How young is simply too young for cosmetic surgery? That is a question that is asked with great regularity, probably as there is not simply one answer to that question.

However, if you are asking this question, whether you're a youngster whose dream is plastic surgery or their parent or guardian, then your simple answer is almost certainly that now is still too young!

(I'll assume that you are not one of those dreadful parents who are trying to get their kids to get plastic surgery...)

There are various issues that cause a person to wish to get cosmetic surgery, which can be outlined as follows:

Your features, especially your facial ones, seem to have a defect which makes you stand out from the crowd, but not in a good way. This may be deficiencies in balance or symmetry, the nose could be too large compared to the rest of the features, or maybe the bum seems too flat for the size of the hips and waist.

In other situations, cosmetic surgery is believed to be a method for turning back the clock. The face lift is the most common example of this, but there are many other examples as well, including eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty), breast lift surgery, hair transplant surgery and wrinkle removal.

Or perhaps some feature has been injured by an accident, for instance a broken nose, chipped teeth, a torn earlobe, and so on.

The last example of a reason that people could get cosmetic surgery is when the patient in fact looks quite normal, and what they want is quite simply to look more stunning!

All these factors behind getting cosmetic surgery are quite legitimate, and there is no reason to consider one more valid than another. Having said that, in terms of teenage plastic surgery, we do need to be a bit more cautious, and examine the motives of the patient a little more.

When a teenage thinks that they are looking old for their years, this might be the most concerning, and we must be careful that there is no underlying mental health reason for their wish for surgery. In the unlikely instance that a teenager is looking ravaged beyond their years, it will be advisable to be looking at the causes of this, as opposed to dealing with the cosmetic aspect.

Where a teenage potential patient is aware that they look normal, but want to look more attractive, this really is alright, and quite common, but they should be encouraged to wait. It is extremely normal for people to find that they "grow into" their appearance, so that as we get older, many of us figure out how to love our imperfections, or at least accept them.

Surgeries that generally should be avoided while still developing include nose reshaping surgery, as quite frequently a nose that seemed too big for the facial area when younger can be more in proportion later on. For apparent reasons, breast surgery should really be a no-no until the mid-twenties at least. Cheek enhancements and similar should be discouraged until all "puppy fat" has gone, so again that is likely to be a bad idea until well into one's twenties. When the youthful fat has disappeared, the features can suddenly gain definition that they didn't have before.

There are those cosmetic procedures where it is now more okay, and in some cases encouraged, to have while young. Ear pinning surgery is one of those, as it is one of the safer surgical procedures. Similarly, cosmetic dental work is commonly a good idea to have while young.

Where cosmetic surgery reaches its closest proximity to reconstructive plastic surgery, it becomes far easier to accept it as a choice for young people. There is no powerful reason why a kid should have a badly crooked nose resulting from an accident, or torn ear cartilage due to an earring being pulled out, and this shouldn't be repaired until adulthood. This becomes more a subject for the parents to determine, financial circumstances permitting.