In today's world if you don't like your ears, you can have them pinned back.  Want to change the look and shape of your nose, no problem.  If you don't like the size of your breasts you can enlarge or decrease them at will.  And if you have just a little too much bulge around your mid-section, then you can just have the fat sucked out.  And these services are available for both young and old as long as you've got the money to pay for it.

But the idea of teenagers undergoing cosmetic surgery has been cause for debate over the years, and the issue was thrust into the spotlight during the finals of the Miss Teen USA pageant held at the Atlantis resort when contestant Danielle Doty, representing the state of Texas was asked whether it was appropriate for teenagers to get plastic surgery?

The response of Doty, who went on to capture the coveted title, was: "I definitely think it depends on the situation.  You don't know what your body is going to look like in 10 or 15 years.  So right off the bat I do not think you should.  Now if it's a personal choice... your mom agrees, your dad agrees and you come to the conclusion that you want it, then I think sure.  I just think it depends on the situation."

While the idea of cosmetic surgery may not be as popular with Bahamian teens, there are a few who from time-to-time have thought about having "work" done.  Twenty-two-year-old Constentina Hamilton was one of those Bahamian teens, who for a moment entertained the thought of having cosmetic surgery done.  Having struggled with the lack of breast growth during her high school years, she longed to develop breasts the way her high school friends had.  She remembers how torturous it was for her to watch her friends develop while puberty seemed to miss her.  She often found herself looking in the mirror wondering what it would be like to have larger breasts even if they had to be acquired artificially.

"My thoughts about plastic surgery began when I was in 10th grade or so -- around the time everyone's body was going through puberty while mine wasn't.  I was always self conscious of my breasts being too small and always wished I could get plastic surgery to correct it.  I hoped for years that [they] would just grow, but in the back of my mind I toyed with the idea that if I couldn't get it naturally I would definitely just buy it later.  It was difficult having other classmates who were well-developed and getting attention while I was not.  It really takes a toll on your self-esteem and I think that is why many girls fight to get surgery although they are young."

Hamilton, who has also lost weight over the years, also admits to at one point wanting to have liposuction done as she feared the "baby fat" she had lost would return even though she now leads a very active lifestyle.

"I always thought I would be open to do a surgery if I got to the stage where I didn't feel pretty.  This was something I had strong thoughts about for a while."  The college junior, who is wearing the same bra size now as she did in high school (she did not want to reveal her size) did not have breast augmentation, nor she have liposuction work done, and she's happy she didn't.

"I am glad I held off and never had the opportunity to do it then, because although breast implants and liposuction would have made me happy at the time, I don't think it would've totally solved the main issue with my self-confidence.  Today I would be happy to have fixed one thing and tomorrow I would see another imperfection and be unhappy again," she says.

It's for this reason that most plastic surgeons do not work on teenagers, who tend to change their minds from one minute to the next.  Dr. Srikanith Garikaparthi, a consultant plastic, aesthetic and microvascular surgeon at Bahamas Surgical Associate Center located on Albury Lane off Shirley Street, says plastic surgery among teens has not skyrocketed in local markets although he has older persons come in to his practice regularly for different procedures.

 He says while plastic surgery is good when it comes to reconstructive surgeries that assist people in returning to a normal life, cosmetic surgery, which is becoming more popular due to media hype, is more for the sake of satisfying vanities and should be approached with caution and education.

"Cosmetic surgery can be a good thing if you have good reasons but when it comes to teenagers [persons under the age of 18] I don't think it is a good idea. When I say this categorically, this is not a 'no' across the board.  In general I do not believe that teens should be having cosmetic surgery because it can cause problems that they do not need to be facing, especially if it is being done for vanity.  In a world where one's looks are put in such high focus, many teens may be influenced to want to change their appearance to mimic someone else's and this is not a good reason to get a surgery."

The plastic doctor says people tend to forget that plastic surgery is dangerous and is not just another out-patient procedure.  He says just like any form of surgery, cosmetic surgery has its risks and can result in complications that range from having poor surgical results, to developing an infection and even death.

"One of my main reasons for teenagers not to undergo plastic surgeries is that they are young, and their bodies are still growing, so you don't know how it will change or what major surgery will do to them as they continue to develop.  For instance, we do cleft palate surgery for persons born with a deformed cleft palate, but that takes several surgeries over a long period for the reconstruction to be completed, which means it isn't finished until the child is an adult and they have stopped growing and developing.  Plastic surgery, while intended to assist in boosting mobility, self-confidence and proper psychological development in some cases, is not meant to interfere with the natural physical development of a person.  So we really do not want to do surgeries like these on the young. "

Dr. Garikaparthi says he recently had to turn away a young lady seeking a breast reduction because she still had a lot of growing to do, and had not had children as yet, even though he says the size of her breasts made her uncomfortable.

He says whether you are a teenager or not, having breast reductions before having children -- if you are planning to have them -- is not a good idea as your breasts will change again due to pregnancy and  In some cases if you do have breast augmentation before having children, he says the mother will not be able to breastfeed due to the surgery.

Another downside to cosmetic surgery that he says most people fail to realize is that it is a lifetime commitment.  He says one surgery will not do the trick.  Breast implants have a shelf life of 10 to 15 years and will deflate in time.  He says you will have to get another surgery to fix the problem or even replace them.  Persons with implants also have to return for regular visits to their surgeon if complications occur later on.

Dr. Garikaparthi also advises against traveling abroad to have cosmetic surgeries done even though it may be cheaper.  He says you often do not know who your doctor is and should a problem arise, you will have to pay a lot of money to return to see your original physician.
"Another thing about plastic surgery is that you have to be sure you want it done.  

There is no going back once something is done most of the time," says Dr. Garikaparthi.  "This is why we ensure patients want it done by interviewing them several times so they understand the gravity of getting plastic surgery.  When it comes to teens we especially want them and their parents to understand all the risks involved because this isn't something simple that you can change your mind about later."

The plastic surgeons does have some exceptions he says he would give consideration to when it comes to performing plastic surgery on teenagers, and that is for teenagers with keloid scars.
"This is a type of scar that can cause pain, itching and even hinder mobility of the skin around it.  This is not only a bother to the person physically, but it is unsightly and can be embarrassing.

  Keloids can cause problems for the person should they hinder mobility in the skin of the area they are located.  They also are unsightly, and if they are numerous, can disrupt healthy psychological growth in teens as they transition through a difficult time in their lives where the media is telling them beauty can only be one thing.  Also there is a condition called Poland syndrome that some young ladies go through during puberty where one breast develops normally and the other does not.  This can cause self-consciousness in the teenager and it can be corrected through surgery.  So I would do surgeries on teens in those conditions.

 In these cases cosmetic surgery has a great benefit in helping to restore self-confidence, provide more mobility and get them feeling normal.  Even so I would want teenagers and their parents to know fully what they are getting into."

Dr. Garikaparthi says cosmetic surgery has its upside and downside and whether you are a teen or not you need to be aware of everything, so he encourages all people thinking about having cosmetic work done to think it over as many times as they need and to be certain they want it done.  He says plastic surgery can be a good thing if it's done for the right reasons.

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