Best Graduation Present—Breast Implant or Nose Job?

by Mark J. Hing
03/14/08

Graduation gifts used to be laptops or a used car. When I graduated from high school I got a new suitcase and a kick in the pants. Today’s teenagers are thinking a little bigger. The biggest trend in high school graduation presents is plastic surgery—namely breast augmentation and rhinoplasty.

In a study from 2003, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery found that the number of girls 18 or younger receiving breast implants had tripled from 3,872 to 11,326. As the years go by, with parents continually reaching into their wallets, this is a number that keeps growing and growing. What started as a few isolated breast implants has become almost a rite of passage with teenage girls: Sweet Sixteen then graduation then boob job.

What has brought on the increase? Many analysts feel that plastic surgery reality shows have made teenagers feel more comfortable with undergoing serious surgery. Experts also suggest a family connection. Studies suggest that children are more likely to consider plastic surgery if another family member has already had it done (SignatureForum ran an article recently on Mother/Daughter Plastic Surgery). When performed after high school graduation, plastic surgery acts as a clean slate for college life. Many young girls don’t want to start college with the same fear of ridicule they faced in high school. The theory is that the new people they meet in college simply won’t know that they were formerly flat chested or had a bump in their nose.

However, the question remains if a teenage girl of 17 or 18 understands the ramifications of cosmetic plastic surgery. Many plastic surgeons would suggest they do not. Dr. Gary Brody, a professor of plastic surgery at USC, feels that “Breasts are a fashion item [to teenagers]. In the 1920’s—the flapper era—women were binding their breasts to make them look smaller to suit the fashions.”

It seems your graduating senior may be unaware of how serious plastic surgery just may be. Cosmetic surgery isn’t like getting a haircut or a new shirt; there are consequences that need to be considered. If over 12,000 girls under 18 every year are getting breast enhancements, there’s a smaller but significant percentage that’s getting breast implants removed three years later.

Other popular graduation procedures besides breast implants and nose jobs include ear pinning and less invasive treatments such as Microdermabrasion, IPL Photofacial, or BOTOX® Cosmetic.

For a different view on teenage breast implants, check out Mia Hepburn’s Aesthetic Services Blog.

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