“THE CELEBRITY DRIVE FOR PERFECTION IS TRICKLING DOWN TO THE MASSES, AND EVEN TEENAGERS ARE GETTING PLASTIC SURGERY IN RECORD NUMBERS.” New York Post, August 23, 2015
Eighteen-year-old, Kylie Jenner has heads turning. She is one of the top ten most followed people on Instagram with over 33 million followers, and she is the number one most viewed person on Snapchat. So when Kylie Jenner admits to having plastic surgery – teenagers listen and want it too!
Although Jenner has only admitted to plastic surgery for her lips, there is speculation that she has done other surgeries including on her breasts and butt. With the social media following she commands, Kylie Jenner is a marketing machine. If Kylie uses it most likely so will the rest of young America. One simple Tweet or Facebook post from Kylie and millions listen. She is a trendsetter.
So this week in the New York Post it was not a surprise to see that teenagers are behind the spike in plastic surgeries. In 2013, according to The American Society of Plastic Surgeons, nearly 18,000 teen’s ages 13 to 19 got a form of Botox.
According to the article, “The 2014 Annual American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Survey blamed “the rise of the selfie,” and there may be something to that.”
Look, there may be something to that. Many people aren’t into selfies or for that matter being in pictures at all. But this is a whole new generation. A young generation that photographs everything and posts it immediately for the world to see. With that comes much self-examination of one’s physical attributes and the need to make them better, or as many say to “correct” them.
So what should parents do when their teen wants plastic surgery?
Parents should think long and hard before giving the okay for plastic surgery and so should the surgeons. Unfortunately, they often do not. Surgery is a major decision with some physical risks, even serious ones. But on a psychological level surgery can also be risky. What I mean is that the motives for surgery can often be low self-esteem or anxiety about identity. Surgery will not cure that. As a matter of fact having surgery can often make these issues worse as they hold out the illusion that there are quick cures (in a quick cure culture) and the disappointment reactions are often disastrous. What’s worse is that the teenager misses out on learning that working on personal problems is a more difficult task but a more rewarding avenue to feeling better. Our society has moved more and more towards superficial cures for almost everything. Old fashioned hard work, slower but more rewarding efforts and a slow build-up of lasting self-esteem still outrank the quickie interventions. Just ask any drug addict who went for a quick cure for the pain that was being suffered and I think it will be obvious that there is no short cut.
DISCLAIMER
Information contained in this blog is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended as medical or psychiatric advice for individual conditions or treatment and does not substitute for a medical or psychiatric examination. A psychiatrist must make a determination about any treatment or prescription. Dr. Paul does not assume any responsibility or risk for the use of any information contained within this blog.