Modernity causes havoc!

Unhealthy lifestyles and growing “western” impact is having adverse effects on the innocent and naïve minds of children, especially teenagers. Incidents of children wanting to go under the knife for procedures like breast implants, liposuction, rhinoplasty (nose jobs), chin correction, scar removal, dimple creation, and even Botox for facial reshaping are becoming more common day by day. While it is mostly girls who are lining up for such procedures, Dr Viral Desai, a leading cosmetic surgeon, says there are young boys who approach him for a gynaecomastia rectification (removal of chubby female-like breasts).

Teenage girls are allured into the fantasy land of getting transformed into Cinderellas by the magic wand of a plastic or cosmetic surgeon due to the ignorance about the after effects of such temporary beauty bliss. It’s rightly said that incomplete knowledge is a dangerous thing. Teenagers are usually misled by what they see and hear through media about models and film stars going under the scalpel in order to “enhance their assets”. Little is known to their immature minds that such procedures can be harmful for a developing body. Performing any kind of surgical procedure to correct or reshape the growing and developing bones is risky since the job can go awry when the bones continue to grow. Other reasons for the insistence of youngsters to experiment with their bodies are the mounting peer pressure and anxious parents. Cosmetic physician Dr Jamuna Pai says that there have been instances when children as young as four or five have been brought in by their parents for fairness treatment.

Surprisingly, there are parents who trigger anxieties about how they look in the children. This is the most unfortunate scenario where a child develops inferiority complex due to the attitude of his or her own parents.

Obesity, which is becoming a major reason of concern in modern times, is another important reason. Unhealthy and inactive lifestyles along with growing popularity and easy availability of junk food are the foremost causes of obesity. Youngsters of today are hardly seen in the parks. Video games, computers etc have taken place of bat and ball. With less physical activity, the body is hardly able to consume the extra fat which gets accumulated due to layers of cheese and bread. Bariatric surgeon Dr Muffazal Lakadawala says he is used to children showing up and asking for surgery to lose weight. “But they are neither mature enough to handle it nor can they stick to the dietary restrictions it mandates. Unless it is an extreme case with medical problems involved, I do not encourage such requests,’’ he says.

The worst part is that many children go to the doctors’ with a friend and without their parents’ knowledge. In such cases it is the responsibility of the doctor to guide the ignorant children properly and refuse to entertain them. Moreover, parents themselves should educate their children about the dangerous effects of such surgeries if they sense any such inclination in their child. Youngsters should be encouraged to follow a healthy and active lifestyle to avoid their minds from getting tainted with such thoughts.