Whether it be a more chiseled jaw or a smaller nose, everyone has heard or made a complaint about a physical feature they wish they could change. Plastic surgery has become a popular solution to society’s insecurities with patients as young as 13 years old receiving it.

Many of the procedures are unnecessary, especially at such a tender age. Bodies and facial structures often change as people get older, so it is pointless to even consider plastic surgery at such a young age.

In addition to flaws plastic surgery attempts to repair, the surgery itself tends to be something that people try to hide as it has been a taboo and controversial subject in the past. Rather than being open and honest about it, many try and hide the fact that they ever even considered plastic surgery. For example, celebrity figure Kylie Jenner remained silent amongst speculation of her getting lip fillers, which she later admitted to.

Aside from the natural vanity of high schoolers, celebrities in this day and age promote the regular practice of cosmetic surgery, such as makeup artist Jeffree Star who has followed the trend of plastic surgery. Today, there are few celebrities that have not gone under the knife to “perfect their looks,” so it is only natural for youth to follow suit of their teen idols.

Because of this, it is found that procedures such nose jobs and lip fillers are not uncommon among high school students. According to The American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the most popular procedure for teenagers are rhinoplasties, or nose jobs, which accounted for over 31,000 procedures in 2016 alone.

Plastic surgery has its risks. Being put under anesthesia is always uncertain, and the recovery process can take up to almost six weeks. Imagine an active high schooler having to stop his or her schedule for a cosmetic procedure and having their academics and any athletic activities put on hold due to vanity.

Aside from the cases such a breathing problems and chronic headaches that can be fixed with rhinoplasty and botox, plastic surgery is not worth the risk, and no minor should even be able to be put under anesthesia for cosmetic purposes.

The growing commonality of teenage plastic surgery promotes self-esteem issues among the young population and creates the illusion that cosmetic procedures is the only viable option to achieve their desired results.. Flaws make people who they are, and society needs to be able to accept their imperfections rather than motivating people, especially teenagers, to change them.