Edit Should Teenagers Be Having Cosmetic Procedures

<p>This lack of maturity is a key driver in discouraging young people from undergoing cosmetic surgery so early on. Teenagers are susceptible to all kinds of trends, as seen in the aptly named #KylieJennerChallenge whereby children sucked on shot glasses to create a bruised and swollen pout, something which resulted in hundreds of hospital admissions.</p> <p>Whereas bad makeup choices can be rubbed off with a face wipe, an extreme enhancement is more difficult to correct and in some instances cannot always be reversed. Whilst getting lip fillers carries minimal complications, it is a decision that should be carefully considered and actioned post-adolescence.</p> <p><strong>The Experts: health and ethics</strong></p> <p>There has been a big divide in opinion across the Atlantic amongst medical professionals on the question of Jenner’s age and health implications. In both the UK and US teens as young as 16 can undergo cosmetic surgery with parental consent, though many clinics impose their own older age limits.</p> <p>In an interview with Hollywood Life, Dr. Bruce Katz of the highly acclaimed Juva Skin Centre in New York states that the composition of hyaluronic acid, the most common dermal filler, means the results are only ever short-term: <em>“We can always use an enzyme to reverse it immediately”.</em></p> <p>Conversely, practitioners in the UK have strongly criticised the procedure on both medical and ethical grounds. Most credible surgeons maintain that at 17 the body is still developing and receiving regular lip injections at such a young age can risk lasting damage to the lip line. Dr Dennis Wolf at The Private Clinic concurs:<em> “At this age {17} the face is likely to still be changing - I have a policy that I don’t treat anyone under the age of 21.”</em></p> <p>There have been several calls to increase the legal age for cosmetic enhancements to 21, an idea that has generated support from leading surgeons and celebrity ex-patients alike. Earlier this year, Katie Price vowed that if she were elected as Prime Minister, her first task would be addressing the required age for cosmetic surgery. Price is renowned for undergoing several cosmetic procedures which forms the basis of her argument: <em>“That may be surprising to many people, but it is something I passionately believe in. Cosmetic Surgery carries risks and they are risks you are better equipped to understand at 21.”</em></p>

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