Is Plastic Surgery Appropriate for Children?

NEW YORK, April 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Last year, the media revealed the story of the mother who gave her 8-year-old daughter BOTOX® injections before a junior beauty pageant. The news created a stir, upsetting many parents. This socially unacceptable and marginally legal act remains outside society's norm, but there are times when plastic surgery procedures can help a child.

Having an aesthetic procedure during the teenage years is sensitive for both emotional and physical development reasons and should be approached with caution. It is impractical for a youngster to have rhinoplasty (a nose job) too early. Boys must wait until they are at least 17; girls until they are 15, although parents might make them wait even longer. It is critical that the surgeon be honest in his assessment and have experience with younger patients.

Plastic surgery, however, can provide critical help to very young children. Correction of physical deformities such as cleft lip should be done as soon as possible in a youngster's life. Another example is the procedure called otoplasty, and again, most parents agree their afflicted children should have the procedure done as early as possible. Otoplasty, popularly called ear pinning, is plastic surgery done by plastic surgeons on children as young as five.

Children get teased or bullied in their school years for many reasons, but it is possible to prevent this psychological trauma if the reason is unusually large or protruding ears. Ear pinning in New York by a board certified otolaryngologist or plastic surgeon is a viable, safe option. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reports that having the procedure done before your child starts school may actually eliminate the teasing all together and prevent any subsequent psychological trauma. Plastic surgery can be a more effective and permanent solution than psychological counseling. Adults with protruding ears often say they wished they'd had it done sooner.

New York City otoplasty permanently fixes protruding or misshapen ears. Your child must be over age five before you can consider the procedure. By that age, the ears have grown to their normal size, so the procedure should not impair future growth or cause complications. In fact, younger children make the best candidates because the cartilage in their ears is more malleable.

Most plastic surgeons recommend general anesthesia or twilight medication for children to keep them from fidgeting. The procedure takes about two hours and uses internal sutures to hold the ears in place. Absorbable sutures are used to close the incision. There's usually very little swelling, and the ears are covered by a protective soft bandage for about five days. Kids typically heal with no complications and no restrictions after about two weeks. Discuss the options with your New York plastic surgeon to ensure your child's best interests.

About Dr. Pastorek: A top facial plastic surgeon in New York City, Norman Pastorek, M.D., P.C., F.A.C.S., has been elected by his peers to The Best Doctors in America® and Castle Connolly's America's Top Doctors® every year since the inception of these guides. In 2011, he was also named to U.S. News & World Report's Top Doctors list. His office is at 12 East 88th Street, New York, New York 10128. Reach him at http://www.normanpastorekmd.com or call (212) 987-4700.

Media Contact: Janice Pastorek at http://www.normanpastorekmd.com/ or (212) 987-4700

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SOURCE Norman Pastorek, M.D., P.C., F.A.C.S.