More Than Just a Pretty
Face
Teens share personal stories involving plastic
surgery.
by Children’s PressLine
TWEENS & TEENS News November
2007
More than 300,000 teens ages 18 and younger
had a cosmetic procedure last year, according
to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons,
a 9 percent increase from 2000. Rhinoplasty,
or nose reshaping, was the most popular procedure,
representing 61 percent of surgical procedures.
Below, teen girls reveal why they elected to
have plastic surgery.
Dara Schafer, 17
East Brunswick, New York
If you have a big nose, it stands out. I had
a nose job because I didn’t like how
my nose looked. My sister got a nose job,
and I really liked how her new nose turned
out. Then, I decided to make an appointment
for a consultation.
At the consultation, I was showed a picture
of how my nose could look. I liked it, so
I made an appointment for surgery. My mother,
my father and my grandparents have all had
plastic surgery. My parents paid for the surgery.
I was 14 or 15 when I got it.
I didn’t really think it was going to
change my life. I just thought I would be
a little bit happier with my appearance, which
I am. My friends didn’t understand why
I was getting a nose job, but they supported
it. Once I got it, they said it was a cute
nose. But, most people didn’t notice
it.
The biggest change that resulted from my surgery
is more confidence. If you don’t like
what you see on the outside, you’re
not going to feel good on the inside. Plastic
surgery might not be the answer to everything,
however, it may solve a small portion of it.
Brittany Price, 17
Walnut Creek, California
I got plastic surgery because I was unhappy
with my body. I started growing breasts very
early, around the age of 10. By the end of
middle school, I was a double D bra and a
size two in clothes. I was unable to play
sports. It hurt when I ran and walked. I had
the biggest breasts in my grade. Kids made
snotty jokes and pointed fingers. All my friends
were sporting cute little tops, and I couldn’t
because I was spilling out of them. Bathing
suits would never fit. I would cry in the
dressing room because I couldn’t fit
in junior-sized tops.
I had seen a lot of plastic surgery shows
on TV and heard remarkable things about the
results. Yet, it was actually very hard for
me to seriously consider getting a breast
reduction because the media tells us that
it’s great to have big breasts and a
tiny waist. For me to want to go the opposite
way felt wrong.
My parents were supportive. Still, they wanted
me to think about plastic surgery long and
hard. They suggested I try weight loss; I
lost about 15 pounds and my breasts stayed
the same size. Surgery seemed to be the only
option.
My friends didn’t take me seriously
at first. But, once I told them how serious
I felt, most of my girlfriends were supportive.
One of them bought me a cute leopard print
bra after the surgery. A couple of people
made wisecracks. In the end, though, most
of my true friends were really nice about
the surgery.
My doctor was comforting. I was one of his
youngest patients— age 16 at the time.
He wanted to keep me realistic about what
I was expecting. He said my breasts would
get a little bit bigger after the surgery.
Before the procedure, I was so nervous. As
they were hooking me up with an IV, my brain
was telling me, “No, no, you can’t
do this.” It’s a big procedure
at such a young age. I started tugging on
my Mom’s shoulder.
“I don’t want to do this,”
I said. “What am I doing?” The
nurse yelled, “We need more meds.”
I felt a little happier after that.
They created an anchor cut all around the
bottom of the breast starting at the middle
of the chest. Then they lifted that skin up
and cut around the nipple. They did a line
down from the center of the breast to create
sort of an anchor-shaped arch. The surgeon
took out a lot of the fat and tissue. I went
from a double D to a B-sized bra cup.
It was painful for about the first three days.
When my parents drove places, the bumps in
the road really hurt. The medication helped.
Because I was impressed with the results,
the pain didn’t hurt as much.
The only problem I’ve had is the scarring.
I’ve tried a couple of things to lessen
the color of the scars. I tried flattening
the scars with a cortisone shot. But the scars
take time to heal.
I created a Web site a few months before my
surgery: www.breast-reduction-diary.com. On
the journal-type site, I hope to let other
teenage girls know that they’re not
alone with their big breasts and their body
issues.
Melissa Pullman, 16
Fair Lawn, New Jersey
I was eating dinner at my best friend’s
house and all of a sudden her brother turned
to me and said, “Did you know that your
nose has a really big dip in it?” I
knew that he didn’t mean to hurt me,
but I took the comment to heart.
I got plastic surgery because I was very insecure
about my appearance. I knew that once I got
it, I’d be a lot more self-confident.
My parents were 100 percent supportive. Although
they wanted me to wait until I was older,
my parents knew I was going to get the surgery
and so they wanted me to be happier sooner
rather than later. From 7th grade on, I really
wanted to get a nose job.
There were girls that would come up to me
and say, “I can’t believe you
are getting plastic surgery.” I was
kind of frustrated and upset that they didn’t
really consider how it felt to have a big
nose. Ultimately, I wanted to do this for
myself.
When I first took off the tape, I was really
swollen, and my face looked horrible. However,
I knew I was going to be happy, because anything
was better than the nose I had. It was very
painful for three days. I was allergic to
some of the medicine the doctors gave me,
making me throw up for three days straight.
Still, it was better than I thought it would
be.
Plastic surgery changed my life. When I walked
into school the first day of 10th grade, right
after I healed from the procedure, a lot of
people were like, “Wow, you look great.”
Their comments really boosted my self-confidence.
Now, I’m a lot more outgoing and I have
more friends.
I think adults should know that plastic surgery
changes a child’s life, and whether
it’s in a good way or a bad way, parents
should be ready for a huge impact and be considerate
of a kid’s feelings. Parents should
give input, but I think surgery is really
the kid’s decision. Kids should be old
enough to understand what they’re doing
to their bodies. Surgery has to be practical
and necessary— to alter something that
really bothers you. It is something you do
to your body that you get rid of to become
who you are.
I guess I could have become more self-confident
by myself if I didn’t care about my
appearance, but that’s hard for a teenage
girl.
Children’s PressLine is a youth
journalism organization in Manhattan that
trains kids to be reporters and gives young
people the opportunity to represent themselves
in the media. This story was reported on by
Samantha Avezzano, 16; Anna Bernstein, 13;
Ramses Driskell, 13; Natasha Kirtchuk, 14;
Ebban Maeda, 11; Elizabeth Negron, 13; Emily
Olfson, 18; Rachel Olfson, 14; Dara Pohl Feldman,
10; Jessica Weinstein, 15; and Evan Wood,
11. For more information, visit www.cplmedia.org.
