Says Dr Sunita Dube, "Youngsters, including a segment of teens, ask to get a botox done. What they don't understand is botox was created for women above forties. These women have lost the elasticity in their skin, and botox helps them to regain it. Liposuction and breast augmentations are the other things that they seek out when they don't need to. It's a generation that simply can't wait to go under the knife. The fact that there has been a 20 per cent rise in the number of surgeries performed in the last three years indicates how popular cosmetic surgery has become."
Cosmetic surgeon Dr Mohan Thomas however pooh-poohs the recent report that states that teenagers are eager to undergo cosmetic surgeries. "There may be a few cases of teenagers undergoing cosmetic surgery, but that could be for corrective purposes. Statistics are just being blown to sensationalise the trend among teenagers. But yes, there are a lot of youngsters going in for cosmetic surgery at the slightest sign of discomfort."
What's disconcerting to most in the medical world is that not only is cosmetic surgery becoming common place, but that youngsters are going for it without making informed choices or taking a second opinion. In fact, female genitalia surgery has been on the rise abroad and scientists are expressing concern about the complicated surgery and find the method no different from the one involved in female genital mutilation, which is banned in most countries.
Doctors stress that those going in for cosmetic surgery should make an informed choice. "They have to invest a lot of time before taking the step for surgery. That means they should find the right surgeon, take a second opinion and not have any other medical problems that could aggravate after the surgery," says Dr Thomas.
And what if they get a case like the Chinese girl wanting to look like Jessica Alba? "These are unrealistic demands. If your body and face structure is something else, then trying to make yourself look like Hrithik Roshan or Aishwarya Rai is just not possible," says Dr Dube.
Dr Thomas echoes a similar sentiment. "You could want to look like Katrina Kaif or Deepika Padukone or have dimples like Shah Rukh Khan, but there should be something common in your structure to make you look like your idol. I avoid such cases as such people mostly have psychological issues like a poor body image called body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). Fortunately, sex change is not that common here. It's a complicated surgery, and requires a lot of counselling before the person takes the step. After all, you cannot undo what you've undone!" concurs the cosmetic surgeon.
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