceptions for a teen to get plastic surgery. The exception being for medical reason, and even then the teen would have to obtain parental consent. â€Å"You can tell when people (teens) want something done or if they’re simply there because mom has an expectation of the teenage appearance† (Shulman 2008). If the doctor observes that the parent is pushing their son or daughter to get plastic surgery, they should speak up and simply say they will not to the surgery. Clearly it is not what the child wants; therefore they should be able to say no. The parents should not want to change what their son or daughter looks like. Some parents will go through extreme measures to make their child look perfect. The teenager initiates the request. While parental support is essential, the teenagers own desire for plastic surgery must be clearly expressed and repeated over a period of time. The teenager has realistic goals. The young person must appreciate both the benefits and limitations of plastic surgery, avoiding unrealistic expectations about life changes that will occur as a result of the procedure. The teenager has sufficient maturity. Teenagers must be able to tolerate the discomfort and temporary disfigurement of a surgical procedure. Plastic surgery is not recommended for teens that are prone to mood swings or erratic behavior, who are abusing drugs and/or alcohol, or who are being treated for clinical depression or other mental illness. The law takes a fisherman throwing a net into an ocean approach to adolescent decision making. This means that the law usually picks and chooses what they want to make a strict law, and what they don’t. At times, the law affords little or no weight to the choices of teenagers, or limits their choices in order to protect them; therefore teenagers cannot legally purchase alcohol. Another example, those under eighteen cant vote, serve on juries, or gamble legally. Also, Depending on the state, an adolescents consent to sexual activity may be invalid and the act of sex with the teen deemed statutory rape. Other times, the law gives as much respect to the decisions of teenagers as it does those made by adults. Older teens can drop out of high school, hold jobs, and drive cars. n some cases, juveniles may be tried and sentenced as adults for crimes they commit while teenagers. The same has to do with the laws and adolescents wanting to get plastic surgery. Teens can only get plastic surgery with parental consent or if it a medical condition not allowing the teen to complete daily activities. Some critics might argue that teens should be able to do whatever they want to their bodies. Critics might also argue that teens that are bullied would benefit from plastic surgery, therefore they will stop being bullied and they will have a higher self-esteem. Teens are often bullied because they do not live up to what a normal teen should look like. On a recent airing of ABC’s Nightline (2010), the segment entitled â€Å"Teens choose plastic surgery to boost self-esteem†, they followed teens that went through plastic surgery because they were being bullied and chose plastic surgery as a last resort. They said they not only felt better about themselves after the surgery, the bulling stopped, therefore increasing their self-esteem. In surgical practice, the assessment of adolescents satisfaction is difficult, because he increased self-consciousness and dissatisfaction about physical appearance are characteristic for the adolescent age period for girls more so than for boys. In a recent article in People (2010), they interviewed teens who underwent surgery and this is what one of the teens said about how they felt after they had plastic surgery, Jen Selter had always been self-conscious about her nose. For years she wouldnt leave the house without strategically applying bronzer to make my nose look more narrow, she says, and at Roslyn High School in Roslyn Heights, N. Y. she had taken to wearing padded bras and stomach-baring tops to draw attention away from her face. But after her fellow teens began posting nasty comments on her Facebook page-Shes pretty, but her nose is huge and You look like a pelican-Selter decided she was ready for a change. After visits with a therapist to determine I was emotionally ready, says Selter, now 16, she had New York City surgeon Sam Rizk tweak her nose last summer. Im more comfortable with myself now, happier and confident, she says. And I have so many more pictures of myself on Facebook! The psychological effects this had on Selter are what made her opt to have plastic surgery. After the surgery she had to reason to hide her nose to draw attention to another part of her body. Plastic surgery allowed her to live the life she wanted; free of bullying, therefore her being comfortable in her own skin. This is what we all want, to feel good about ourselves, so why not let teens undergo plastic surgery if it let’s them feel good about who they are. The most plausible and best solution is educate teens on the risk factors of plastic surgery. Teens should really think about why they want this surgery? What are the benefits of plastic surgery? Is this something you want 10, 20, or even 30 years from now? Anyone who is thinking about going under the knife should really think about these questions. Also, teens should know what is going into there body, therefore teens should educate themselves on what plastic surgery really is, the benefits, and what can it do to your body if something goes wrong. Most common surgeries that are performed on teenagers are liposuction, tummy tucks, or breast enlargements. Some of these surgeries require substances to be put into the body. Often times things can go wrong, depending on how old you are when getting plastic surgery. Some might not have any side effects, but others might reject the surgery, therefore leaving their bodies disfigured. Many teens do not realize that they young they go under the knife the more risk factors they will encounter. Really knowing your body, if it’s fully developed, and how it world is not only essential for opting for plastic surgery, but just for daily activities throughout your life. Once, you understand how the body works, what a fully develop body looks like, and understanding the risk factors for plastic surgery are, then the teen can make the decision if this is something they can do. Teens should also talk to their parents and pediatricians to find out about physical growth and any underlying health conditions and, most of all, be cautious. All in all, teens and their parents should sit down and talk about why their child wants to have plastic surgery. Parents should listen to what their child has to say, and teens should do the same. Plastic surgery is on the rise not only with adult, but within the teen community as well. Many teens resort to plastic surgery because they are bullied, or feel that they are imperfect and this will be the only way the can reach perfection. The purpose of this essay was to make teens aware that the increase of teens getting plastic surgery must be solved. Not only is plastic surgery among teens increasing, but parents are supporting these dramatic changes on their children. My target audience is teens thinking about getting plastic surgery. The research question that is posed and was answered throughout this essay, is plastic surgery becoming a problem with teens in today’s society? If these solutions are not used teens will not know the risk factors and effects of plastic surgery. Also if there aren’t stricter laws teens will think surgery is a quick fix or it is safe and effective. That is not the case with plastic surgery; sometimes teens do not realize that the recovery time for plastic surgery in a long process. It can take months, even years to get the results that are desired. When someone is fifteen their body is not fully developed, thus creating problems and major health risks, which some teens do not fully understand. Some solutions to this trend are the teen should undergo a psychological evaluation before getting any type of plastic or cosmetic surgery. Another solution might be, teens might also want to know the physical effects of plastic surgery. A third solution is to educate the parents on the risk factors of plastic surgery, and finally there should be stricter laws for doctors, parents, and teens. The most plausible solution is to educate the eens on the risk factors for plastic surgery. If we as a society are concerned about plastic surgery in adolescents, we should proceed with caution. Some procedures may he so risky. An argument could he made, for example, that cosmetic breast augmentation should he harmed for people under the age twenty-one, because the risks of the procedure are so great, the fact that the breasts have may not have fully developed until the late teens or early twenties, and the link that exists between breast augmentation and suicide. The decisions for risky behavior out of the hands of parents and adolescents. They take away choices that could he harmful and save them for adulthood-much like age limits on drinking alcohol, marriage, entering combat. Bans make sense as a means of protecting adolescents from unnecessary risk. The media portrays that teens and young adults, should be skinny, with perfect, hair, and body, they ultimately should be attractive and desirable. Shows like Gossip Girl and 90120 convey that high school should be full of drama and glamour, leading many teens to believe, that perfection is the key to happiness. This is why teens choose plastic surgery.