Plastic surgery

When you hear of plastic surgery , what do you think of? A Hollywood star trying to delay the effects of aging? Somebody's cute "new" nose that cost quite a few allowances? People who want to change the size of their stomachs, breasts, or other body parts?

Sure, those are common /images of plastic surgery, but what about the 4-year-old boy who has his chin rebuilt after a dog bit him? Or the young woman who has the birthmark on her forehead lightened with a laser?

What Is Plastic Surgery?
Just because the name says plastic doesn't mean patients who have this surgery end up with a face full of fake stuff. The name isn't taken from the synthetic substance but from the Greek word plastikos , which means to form or mold (and which gives plastic its name as well).

Plastic surgery is a special type of surgery that involves both people's appearance and their ability to function. Plastic surgeons strive to improve patients' appearance, self-image , and confidence through both reconstructive and cosmetic procedures.

Reconstructive procedures correct defects on the face or body. These include physical birth defects like cleft lips and palates , traumatic injuries like those from dog bites or burns, or the aftermath of disease like rebuilding a woman's breast after surgery for breast cancer.

Cosmetic (aesthetic) procedures alter a part of the body that the person is not satisfied with. Common cosmetic procedures include making the breasts larger (augmentation mammoplasty) or smaller (reduction mammoplasty), reshaping the nose (rhinoplasty), and removing pockets of fat from specific spots on the body (liposuction). Some cosmetic procedures aren't even surgical in the way that most people think of surgery - that is, cutting and stitching. For example, the use of special lasers to remove unwanted hair and injections to improve severe scarring are two such treatments.

Do Teens Get Plastic Surgery?
Most teens don't, of course - but some do. Teens, as well as adults, may decide to have plastic surgery for different reasons. But they all have the same basic aim: to change their physical appearance. Some want to alter a part of their body that they feel is abnormal and makes them feel as though they stand out from other people, like protruding ears or excess breast tissue in guys that won't go away with time or weight loss. Others may want a cosmetic change, such as a rhinoplasty, to feel better about the way they look.

Overall, however, teens make up a small percentage of the total number of people who have plastic surgery each year. In 2000, for instance, 306,384 people who were 18 or younger had cosmetic surgery procedures performed by board-certified plastic surgeons in the United States, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. That was just 4% of the more than 7.4 million cosmetic cases performed that year. (That same year, slightly more than 6 million people had reconstructive surgery in the United States.)

The most common procedures teens choose include laser hair removal, nose reshaping, ear reshaping (known as otoplasty), and breast reduction. Procedures like dermabrasion (in which the top layers of skin are surgically scraped away) can smooth severe scars from acne . Laser hair removal can, over the course of several treatments, significantly reduce unwanted body hair.

A teen may decide to have his ears reshaped if they stick out from his head a lot or opt for cosmetic surgery to correct a large bump on his nose. And, despite what you may think, breast reduction is an option for both girls and guys. Girls who develop very large breasts when they go through puberty may have back pain and be uncomfortable with their appearance. Making the breasts smaller can ease strain on the back, help them stand up straighter, and make them feel less self-conscious.

Breast reduction can be even more of an issue for guys. Up to 60% of teen males have some enlargement in breast tissue, called gynecomastia , at some time during development. Most of the time, this enlargement goes away with no treatment at all. For others, getting to a more normal weight will help. For more extreme cases of gynecomastia, a reduction using surgery or suction will remove excess tissue to help the chest lie flatter. This change can do wonders for a guy's self-esteem .

Is Plastic Surgery the Right Choice?
Reconstructive surgery helps repair significant defects or problems. But what about having cosmetic surgery just to change appearance? Should teens get plastic surgery for that reason? That's something teens should discuss with parents and doctors, but here are a few things you might want to think about:

• Almost all teens are very self-conscious about their bodies - and almost all wish there were a thing or two that could be changed. A lot of this self-consciousness goes away with time.
• It's important to remember that the body continues to change through the teen years and that what might appear too large or too small can become more proportionate over time. Sometimes, for example, what seems like a big nose looks more the right size as the rest of the face catches up during growth.
• Getting in good shape, through appropriate weight control and exercise , can do great things for a person's looks without needing surgery.
• Sometimes your emotions have a really big effect on how you think you look. People who are depressed , extremely self-critical, or have a distorted self-perception sometimes think that changing their looks will solve the problem. In these cases, it won't. Dealing with the emotional problem with a trained therapist could.

If you think you might want plastic surgery, talk about it with your parents. Meeting with a plastic surgeon to discuss the surgery is a chance for you to think about what you want to get out of the procedure, as well as learn about any possible downsides. At that time you can learn what to expect before, during, and after the procedure. Depending on the procedure, you may feel some pain as you recover, and temporary swelling or bruising can make you look less like yourself for a while.

Cost will likely be a factor, too. Complex plastic surgery procedures may be expensive. Though medical insurance covers many reconstructive surgeries, the cost of cosmetic procedures almost always comes straight out of the patient's pocket.

And remember that doctors will only perform some procedures once the patient has reached a certain age. Ears can be operated on when a person is fairly young, usually between 4 and 14 years old. But many doctors hold off reshaping noses until teens have completed their growth spurt - that may mean 14 or 15 for girls and a little older for guys. Breast reduction also should wait until the breasts have fully developed, and girls who want to enlarge their breasts for cosmetic reasons usually must be at least 18 because saline implants are only approved for women 18 and older. In some cases, such as when there's a tremendous size difference between the breasts or one breast has failed to grow, a plastic surgeon may get involved earlier.

Plastic surgery isn't something to rush into. If you're thinking about it, find out as much as you can about the specific procedure you're considering and talk it over with doctors and your parents. Once you have the facts, you can decide whether plastic surgery is right for you.