Madrid - Increasing numbers of Spanish adolescents are having cosmetic surgery despite the dangers of such operations when a person is not yet fully grown up, the daily El Pais reported Monday. About 400,000 Spaniards undergo operations of plastic surgery annually, the third largest number in the world after the United States and Brazil, according to the daily.
The number of interventions has gone up 20 per cent since 1990.
About 10 per cent of people soliciting plastic surgery operations are estimated to be younger than 18 years old.
Many surgeons try to avoid operating on minors when the reason is cosmetic rather than medical, and it is not known how many teenagers actually go under the knife.
It is, however, clear that the demand for cosmetic operations is increasing among minors, especially girls. The majority of them request breast augmentation, liposuction or bigger lips.
"It is frequent for young girls to come with photos of celebrities and to explain that they want lips like actress Angelina Jolie," said Pilar Rodrigo of the aesthetic medicine association SEME.
Experts warn against unnecessary surgery on people whose bodies are not yet fully developed, and who may take immature decisions they regret later on.
The Spanish legislation does not put clear limits on cosmetic operations on minors, who need the consent of their parents at least up to the age of 16 years.
Some regions are seeking a tighter control over such operations, such as southern Andalusia, which will submit young cosmetic surgery candidates to a psychological test, El Pais reported.
