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When Is Cosmetic Surgery Right for Children?
   

A very legitimate question has always been asked regarding cosmetic surgery for children. Is it ethical?

Some people think cosmetic surgery on kids is a perfectly legitimate practice, while others believe it is morally wrong. Those who are for cosmetic surgery for children know that it would help improve that child’s sense of self worth, improve that child’s outlook on life, and help them succeed. Those against cosmetic surgery for children say that it provides the child with a false sense of security about themselves and the world around them, and cause them to develop superficial relationships.

Before you decide one way or another, just think of how you would feel if you had to live your whole childhood with a physical deformity such as a cleft lip and palate, misshapen skull, or burn scar. This could be detrimental to your child's emotional health and limit his or her ability to engage in everyday activities. There are as least five times when cosmetic surgery is right for kids. Those instances are listed as follows:

Removal of a birth defect: Sometimes children have a birth mark that looks like a large bruise on the face or other visible part of the body. This may be difficult to live with, especially when the child reaches the teen or young adult years. The reason why is they are often asked if the bruise came from someone who has physically hurt them, or they may have been accused of hurting themselves. On the contrary, the only thing that would probably cause a person in this condition to hurt themselves is being tired of getting asked what is wrong with them. Therefore, it may be wise for a parent to consider having this birth mark removed from a child's face as soon as possible. This will provide peace in your child’s life as he or she grows to be a young adult trying to succeed in this world.

For healing of a burn scar: Sometimes when a young child or teenager is a victim of a severe burn, on the face, arms, neck, and other exposed areas of the body, the child may feel ashamed. If the child feels this way, it could not only scar his or her body for life, but could also scar his or her emotions for a very long time. It is true that it is all about what is on the inside that matters and children need to be taught that. But, just as a blind or deaf child, a child with a physical defect feels left out, self-conscious, and sometimes inferior. It could prevent them from succeeding later in life, for fear that no one would want to hire them for a job, or accept them into any organizations. If your child has a burn or serious injury that could last a lifetime, consider having cosmetic surgery performed on that child.

To correct a deformity caused by a tumor: It is best to find a doctor who knows how to deal with cancer in children before making a decision to have cosmetic surgery done for this reason. Nevertheless, with the correct treatment, and the correct advice, your child could return to a normal life after having a tumor removed. Just make sure you know the risks involved in having cosmetic surgery performed on a child in this case.

Removal of a serious scar due to injury: Sometimes after a serious head, arm, leg, or neck injury a child or teen can feel self-conscious. This is because sometimes an injury of this nature often leaves a permanent scar on the exposed part of the body. Surgery can remove these scars, and help restore the child to as close to his or her natural self as possible.

To correct other major physical deformities: Sometimes children are born with deformed body parts such as a cleft lip and palate, misshapen skull, webbed fingers, or misshapen breasts. If the surgery is performed by a doctor who specializes in cosmetic surgery, optimal results can be achieved which can greatly improve the child’s whole outlook, and quality of life. That child may soon be able to play football, speak better, write better, type on a computer, and perform other activities that the child was not able to perform earlier. In other words, even though the deformity may not be life threatening, it can help them be able to participate in more useful and beneficial activities than before.

Now that you have though of what you would want if you were a child with a deformity, birth defect, or scar from a serious injury, and you know that there are legitimate reasons people decide to have surgery done on their children, you are able to make a decision.

You can either hope that your child will be able to look past being ridiculed and even having bullies harassing them, or committing violent acts against them or you can seek a cosmetic surgeon. It is possible that none of this would happen to your child even if that child did not get surgery, and that the child can grow up feeling loved and accepted as if his or her body is exactly like everyone else’s. However, the reality is that is not the case for most children with a deformity or disfiguring or scarring of any kind. Therefore, surgery in one of the above five cases is strongly recommended.

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SolveYourProblem.com : 2006

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