Being a teenager nowadays comes with more challenges than it did just 25 short years ago. Teens are constantly reminded of their looks whenever they post pictures or visit the social media accounts of their friends and classmates.

This can lead to many serious psychological conditions in which depression and other forms of self-harm can easily set in. Perhaps this is why over 200,000 teens opted to undergo plastic surgery in 2017.

While plastic surgery for adults is perfectly acceptable by today’s societal standards, it’s not the same for teens. Many people will look down upon teens who get plastic surgery or the doctors who perform the procedures.

While there is an epidemic of body dimorphism in this country that’s caused in major part by social media, there are some situations and instances where plastic surgery for teens is not only acceptable, but in many cases entirely necessary.

We’re going to look at what plastic surgery for teens means. Is it morally wrong to allow a teenager whose body isn’t fully developed to undergo the knife? Are there any acceptable reasons for a teen to get plastic surgery?

And we’ll answer the most important question of them all: Should plastic surgery be off-limits for teens?

What Kinds of Surgeries Do Teens Opt For?

For many teenagers, looking like a particular celebrity is more important than anything else in life. As they comb through their social media pictures, teenagers may realize that perhaps their nose or chin doesn’t quite look like the nose or chin of their favorite Hollywood starlet or actor.

Plastic surgeons are reporting that they are seeing more and more teens come in for rhinoplasty, liposuction, and non-invasive rejuvenation treatments such as Botox and dermal fillers.

Sometimes parents will even give the gift of plastic surgery to a teen who recently graduated high school or turned 16 years old. Parents who encourage their teens to get plastic surgery for shallow aesthetic reasons are acting unreasonable and being irresponsible.

The bodies of many teenagers will continue to develop long after they graduate high school. If a surgeon were to agree to operate on them for a non-medical reason, it could cause significant complications later down the road. As the bodies of teenagers are still maturing, the work the surgeon did six months prior could be completely wiped away, or worse yet – cause severe and immediate health issues.

When is Plastic Surgery for Teens Acceptable?

From both a medical and moral perspective, unless the teen is suffering from a condition which could hamper their self-confidence or otherwise cause harm, they should wait to get surgery until their bodies have stopped developing.

For example, a teenager recently walked into the offices of a plastic surgeon seeking labiaplasty. She was only 16 years old but had an enlarged labia minora which prevented her from wearing a bathing suit due to self-conscious reasons. She also could not participate in sports and was getting urinary tract infections on a regular basis.

Both the parents and the surgeon decided that labiaplasty to correct the enlarged labia minora was the right thing to do – not only for the health of the teen but for her mental well-being as well.

Nose jobs are also a tough call for both surgeons and parents alike. If a child was born with an elongated nose, there could be self-esteem issues, or there could be a serious medical condition that can only be fixed via corrective surgery.

Non-Invasive Treatments

Such non-invasive treatments as Botox and dermal fillers have exploded in popularity, not only amongst adults but with teenagers as well. Many teens think that such procedures as chemical peels, laser hair removal, and microdermabrasion are minor things – no different than waking up and putting on makeup every morning.

While teens usually don’t have facial wrinkles to smooth out, many teens who suffer from migraines or other forms of headaches have found relief and comfort when their condition is treated via a series of Botox injections from a qualified plastic surgeon.

Some teens will fixate upon a particular self-perceived body defect – often to the point of suffering mental issues because of it. The more active they are on social media, the higher the chance of them being dissatisfied with their bodies.

If left unchecked, it can turn into a serious psychological condition called body dysmorphic disorder, in which the teen will fixate and obsess over a tiny self-perceived defect of their face or body.

For example, one 17-year-old female recently posted a question on a medical forum. She wanted to know where she could find a plastic surgeon who would be willing to give her a Botox injection to remove two small lines on the side of her mouth.

No reputable plastic surgeon would agree to help her, but there are plenty of fly-by-night Botox “med spas” who will treat underaged children provided that a parent or other legal guardian is present.

Teenage Plastic Surgery

If you have a teen who is wanting to get plastic surgery and you as a parent feel that their reasons are valid due to health or major self-esteem concerns, give us a call at (214) 965-9885. Dr. Adams is a world-famous plastic surgeon, and he will sit down with you and your teen to discuss the possibility and potential outcomes of getting plastic surgery.

When it comes to the longevity of your plastic surgery procedure, there’s simply no “one size fits all” answer. This applies not only to each surgery but also to each patient. Factors such as age, aftercare, surgeon, and more play significant roles in determining the lifespan of your results.

Over the years we’ve seen thousands of cases. Aside from being expert cosmetic surgeons, we’ve also become experts at estimating how long results will last—and at offering advice on getting results to last.

From facial injections that fade after months, to nose jobs that’ll remain forever, let’s discover which plastic surgery procedures are permanent and which ones will require another trip under the knife.

Breast Augmentation

Average Lifespan: 10–25 years; Sometimes no update needed

Reasons for Redo: Rippling; Ruptured implant; Hardening

The breast augmentation is the most popular invasive cosmetic procedure in the U.S. with 300,378 surgeries completed in 2017. Though everything about the procedure is continually improving, most people will still need to update their implant at some point.

Though a small number of patients require a revision breast augmentation within the first two years of the initial surgery (usually from improper sizing or rare side effects), most breast implants last for an average of 10-20 years—though they can last even longer. The need for a replacement is usually due to the implant gradually wearing down after years of the body’s natural movements.

Signs that it’s time for a breast implant revision surgery include:

• Visible rippling of the skin (most common with saline implants)
• Implant Hardening
• Implant Rupture or Deflation
• Capsule Contracture (excess scar tissue build-up)

If you notice any sudden or significant changes to your breasts, it’s time for a visit to your plastic surgeon.

Breast Lift (Mastopexy)

Average Lifespan: 5 years to life

Reasons for Redo: Sagging

Unlike breast augmentations, a breast lift requires no artificial materials or implants. If you’re happy with your results and never desire a future upgrade or revamp, consider this procedure good for life.

However, gravity does our body few favors—at least aesthetically speaking. As time goes on, it’s possible that your skin will once again begin stretch and sag requiring additional procedures to maintain that youthful perkiness.

To preserve the results of a breast lift, avoid sun damage, minimize weight fluctuations, and always wear a supportive bra. Women with smaller breasts are also less likely to sag. If staying perky is important, reconsider going too big if you’re pairing a breast lift with a breast augmentation.

Breast Reduction

Average Lifespan: Usually permanent

Reasons for Redo: Breast tissue regrowth; sagging

Breast reduction results are typically permanent, as long as the patient doesn’t experience weight fluctuations, and it was completed after puberty. If the patient does gain weight post-procedure, or their breasts have yet to finish growing, an increase in breast size is possible.

Though surgeons will try to resolve any sagging during surgery, some may still exist after recovery. In this case, a follow-up breast lift might be recommended.

Tummy Tuck

Average Lifespan: Permanent, without weight fluctuations

Reasons for Redo: Weight gain; stretched skin; post-pregnancy

Since no implants are used in the tummy tuck, results will be permanent barring excessive changes in weight. Also permanent is a significant scar that’ll run just below your bikini line. However, it can be easily hidden by a bathing suit.

Even though results can potentially last a lifetime, it’s no guarantee. If you become pregnant or gain significant weight for any reason, results can completely disappear. Though not necessary, if this occurs, many people choose to get another tummy tuck.

Liposuction

Average Lifespan: 6 months to permanent

Reasons for Redo: skin looseness, potential Fat regrowth if weight gain

Liposuction will last as long as you refrain from regrowing the eliminated fat. This is why patients should already be at their ideal weight before undergoing the procedure. If you maintain this weight, fat won’t return. Otherwise, all weight loss due to liposuction could be fully regained in less than a year.

It’s true that a liposuction procedure will permanently banish many of those stubborn fat cells, creating a smoother, more contoured body shape. However, excessive fat needs to go somewhere. Instead of distributing to more cells, existing cells just grow bigger.

This makes liposuction a less than ideal for long-term weight loss fix. Instead, it’s perfect for when you’re at the weight you love but want to redistribute where and how that fat is seen.

Rhinoplasty (Nose Job)

Average Lifespan: Permanent; if done correctly

Reasons for Redo: Not ideal results; Touch-ups

Nose jobs are considered permanent procedures. As long as the rhinoplasty was successful, the bone structure of your new nose isn’t going anywhere, though natural changes due to age will inevitably occur.

Initial results from a rhinoplasty should be visible within a few weeks, but final results can take up to a year. If you’re still not pleased with your nose’s appearance or function, consider a touch-up or revision surgery.

Botox

Average Lifespan: 3–4 months

Reasons for Redo: Results dissipate

Typically used on the forehead, frown lines, and for crow’s feet, a Botox injection works thanks to a toxin called bacterium Clostridium botulinum. The toxin stops nerve signals from telling muscles to contract. This causes wrinkles to release which minimizes their appearance.

Every person rids toxins at a different pace, but it generally takes about 3—6 months for the body to clear out Botox. To maintain the effects, you’ll need a new injection. Limiting sun exposure, not overdoing treatments, and avoiding aggressive facial cleansers for the first week after treatment may help results last longer.

Facial Fillers (Lips, Cheeks, Etc.)

Average Lifespan: Six months to two years

Reasons for Redo: Results dissipate

With over 2.6 million procedures done in 2017, the popularity of soft tissue fillers, or facial fillers, has grown a whopping 312% since 2000, exceeded only by Botox at 819%. Developed to soften lines and plump up features, fillers are an effective way to amplify youthfulness temporarily.

There are many popular fillers on the market with some of the most common including:

• Juvederm
• Voluma
• Radiesse
• Sculptra
• Belotero

Like Botox, each injected material is eventually metabolized by the body and results will disappear. This timeframe varies depending on the specific filler.

As a patient, the best way to achieve incredible, long lasting results is to choose a board-certified cosmetic surgeon that specializes in your desired procedure. Also, diligently follow all post- and pre-op instructions from your doctors, go to every follow-up appointment, and don’t hesitate to contact your surgeon with questions or concerns.

Ready to look and feel better than ever? Looking for a board-certified plastic surgeon backed by years of experience? Trust Dallas’ Dr. Adams. Dedicated to providing every patient with incredible results and top-notch care, contact the office of Dr. Adams at 214-965-9885 or schedule a consultation online anytime.

More and more plastic surgeons are reporting that they’re seeing patients who come into their offices with unrealistic expectations. This is due in large part to social media and the instant ability it gives people to easily edit and manipulate their photos.

For example, the social media giant Snap Chat has sophisticated tools that enable people to apply filters to a picture of their face. They can give themselves plump lips, remove blemishes, and even change the way their eyes look.

These social media companies make the filters available for entertainment purposes, but many people are starting to use them as a model of what they want to look like.

They will come into the office of a plastic surgeon and instead of showing them what they want to be fixed in the mirror, they will show off several highly edited photos on their social media accounts.

The problem with people using their highly edited social media pictures is that the result they’re looking for is not possible in many cases. The social media companies made these filters for entertainment purposes only.

It’s impossible for people to have big cartoonish eyes or large puffy lips that go above and beyond what injectables can deliver.

We’re going to look at the trend of people wanting to get plastic surgery and non-surgical treatments to help them look more like the filters they see on their photos on social media.

What is Body Dysmorphic Disorder?

An article was published in the JAMA Plastic Surgery online website that claims more and more people are suffering from a condition known as body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). They say it’s fueled in significant part by the social media companies enabling filtering of photos that can create unrealistic pictures of people.

BDD is a mental condition in which a person is obsessed and focused on an imagined physical defect that other people cannot see. The filters on these social media sites allow people to take their pictures and edit them beyond what’s possible with plastic surgery and cosmetic injectables. BDD can lead to self-harming and other potentially dangerous situations for those who suffer from it.

What’s Behind the Rise of BDD?

We wrote an article about social media and the perception of plastic surgery a few months ago. In it, we explored how the social media sites are causing some people mental anguish and issues because they don’t look like their favorite celebrity.

The main reason for the increase in BDD cases is due to social media and people who have severe body image issues. When they are given filters and the instantaneous ability to change the look of their face or bodies, it can cause them to obsess and worry over their current looks.

They don’t quite understand that plastic surgery and injectables can only help out so much. It’s physically impossible to have plastic surgery to make your eyes or other body parts look like a cartoon character.

Unrealistic Expectations

Some surgeons from Johns Hopkins are reporting at least one person per week is coming up to them and asking to give them unrealistic results, such as:

• Flawless skin
• Refined nose
• Narrowed jawlines
• Oversized lips and eyes

These people are usually between the ages of 17 and 22 and are unable to distinguish fantasy from reality. The same study found that around 13% of prospective cosmetic surgery patients suffer from BDD.

A New Trend or Business as Usual?

While this may seem like an alarming new trend, it’s not new to most plastic surgeons. Before the advent of the internet and social media, people used to bring in heavily airbrushed photos of celebrities they see in the glamor magazines at the supermarket checkout stand.

The challenge then, as it is now, is that if you don’t share some physical similarities between you and the celebrity, it’s going to be impossible for a plastic surgeon to give you an exact look you want.

Social Media is Here to Stay

Social media is going to be around for a long time. The filters and abilities to edit photos can come in handy, provided that people have realistic expectations about what plastic surgery can and can’t fix. However, they shouldn’t be used as an indication of what’s physically possible with invasive or non-invasive surgical procedures. Only a qualified plastic surgeon can make that call.

As time goes by, it stands to reason that the filters on Snap Chat and other social media giants will get better and better and people will continue to stream into the offices of plastic surgeons with unrealistic expectations.

Plastic Surgeon in Dallas

If you are interested in learning more about what plastic surgery and injectables can and can’t do, or if you would like a consultation to see if the look you’re after is possible, give us a call at (214) 965-9885 or contact us via our website.

If you wanted to see a doctor just ten short years ago, it was a real hassle. First, you’d have to make an appointment and hope they could see you in two to three weeks. Then on the day of your appointment, you’d have to fight traffic to get to the office where you would wait in a packed waiting room filled with coughing and sneezing people.

A doctor’s visit in those days was (and in many cases still is) a half-day affair.

Thanks to modern technology, doctor appointments are now being handled online. All you need is a high-speed internet connection, your laptop, and a webcam. The doctor will meet you online at a specified date and time where he will give you your consultation.

While virtual doctor consultations may sound like something straight out of Star Trek, they have their drawbacks. We’re going to look at the pros and cons of virtual consultations and give you enough information to make an informed decision.

What Benefits Are There to Virtual Consultations?

The main benefit of these online consultations is convenience. This especially goes for plastic surgeons whose services are sought out by people all over the country. Dr. Adams has built a reputation over the years as being THE go-to surgeon for many plastic surgery procedures. Many patients don’t want to take a chance on other surgeons because the success of their procedure is very important to them.

Convenience

When it comes to plastic surgery, not all board-certified surgeons are the same. Many plastic surgery procedures, such as rhinoplasty, are all about aesthetics and require not only a trained hand, but an eye for beauty and asymmetry.

Best chances of success and patient happiness come from doctors who have an artistic hand and eye for beauty. Many people from different states will travel long distances to get their procedure performed by Dr. Adams.

The issue with traveling is that it can cost upwards of several hundred to a few thousand dollars once you factor in airfare, hotel, food, car rental, and misc. expenses. This is where a virtual consultation is beneficial. The patient can log online and speak directly to Dr. Adams in real time where he will listen to your concerns and give his recommendations.

Post-operative Care

Many procedures performed by Dr. Adams will require follow-up doctor visits a few weeks to a few months after they have been completed. Some people may find that taking time out of their busy day to drive in traffic to his office may be inconvenient.

The same goes for patients who flew into Dallas to get work done. Dr. Adams can consult virtually, thereby eliminating the need for you to come into his office. This will save you both time and money.

Second Opinion

If you would like a second opinion on work you have gotten done or would like to do, a virtual consultation with Dr. Adams would also be very beneficial. It will give you peace of mind knowing that a 2nd surgeon agrees or disagrees with the initial consultation that you received from your first doctor.

Downsides to Virtual Consultation

Despite the many conveniences that virtual surgeon consultations offer, there are a few downsides:

Technology

Your virtual consultation is only as good as the quality of your webcam, internet connection, and computer. If you have an older computer with a low-res webcam and have a slow internet connection, the surgeon is going to have a hard time seeing you and your body. This could lead to inaccurate assessments if the image quality is blurry or pixelated.

2D instead of 3D

When a surgeon sees you in real life, he’s looking at you in three dimensions. When he sees you on a computer screen, you and your body appear in two dimensions. The assessment he gives you online is only as good as the image that appears on his computer screen. When he sees you in person, he may update the assessment based on new information that the video consultation did not show.

Depersonalized Experience

While Dr. Adams makes every effort to give his virtual consultation patients an honest and personalized experience, the act of chatting via online video can be a bit “clinical” and depersonalized. Sitting down with Dr. Adams for a consultation in his office is much more personalized than talking to him via webcam.

It’s always best for a surgeon or doctor to see their patients in real life. Until such a time when “virtual reality” becomes a household norm, patients and prospective patients will always get more value from an in-person consultation. However, online consultations do have their benefits in certain situations as described above.

Dr. Adams Virtual Consultation

If you’d like to learn more about a virtual consultation with Dr. Adams or would like to schedule one, give us a call at (214) 965-9885. Dr. Adams is a world-renowned plastic surgeon and the host of the popular plastic surgery channel “No Spin Live,” where he and his colleagues discuss various plastic surgery trends and hot topic issues.