At what age can you undergo a nose surgery? Do you have to be of legal age for a rhinoplasty? What are the differences between nasal surgery for adults and for adolescents? How much does teenage rhinoplasty cost? These more than legitimate questions are very common among teens who don’t like their somatic traits and therefore also among their worried parents.
We know that adolescence is a specific age. During this challenging but exciting period young people explore and accept their personality, identity, values, and physical appearance. However, a 15-16 year old person may have a hard time living with a disproportionate, ungraceful nose that he or she doesn’t like and, thus, doesn’t accept.
Due to its central position on the face the nose is of a crucial importance for facial harmony and balance. There is a close connection between the nose shape and what we identify and perceive as our identity.
We would like to clarify some common doubts about adolescent nasal surgery, with regard to its’ aesthetic and/or functional background, what to expect when looking at photos of teenage nose job before and after.
Rhinoplasty in teenagers: motivations and preliminary evaluations
Given the premises, it is not surprising that many boys and girls reach the rhinoplastic surgeon with the request for a nose job at 15-16 years, if not earlier. However, when a minor asks for a nasal plastic surgery, the specialist primarily has to carry out an extremely profound analysis and evaluation of pros and cons to perform a rhinoplasty
The surgeon has to consider the psychological state and awareness of the young patients. What does exactly stay behind the request and what is the motivation for a nose job at 17-18 or even earlier? Especially nowadays, with a huge and, unfortunately, often dramatic impact the social media have on the perception of the body image, boys and girls must clearly realize that aesthetic perfection is an unrealistic concept. The way the style icons and social media celebrities look in real life is often pretty far away from the image they present. The crucial point is to understand that the reality can strongly differ from the glamorous image. And the final outcome of teen rhinoplasty depends on individual features such as anatomy, skin type, and so on.
In teenage rhinoplasty, the surgeon has to thoroughly analyze various aspects to prevent undesired consequences and complications. For instance, it is better for the bone structure to have completed its development before surgery.
At the very end, teenage rhinoplasty relates to the maturity of a patient, both physiological and psychological, the right management of his/her expectations of the procedure, the possibilities and limits in each individual case and the genuine motivation.
Before operating, the surgeon must see and evaluate the young patient at least 2-3 times. The simulations have to be as much realistic as possible to help patients to better imagine themselves with the new profile and face in order to prevent the potential psychological post-operative shock of “not recognizing him-/herself” .
