What do I do about my body? 

Remember in elementary school when everyone was similar in height, and all the boys looked similar, and all the girls looked similar? Now you're noticing that people your age are starting to change. Girls, you might notice more hair on your legs or under your arms or maybe you can see that you're starting to become taller than the boys. Boys, do you hear your voice cracking? Does it get higher and then lower? These are just a few signs of the early stages of puberty. Your bodies are starting to change because you're getting older. It's possible that you aren't going to end up happy with the way your body changes over the next few years. You might feel uncomfortable or awkward with your "new" body. Disliking certain features of yourself is not uncommon, many people don't like the way they look. Some people even decide to change that specific part of their body with a thing called plastic surgery.

Figure 1: Surgery sketch

What is it?
Plastic surgery is any medical procedure where someone wants to improve or enhance their physical appearance (1). Now, even though it's called plastic surgery, it doesn't actually have anything to do with plastic. You can get plastic surgery done on any part of your body you want! If you look at the picture to the left, you can see they used marker to sketch out and label where they were going to perform surgery. The markings show that this is women is possibly getting a face lift, cheek fillers (to get rid of wrinkles), and plumping of the lips (to make them bigger). The most common surgeries today involve reshaping of the nose, liposuction which means they suck the extra fat out of places you don't want, eyelid surgery and, a face lift where they lift up your skin and pull it to get rid of the wrinkles (2). Could you imagine someone taking a knife and cutting close to your eyeballs or face? I know this may all sound crazy and weird but there are people who get these surgeries everyday. Some people even get multiple surgeries done!

But Why?

You could still be asking yourself why are these people getting this done? Well, has a kid ever picked on you for something that had to do with your body? Did that mean kid in your class say you were fat? Or did the girl sitting next to you say your nose was too big? Did someone ever constantly make fun of you for something you can't control? If that has happened to you, doesn't it make you feel bad about yourself? It might make you feel nervous that everyone notices that about you. You probably are scared that everyday someone will make a comment about it. For some people, the fear is just too much. That's why they choose to get plastic surgery, they want to fix the problem and erase it.

Figure 2: Nose job

Does it really work?
If you look closely, you can tell a difference between the two noses in image 2. On the left is a nose before surgery, you can see there's a slight bump on the bridge. To the right, is the nose after surgery, there's no more bump. It can be that simple. One surgery and your dreams come true, you now have the nose you've always wanted! This women is probably really happy now. It's important to understand however, this isn't always such an easy fix. You would think that someone as smart as a doctor would never mess up something like a surgery on a patient. Unfournately, this isn't true. Sometimes people end up looking worse even after their surgery. Other times, you can end up with gross side effects like infections, or even skin loss! Those are just two of many complications (3). Not everything goes as planned. There are many things you need to consider if you ever want to get plastic surgery.

Can I get it right now?
At such a young age, you shouldn't be thinking about making a big decision like this. Your body needs to be fully developed before getting plastic surgery, otherwise complications can come up in the future. Your body is still changing, it can change all the way until you're about 21 years old (2). You put yourself at more risk before getting plastic surgery before that age. It's good to be aware of this topic, it's nice to know that you have options if you ever want to change yourself. You don't HAVE to do this. Plastic surgery is something to consider if you only feel like you have no other choice. You should never feel like you have to change something about yourself. Remember, no one is perfect.

References

(2) American Board of Cosmetic Surgery. (2017). Cosmetic Surgery vs. Plastic Surgery. Retrieved from: http://www.americanboardcosmeticsurgery.org/patient-resources/cosmetic-surgery-vs-plastic-surgery/

(1) Lee, M. & Sprague, N. (2016). Cosmetic surgery: An overview. Points of View: Cosmetic Surgery.
(3) Vaughan-Turnbull, C., & Lewis, V. (2015). Body image, objectification, and attitudes toward cosmetic surgery. Journal of Applied Biobehavioral Research, 20, 179-196.