The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) has expressed concern regarding the number of young people opting for cosmetic procedures.
The organisation reported a 17% increase in cosmetic procedures in 2013, taking the total number of procedures carried out by its surgeons to over 50,000 that year. Although there is no age breakdown for the figures, BAAPS President Elect Michael Cadier claims the company are seeing more young people wanting cosmetic procedures.
“They’re still immature, vulnerable and it’s too big an operation with too many potential life-long implications,” Cadier said.
“There are potentially other avenues they should be exploring.”
BAAPS fears come on the back of a questionnaire carried out by BBC Newsbeat, which invited listeners to share their views on cosmetic surgery.
The news outlet reported that over half of respondents who had not opted for a procedure were considering going in for one.
Fiona Hedges, Medical Negligence and Cosmetic Surgery Solicitor at Clear Law, said the findings are incredibly worrying.
“It is sad to see the findings of this survey conducted by BBC Newsbeat,” Fiona said. “It is being suggested that young people are opting for cosmetic surgery to boost low self-esteem, but this is a very dangerous route to take, as the body is still forming at such a young age.
“Cosmetic surgery is a decision for life and youngsters should think long and hard before opting for any type of cosmetic procedure. Unfortunately, many things can and do go wrong in the cosmetic surgery industry and it is incredibly worrying to think that young people are potentially being subjected to this risk.”
Are you or a member of your family currently being faced with the issue of cosmetic surgery? Tune into BBC Newsbeat at 5:45pm for a live debate on cosmetic surgery and its effects on young people.