When I was in high school, I'm pretty certain I would have had just about every single part of my body "altered," had I been given the
option by my folks. Thankfully, I wasn't. The way I see it now, as an adult, is that teenagers lack the ability to fully understand the potential risks of elective surgery, especially in the instances where the cosmetic procedure is being performed by a GP as opposed to an experienced plastic surgeon. That's not to say that I'm against going under the knife for a little nip-tuck. I'm not. Hell, now that in my thirties, my plastic surgery wish-list reads longer than the charges filed against Jack Abramoff, the corrupt ex-lobbyist who worked for the Bush administration. But until there's a fail-proof way of determining the end of a young person's physical development, I believe certain government issued restrictions need to be set in stone to prevent insecure teenagers and/or their equally insecure parents, from going through (or signing off on) a procedure that has the potential to inflict serious emotional and physical scarring long term.

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, "over 333,000 people 18 years and younger had plastic surgery in 2005, up from about 306,000 in 2000." As reported by the Harold Sun, in Australia, the concern over the growing trend has prompted the Health Minister to propose new legislation which would not only require that teenagers have a referral from a general practitioner (family physician), but also mandate counseling and a one-month cooling-off period before a procedure. If I had it my way, the medical community in the U.S. would follow Australia's lead.