Abstract In this article, the writer notes that while the concept of cosmetic surgery remains a controversial topic amongst many people today, the practice of cosmetic surgery has become a common procedure for many North Americans. The writer points out that despite growing popularity, there is an increase in social debate over the accessibility and utilization of cosmetic surgery for teenagers. This paper seeks to explore how cosmetic surgery can be damaging, both physically and emotionally, for teenagers. The writer discusses that teenagers struggle to express themselves, yet disdain for their appearance may be deep-seeded and may have more to do with personal dissatisfaction than how they actually appear. The writer maintains that teenagers considering cosmetic surgery should have to undergo certain levels of counselling, both to determine whether they are making a wise decisions and to teach teenagers to look inwards for answers and not assume that purchasing a new body will solve all of their social and emotional problems.
From the Paper " We are not helping teenagers by offering singular and evasive surgeries as solutions to their social woes. Understandably there may be cause for argument that some procedures are acceptable, but cosmetic surgery should never be seen as a necessary solution to the difficult pubescent years. If parents are going to allow their teenagers to undergo cosmetic surgery, they should remain part of the process and not distance themselves from the decisions their teen will have to make. Becoming involved and asking questions a teenager may not have thought of may in fact deter a teenager from making a decision they ultimately may live to regret. Teenagers have yet to develop a sense of mortality and permanency in their train of thinking. Cosmetic surgery is permanent and rarely reversible. A teenager may be enchanted by the idea of a perfect quick fix, but should the procedure go awry, as they may, teenagers are not emotionally equipped with the tools that will allow them to deal with such trauma."
