Houston Plastic Surgery Blog

Despite the name, plastic surgery does not involve replacing body parts with pieces of plastic. The word plastic comes form a Greek word, plastikos that means modeling or forming. There are two classifications of plastic surgery, cosmetic and reconstructive. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, more teens are electing plastic surgery to correct a variety of problems, both for cosmetic and reconstructive reasons.

According the ASPS, the reasons cited by teens for wanting plastic surgery differ than the reasons given by adults. They want to correct a feature in order to look the same as their peers, rhinoplasty (nose reshaping), otoplasty (ear pinning), and breast reduction are some of the most common procedures performed on teenagers. Adults, on the other hand, elect to have cosmetic procedures in order to stand out from their peers who are often looked upon as competition.

Regardless of the reasons for wanting plastic surgery, it is important for teenagers to understand that the surgery cannot correct deep seeded emotional problems. Many of the procedures performed are real surgeries and involve a certain amount of risk. The surgeon should spend a lot of time determining the motives a teenager has for wanting a procedure and will involve the parents closely in the discussion; after all, they are probably the ones paying for the procedure.

If you or your teenager wants to find out more about cosmetic and reconstructive surgery options in the Houston area, please contact Dr. Lapuerta today to schedule an initial consultation.