For many, the idea of ​​a teenager undergoing plastic surgery is dreadful and unbelievable. For others, like eleven-year-old Julia, a nose job may have helped her lead a happier, more normal life. For eighteen-year-old Kristen, a breast augmentation is a traditional family rite of passage. She says she "just wanted to look normal" and after surgery, that's what she's doing. (Sweeny, 2009) In these types of cases, cosmetic surgery can benefit adolescent girls' confidence in what Ann Kearney-Cooke calls "an epidemic of low self-esteem among girls." (Sweeney, 2009) Whether it's a physical deformity, like protruding ears, or simply a lack of something other peers have, like large breasts, cosmetic surgery can help teens to face their self-esteem in a world where beauty is ridiculous. selective. However, aside from the self-confidence-boosting possibilities resulting from cosmetic surgery in adolescents, there are many reasons why it should not be taken lightly for a teenager. Although cosmetic surgery can potentially be beneficial, it also carries many extreme risks for adolescents, including medical complications and, in rare cases, death, and should therefore only be a last resort after careful analysis for serious cases. Additionally, neither adolescent brains nor bodies are fully developed. The goal of cosmetic surgery in adolescents is to improve their appearance by changing an unpleasant physical feature through surgery. Initially disdained with concern, as technology and better understanding spread, they became more widely accepted and the number of procedures tripled and even quadrupled in fifteen years. (American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 2011) Cosmetic surgery on adolescents has been...... middle of article...... February 2008. Web. February 17, 2012.Herbozo, Sylvia, Stacey Tantleff-Dunn, Jessica Gokee-Larose and J.Kevin Thompson. “Messages of beauty and thinness in children’s media: a content analysis.” Eating Disorders 12 (2004): 21-34. Print.Marcus, Miriam. “Ten Plastic Surgery Risks You Need to Know About.” Forbes, np October 10, 2007. Web. February 17, 2012. Nagelin-Anderson, MA, Elizabeth and Diana Zuckerman, Ph.D. "Complications of Saline Breast Implants: What You Need to Know Before Deciding on Reconstruction." breastimplantinfo.org, np February 2008. Web. February 17, 2012. “Maturation of the prefrontal cortex.” Bureau of Population Affairs, np Nd Web. February 17, 2012. The price of beauty: adolescents under the knife of plastic surgery. ABC News, 2010. FilmTeen Plastic Surgery. ABC News, 2010. FilmTeen bullied into plastic surgery. ABC News, 2011. Movie