The Great Debate: Plastic Surgery For Your Child

Would you gift plastic surgery to your teenager? Chan Kok Weng, Joyz Chan and Georgia Lee share their opinions on this globally controversial topic.

Above Chan Kok Weng

Yes

Why not? It’s like giving braces or earrings—a reward for being good or doing well in their studies, so why stop at just braces and earrings? Minimally invasive aesthetic procedures such as contouring using botulinum toxin injections can help to reduce square jaws, while fillers can help with nose or chin augmentation. If such procedures can boost a teenager’s self-confidence and self-esteem, I say go for it.

For more invasive procedures, I am open to nose jobs to correct crooked or hooked noses, which can potentially cause insecurities among teenagers. However, I will draw the line at boob jobs as they are purely for beautification purposes. Liposuction to fight obesity? I think that would be excessive, and would prefer these young people to address such concerns with exercise and a good diet.

My advice to parents of children undergoing aesthetic fixes is help them find a reliable practitioner, be there to support them and prevent them from going overboard.

Above Joyz Chan

No

I’m not for the notion. Teenagers may think they know what they want, but the brain’s decision-making functions don’t fully mature until we hit our mid-twenties or even thirties, according to reports. Teens tend to desire aesthetic treatments because of self-esteem and self-image issues. Conversely, older individuals tend to go for such treatments for enhancement purposes, when it becomes impossible to fight the ravages of time.

A longitudinal study found a significant growth in self-satisfaction and positive body image as people progress through their teenage years, and this was followed by a general stabilisation of body image satisfaction in adulthood. Suffice it to say, many teens feeling dissatisfied with their appearances now will likely feel more satisfied in years to come. Besides, teens may also not have achieved their growth milestones and are not optimally suitable for such surgical procedures.”

Above Georgia Lee

No

I think it is better to avoid gifting aesthetic procedures that is form changing to teenagers or graduating children as their facial features will continue to evolve as they grow and shed their baby fat. For instance, in rhinoplasty, placing an implant too early over the nose with still developing bone structure may affect the later outcome on the stability or position of the implant.

On the other hand, it is common for teenagers to seek assistance to help control their acne or the marks or scars that comes with the condition and I fully endorse this form of aesthetic treatment as acne management should be targeted early as the scars can stay forever and may not be eradicated totally with the current technology.

Topics

The Great Debate georgia-lee Chan Kok Weng Joyz Chan

Tatler Asia

The Great Debate: Plastic Surgery For Your Child

Yes

No

No