A call to ban cosmetic surgery makeovers on minors

In New South Wales, the opposition group wants cosmetic surgery banned for people under 18. This is in response to the increasing number of teenagers getting cosmetic surgery such as breast augmentation, rhinoplasty, and others.

The laws that will be introduced in July would include putting teens who want cosmetic surgery in a three-month cooling-off period which is aimed at cutting down unnecessary surgeries.

However, the NSW government has no plan to ban cosmetic surgery for minors. This is what the spokeswoman for NSW Health Minister Reba Meagher said. This triggered Jillian Skinner, opposition health spokeswoman to call for a total ban on cosmetic surgery for those under 18 years old. She said that young people who are struggling with body image issues must not be allowed to undergo cosmetic surgery.

“We’ve always supported a ban on purely cosmetic surgery for under-18s, allowing only that surgery which is considered medically necessarily,” Skinner said. “It is about getting the message out there to young people who are blasted from all sides about messages of body image. “It is not necessary to do this stuff. Wait until you’re 18.”

The new laws to be introduced in July also include tighter regulation on advertising so that teens will know the risks associated with plastic surgery.

“These new regulations will bring about important changes to help stop unscrupulous operators from unfairly targeting people, particularly teenagers, for unnecessary surgery,” Meagher said. “The NSW Medical Board is still finalizing the guidelines, but I want to make sure that teenagers undergoing surgery have the time to be able to fully consider the risks and the need for surgery without rushing to a decision.”