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She's got the looks (Credit: lebastias)

Cosmetic surgery is about getting the look and body you want. An article called ‘It’s a great body swindle’, illustrates how more and more young people are opting to go under the knife to get bigger breasts, a delicate nose and the works.

A young woman recently showed up at Dr Howard Webster's plastic surgery practice seeking breast implants. In the surgeon's opinion, the woman's natural breasts were perfect. But to the woman's eyes, accustomed to the sight of surgically enhanced chests, they weren't.

Health professionals, social commentators and even politicians are becoming concerned about the growing number of young people using cosmetic surgery to rectify their poor body image. Cosmetic surgery has become almost mainstream in the 21st century, but, for most, the notion of vulnerable teenagers going under the knife remains troubling.

Once the preserve of the middle-aged trying to achieve eternal youth, cosmetic surgery is now coveted by teenagers keen to emulate the celebrities they look up to.

While there are no nationally collected statistics on cosmetic surgery patients and procedures, surgeons report the number of under-18s seeking surgery has risen steadily in the past five years. A recent Dolly magazine survey of 4000 girls aged 11-18 found 27 per cent would have cosmetic surgery if they could, and 2 per cent had. Surgeons say the trend is most prevalent in Sydney and south-east Queensland.

The Queensland Government this week signalled it could become the first Australian state to regulate or even ban breast implants, nose jobs, tummy tucks, liposuction, botox and even solariums for under-18s. Its discussion paper suggests enforcing a "cooling off" period between consultation and surgery, requiring parental consent, and compulsory medical and psychological evaluation of prospective patients. Alternatively, there could be a ban on purely cosmetic procedures for minors.

No one is suggesting banning plastic surgery to fix abnormalities or deformities, such as asymmetric breasts or prominent noses. Indeed, the most common procedure for minors is pinning back ears.

But health professionals are horrified by girls in particular seeking out purely cosmetic procedures such as liposuction and breast implants when their bodies are still growing. Women do not achieve their final breast size until they are at least 20, while nose jobs are not recommended before the age of 17 at the earliest.

Often teenagers seize on cosmetic surgery to assuage self-esteem issues, when counseling would be more appropriate.
Experts say that though several young people are going under the knife to tweak features or enhance body parts, it’s not necessary that these people are going to like what they get.

Many blame the media for normalizing cosmetic surgery for girls. They point to the fervour for digitally retouching photographs - shaving centimeters off hips, boosting cleavage and smoothing out lines - that presents a warped ideal of beauty.

The penchant of young Hollywood stars such as Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears for silicon breasts and botox-pumped lips sends a message to teenagers that cosmetic surgery at their age is acceptable.

Procedures have become less invasive, so you can nip in for a botox injection at lunchtime, just as you would for a manicure.

But parents can also be to blame for teenagers turning up at cosmetic surgery practices. Parental or guardian consent is required by law for any surgery performed on patients 16 or younger, and most teenagers rely on their parents to fork out the thousands of dollars required. Some parents grudgingly acquiesce to their child's desire for surgery simply to keep them happy, but others have more complex reasons.