Teenage Facelifts
What to Consider Before the Operation
Plastic surgery is a popular part of our culture. In addition to plastic surgery being cosmetic, there are also reconstructive operations available. For instance, if someone in a car accident is disfigured or a child is born with a deformity, getting reconstructive surgery will help restore their natural appearance. There are strictly cosmetic cases of plastic surgery and are used as a means of enhancing someone’s beauty to raise their self-confidence.
The rise in teenagers wanting plastic surgery
Typically, people who undergo plastic surgery are of legal age. However, a population of teenagers now want to get plastic surgery. With the rise in social media and Photoshop, more young adults are interested in cosmetic procedures. The amount of teens wanting surgery also correlates with the rise in cyber-bullying. Studies show that in 2017, nearly 230,000 teenagers between 13 and 19 had cosmetic procedures. Plastic surgery has become so popular among teens, some even ask for procedures as graduation gifts instead of a car or money.
Are teenage facelifts legal?
A facelift is a surgical procedure that creates a youthful appearance by removing excess skin and tightening the lower face. Although some may oppose facelift surgery for teens, it is legal with parental consent. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, many teens believe that getting plastic surgery helps them better fit into their peer groups. It is important to consider a teenager’s features are still developing. As the parent of a child wanting a facelift, it is important to ask a few questions before giving consent.
Questions to consider
Why do you want this surgery? Oftentimes, parents are unaware of their child’s insecurities. As their parent, this conversation will give insight into your child’s self-image. For instance, they may have sagging skin jowls or have forehead wrinkles that are causing them to have low self-esteem. This is a more realistic reason than wanting to change their appearance to impress other classmates. This discussion can potentially be the foundation of finding a non-surgical solution, like therapy to discuss more realistic standards of beauty. Even if they still want to go through with the procedure, you will understand the logic behind their decision.
What are the potential risks? As a teenager, they may not fully understand the potential for adverse side effects. For one, they may not understand the recovery process. The typical recovery period is around two weeks with painful swelling the first few days. Some people are even advised to avoid regular activities for four weeks. Do you consent to your teenager taking pain medication?
Missing a month of school can negatively impact their grades. Since most school years are an average of 180 days, missing more than 18 days constitute failure. Are they willing to make up those grades? Or will they consider getting the procedure during the summer months to make sure they pass and have adequate recovery time? You and your teenager must understand the sacrifices this operation requires.
Your teenager must also understand that surgery doesn’t guarantee their desired results. Depending on the quality of the cosmetic surgeon, the results can lead to even greater insecurities if the surgery isn’t successful. Parents must help their children have realistic expectations going into the surgery to feel better about themselves when they look in the mirror post-operation. Otherwise, cosmetic surgery can become an expensive and dangerous habit.
Have we weighed every option? Surgery is a life-changing experience, regardless of the age of the patient. Because of this, it is important as parents of a teen wanting cosmetic surgery to inform them of other ways to get results. Understanding that a teenager’s frontal lobe isn’t fully developed is essential. Because of this, their logic and reasoning abilities will change in the next few years. While they may believe they need cosmetic surgery to be beautiful now, they may regret getting the procedure as they mature.
In addition to brain development, physical features are still developing as a teenager. Lots of teenagers have “a babyface” and desire a natural contoured look. They must understand that these characteristics need time to fully develop and surgery can hamstring their natural beauty process. Changing over time may cause them to dislike the results of their surgery and cause them to want a corrective procedure. Feeling that they had a botched surgery will cause their self-esteem to be even lower than before the operation.
Before jumping into surgery, be sure to weigh every option. There are less-invasive options for facial rejuvenation, like a non-surgical facelift. In this case, a non-surgical facelift uses ultrasound technology to penetrate the skin and stimulate collagen formation. This treatment tightens the skin, defines the jawline and lifts cheekbones. Numerous celebrities get this procedure, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Kim Kardashian. There are also facial-lifting massages that use a microcurrent wand to add hyaluronic acid while simultaneously tightening and lifting the skin. This is a painless process with no downtime and instant results.
Other alternatives
There are also natural remedies for tighter skin that are safe for teenagers. Egg white and honey masks are great for tightening and repairing the skin. By applying this mixture twice a week, vitamins and protein help naturally regenerate the skin. Aloe vera also has skin firming abilities. Applying aloe vera gel helps improve the skin’s tightness and doesn’t require surgery. The best part of aloe vera is that it is an affordable plant that can be grown at home.
If your child insists that surgery is their preferred choice and you are willing to give parental consent, be sure to find a reputable surgeon. This procedure will change your child’s appearance and taking shortcuts can result in the need for subsequent reconstructive operations. Hopefully, this operation will be considered a minor enhancement instead of a means of maintaining self-esteem. If not, speak with a professional about assisting your child with feeling better about themself before getting surgery.
Article written by Lee Lija
This article was written by the guest author listed at the end of the article.