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Plastic surgery for Teen-agers should be illegal!

benganter

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I have noticed a disturbing trend in teens and young adults who feel that it is important to surgically alter their appearance before there body has a chance to fully develop. My friend was 17 when she received her first breast implant surgery and 19 when she received a second (bigger) implant surgery. The worst part was her mother was a willing participant in getting this surgery accomplished. My friend is now 28 and has substance abuse problems and an eating disorder. I feel her need for "instant gratification syndrome" has been a problem for her and I feel stems from trying to alter her appearance at such a young age. Granted she may have other issues but just maybe she would be a different more self confident person today if she would have left well enough alone.
Plastic surgeons should be stopped from performing plastic surgery on anyone under the age of 21. Two reasons: 1st let the body develop, 2nd let the mind develop!

I am not talking about nose jobs or scar repair but more about sexual enhancement surgeries! Once a person has some-what developed emotionally and physically and they want to take a risk of getting plastic surgery than so be it. Unfortunately you can't rely on some parents to stop it from taking place so maybe there should be a law that does....
 
i don't really have a problem with a law prohibiting the enhancement of minors.

What would you say 18? Old enough to vote; old enough to get bigger boobies?
 
I thought about that but I think 18 is still to young, I personally grew 3 inches in height at the age of 19. I would say its probably safe to say that the body is fully developed by 21 and that would be just in time to grab a beer after surgery!

21 should be the age.
 
That is pretty sad, but our society has been so focused on "looks", these young girls think they need to have the perfect body. She has a pretty disgusting "Mother" that must think so too.
 
You gotta make sure that if a law is drafted to outlaw plastic surgery for minors that it excludes a couple major things. Cleft lips,palates, and other craniofacial malformations should be fixed. Sure, the children can live a physically healthy life but there are social problems with that too.
 
I do not think it should be illegal, but it should require a parental notice.

This girl is screwed because of it - hopefully a smart parent will take that into consideration before allowing thier child to go under the knife. The same could however happen to a girl that is of age before the initial cut.

---

What about requiring psychological evaluation from an unbiased doctor regardless of the age of the person wanting plastic surgery?
 
I agree with your evaluation that not all plastic surgery but I truly feel sexual enhancement should be illegal until 21!
 
Obviously, she was trying to fill some void in her life and thought that bigger breasts would help. She should of invested that money in a psychiatrist or church. If we are going to have plastic surguery then 18 should be the age to start, not 21. But, I don't think we should have plastic surgurey Period. Except for extreme cases.
 
One mental evaluation is not enough, that would only create a business of therapists that start cashing in on the practice as well. There is absolutely no reason for a young girl not fully developed to seek breast implants. If you have to wait till 21 to drink it isn't that big of a deal to wait till 21 before subjecting yourself to elective plastic surgery. There are allot of doctors who prey on young women and their lack of self confidence. For crying out loud let them mature a little before letting the dogs loose!
 
I'm sorry but the body is not developed enough at that age nor is the mind, my view of life was entirely different at 18 then at 21. I don't think you can say with any truth that a 18 year old just out of high school has the right emotional state for that kind of decision!
 
I think if you're old enough to vote you should be able to get plastic surgery. I don't have a problem with cleft palate surgery because that is fixing DEFORMITIES. Rather than things that society says you must have in order to be pretty.

When you're 18 you can get body piercings and tatoos, I think plastic surgery makes sense.
 
Unsure if I said this previously - Welcome to Debate Politics!

By our constitution, it is a free country. Even though it is incredibly sick - it must be allowed. If we were to stop this from happening - tatoo's would be next - then navel piercing.

Are you advocating state or federal banning?
 
Great point, I am 31 and have two tattoos I got when I was 18 and regret the fact that I did it! You can't put tattoos on the same level, tattoos cost $20-$400 and plastic surgery is $4,000 to $10,000. A tattoo is not a risky surgery, breast implants are!
I am amazed at the fact you guys seriously think that a 18 year old is mature enough to make that kind of decision and deal with the new attention it brings. I hope from these comments that you don't have daughters of your own and if you do, you need your head examined!

I realize we live in a free society but that doesn't mean we need to be irresponsible about our freedom. We have a duty to protect the mental and physical well being of our children. I am truly amazed and quite scared of what the future will be like with these kinds of ideals!
 
Of course you are.

Because the ideals aren't yours
 
benganter said:
I am amazed at the fact you guys seriously think that a 18 year old is mature enough to make that kind of decision and deal with the new attention it brings. I hope from these comments that you don't have daughters of your own and if you do, you need your head examined!
There are plenty of 30 year olds that do not have the maturity to get a tatoo.
Yes, I have one and did it at 19.

I never said that 18 year olds are mature enough or too immature to do anything. But, I did say legally there is nothing we can do. The only thing we can do is be good parents. Unless we change the current law - which is hard, but not impossible.
 
Forget about whether you belief that its wrong to make it illegal for an 18 year to make that decision, but consider the physical question.

Are young girls fully developed at 18?

The reason we don't let 18 year olds drink alcohol is they lack the mental capacity and the proper responsible decision making skills to be safe! That is not to say that there aren't plenty of 21, 31, and 41 year olds that lack that same responsible decision making ability. The point is that there is a physical development question and a mental stability question that remain aloof. I bet with a little research on the subject the truth that it causes damage to the mental stability of young girls would be realized.
 
Ben you just opened up a new can of worms.

The new law (not sure if passed or still in motion) states that a person can be convicted and Punished with the Death Penalty at 18 years old. If you believe that people don't have enough mental capacity for getting plastic surgery, then why do they have the mental capacity for getting the death penalty. Some people seriously need plastic surgery especially if they're subjected to a disability which can be improved or healed by plastic surgery. If there was a young lady at the age of 15 who got some strange disease which caused one of her breasts to be amputated, then would you want her to go through the rest of her teen-life with only one breast? In a world where looks are more important then smarts?

I agree that it does change the mind set for perfectly normal ladies, but she has her rights she can do whatever she wants as long as it's within the boundaries of the law. Though on more of a larger scale, I think that make-up and plastic surgery are both ways for a lady (and some men) to express their sexual appearance, if you want to destroy the rights for ladies to not be able to enhance their sexual appearance? Then should we do away with make-up as well?
 
benganter said:
I'm sorry but the body is not developed enough at that age nor is the mind, my view of life was entirely different at 18 then at 21. I don't think you can say with any truth that a 18 year old just out of high school has the right emotional state for that kind of decision!
The problem with this thread is that it relies way too much on emotion and not on fact. The fact is that a person has a right to be secure in their own body, much like abortion. The problem is that it is damn near impossible to stop it, evne if you want to. Solution: Require parental consideration before 18. If the parent is f-ed up too, then there really isn't anything you can do.

And on an emotional note, my friend is 17, had an adnormally large nose in her opinion, had it redone and she is still substance-abuse free. Just goes to show you that it doesn't make you into a monster. And you can't outlaw such things as facial stuff because of accidents, physical deformities taht have to be changed, etc.
 
benganter said:
Forget about whether you belief that its wrong to make it illegal for an 18 year to make that decision, but consider the physical question.
Wasn't an argument for against the Death Penalty about the fact that the brain isn't mature (grey matter) until around age of 25?
 
Squawker said:
That is pretty sad, but our society has been so focused on "looks", these young girls think they need to have the perfect body. She has a pretty disgusting "Mother" that must think so too.

I agree with that.



I think our whole society has gone completely off the deep end on this. I was watching some the stuff on the silicone implant discussion lately and one doctor told the committee that basically the risk of the silicone leaking has to be weighed against the benefit. He then went on to compare it to the risk factor of penicillin. Excuse me? A life saving antibiotic, and bigger boobs aren’t quite on the same level. Are they Doc?
 
ShamMol said:
The problem with this thread is that it relies way too much on emotion and not on fact. The fact is that a person has a right to be secure in their own body, much like abortion. The problem is that it is damn near impossible to stop it, evne if you want to. Solution: Require parental consideration before 18. If the parent is f-ed up too, then there really isn't anything you can do.

And on an emotional note, my friend is 17, had an adnormally large nose in her opinion, had it redone and she is still substance-abuse free. Just goes to show you that it doesn't make you into a monster. And you can't outlaw such things as facial stuff because of accidents, physical deformities taht have to be changed, etc.

It is a scientifically proveable fact that that the body doesn't stop developing just because you hit your 18th birthday. And why bring up abortion anyway? Abortion and breast implants aren't even in the same realm of consideration. How about some common sense. What the @#$% does a teenager need with breast implants anyway? And don't give me that body image drivel. I certainly understand that sometimes surgery is indicated to correct a physical deformity. Fine. No problem with that. But, since when did a teenage girl not having fully developed breasts come to constitute a deformity :boohoo: ? Is there really social stigma attached to having small breasts?

I sometimes notice some of these girls, appearing to be high-school age, future Plano-bitches, with a very obviously artificial rack. I'm afraid my head is gonna explode!:boom Should my daughter ever come to me as a teenager and request breast implants, there wouldn't be enough duct tape on the face of the earth to contain my disgust and displeasure. Then once I cooled off, I would start to wonder where did I go wrong as a parent.

Unfortunately, you can't legislate common sense. :sigh:
 
Yes it is provable and it is true but why take people THEIR rights?

Have you forgotten that everyone has the right to do what they like to their own body. If we're going to play "National Parent" to youths then take away Caffeine, it is addictive and can cause damage to ones body. Why are we such a free nation but (most) Republicans/Conservatives want all these changes to limit our freedoms! I agree (totally) that getting surgery to enhance one's sexual appearance is down-right wrong but if somebody wants their life to be like that then it's their fault not yours, so quit worrying about the decisions they made in their life.. they'll regret it..

I'm not sure if it's required in other states, but in North Carolina, during Health class (taken 9th grade year) it is in the teacher's agenda to talk about things like Surgery and things that people use as a way to enhance sexual appearance.
 
Arch Enemy said:
Yes it is provable and it is true but why take people THEIR rights?

Have you forgotten that everyone has the right to do what they like to their own body. If we're going to play "National Parent" to youths then take away Caffeine, it is addictive and can cause damage to ones body. Why are we such a free nation but (most) Republicans/Conservatives want all these changes to limit our freedoms! I agree (totally) that getting surgery to enhance one's sexual appearance is down-right wrong but if somebody wants their life to be like that then it's their fault not yours, so quit worrying about the decisions they made in their life.. they'll regret it..

I'm not sure if it's required in other states, but in North Carolina, during Health class (taken 9th grade year) it is in the teacher's agenda to talk about things like Surgery and things that people use as a way to enhance sexual appearance.

I’m in no way suggesting or am I in favor of changing any laws to restrict ones ability to surgically change themselves. Heck for all I care turn- yourself into a garden gnome. Makes no diference to me. All I’m saying is I think it’s really d-u-m-m. And I seriously thought the doctor I heard comparing breast implants to penicillin was a complete nut job.
 
As in all my comments for this subject, plastic surgery for real needs such as hair-lip, nose jobs, recovering cancer survivor those are all fine with me and should be allowed to proceed. So lets stop going over it, I would like to see a reduction in healthy beautiful women seeking breast enlargements because they want to attract more attention. I can live with a 18 year old age limit i wish it was 20 or 21 but at least some age restriction needs to be put in place.

Please refrain from comparing death penalty age with age restrictions on plastic surgery. That is just a bad argument and has no relevance to plastic surgery laws.
 
benganter said:
Please refrain from comparing death penalty age with age restrictions on plastic surgery. That is just a bad argument and has no relevance to plastic surgery laws.?

No relevance of course. But, I think you are not seeing the BIG picture. My arguement has nothing to do with it being harmful. No one here is arguing that. I believe you are stating that in your opinion young folks should not get plastic surgery. The only thing we can indeed argue is if kids are mature enough.

I brought the DP up and think that it is relevant. This came out strong in the Death Penalty Supreme Court case recently to prevent kids below 18 getting it. If it is proven that the brain is not fully developed until 25 - and your argument is that they are not mature enough in body and psychologically below 18 - why limit to age 18 or 21? Go for 25.

This is something that 20 years ago should have been addressed.
In this day and age it will not happen. The ACLU will jump all over actions to limit age. As Arch said, everyone owns their own body.

I think my kid should be able to drink alcohol as long as I am with them. That can be harmful to the body - are you willing to restrict this as well?
 
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