Teen Breast Augmentation Surgery on the Rise

March 27 , 2008 -

According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the amount of women 18 years old and younger who have undergone breast augmentation surgery has risen dramatically in the past decade.

The number of teens going under the knife to enlarge their breasts has reportedly risen 500 percent in the past 10 years.

Bigger Breasts for the Future

Board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Stephen Greenberg estimates that he has seen at least a 20 percent increase in the amount of young patients he encounters.

Dr. Greenberg says that the majority of young patients he sees come to his office with their parent and are getting surgery as a graduation or birthday gift.

What Attributes to This Trend?

“There are girls and women who are devastated by the fact that they don’t have breasts and their friends do,” explains Greenberg. “They don’t play gymnastics and they don’t go on dates or they can’t wear certain clothing, and I hear these things every day.”

He attributes the fact that more young girls are getting breast surgery to the fact that they see their parents and celebrities undergoing operations and want to be a part of that.

A Healthy Decision?

Dr. Alan Gold says that breast augmentation has become the most popular form of plastic surgery but feels that the trend towards younger patients is unhealthy.

“To say that you need to have a very expensive surgical procedure with real health risks in order to be considered beautiful, I think, is a problematic image,” explains Gold.

(Source: Newsday)