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Teen Plastic Surgery is on the Rise

By Erika vonTiehl
July 8, 2010 Updated Jul 8, 2010 at 4:03 PM EDT

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, cosmetic surgery among teenagers is rising dramatically. In 1996, just under 60-thousand procedures were performed on teens. In 2006, that number skyrocketed to more than 240-thousand procedures. The most popular procedure might surprise you: Breast implants. It seems that the number of girls under 19 getting breast implants is steadily climbing, up 12 percent in a single year. Some girls are even getting breast implants as graduation gifts.

Doctors caution that any surgery can be dangerous and shouldn't be taken lightly. Recovery may be difficult and there can be medical complications. What's more, doctors say implants don't last forever and may need to be replaced more than once. For these reasons, experts say teenagers should wait before going under the knife. Teens make up 2 percent of cosmetic surgery patients in the united states.

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