7/12/06
According to an article posted on news.scotsman.com, the British National Health Service at Lothian paid for the aesthetic surgery of a dozen teenagers in 2005—double the number in 2004.
Plastic surgeons at St John’s Hospital in Livingston say they carried out the procedures, which included five breast operations and seven nose reductions. In 2004, they performed six aesthetic operations.
“We saw a few girls aged 14 and 15 who had big bumps on their noses and had reductions because they were having difficulty studying for exams due to bullying,” says John McGregor, MD, a consultant plastic surgeon at St John’s Hospital. “I am a little bit surprised that these type of cases are having operations
while so young when they are likely to still be developing.”
Physicians claim that aesthetic surgeries are only carried out on children suffering from severe psychological problems due to their appearance. However, senior surgeons reported that some of the youngsters were referred for surgery after suffering taunts from bullies.
McGregor urges caution to parents about allowing their children to go under the knife until their children are older.
[news.scotsman.com, July 10, 2006]
