UPDATED: 6:28 am CDT May 18, 2011HOUSTON -- High school graduation is just around the corner and parents may be wondering what special gift to give their kids for achieving one of life's major milestones. How about plastic surgery? Cosmetic surgery for teens has more than tripled in the last 10 years. Lindsay Garlock, 28, asked her parents for a pricey gift when she graduated from high school a decade ago -- breast augmentation. Garlock recalled, "My mom definitely sympathized. It was a little uncomfortable for my dad." Having seen Lindsay struggle to fit in certain clothes, her folks did the research and relented. Lindsay explained, "I had wanted it for a while and so we thought that this was the right time in my life and I've been pleased with the results." Her graduation request is becoming more and more popular. Laser hair removal tops the list with teens. More than 66,000 procedures were done in 2010. Number 2: Nose jobs, followed by skin resurfacing and Botox. Injections in teens are up 13 percent from last year. Sugar Land plastic surgeon Dr. John Nguyen told KPRC Local 2 he's most often asked by teen girls to perform breast augmentations, liposuction and nose jobs. Nguyen said, "I'm not surprised. The trend is to give them something that they really, really want, which is cosmetic surgery." But, Nguyen has a strict policy of not performing cosmetic surgery on teens unless medically indicated. He advised, "Spend a year in college or work. It gives you that additional year of maturity and it gives you an idea of who you are and it gives you just a bit more time to decide what it is that you want to enhance that would make you happier." Lexy's mom actually suggested her daughter undergo laser hair removal, an unusual gift for a 14-year-old. Lexy said, "My mom got it done on her legs, actually, and she said it actually hurt a lot and I said, 'I'm OK shaving twice a day.' It didn't become that big of a deal and I realized that my armpits were getting very irritated a lot." The eight treatments will total $900. But that's where mom draws the line, having said no to teeth whitening and eyelash extension treatment. As for breast implants, she said "no way." Her mother said, "I don't agree with that at all, especially if they're going to have children. Their bodies are going to change again. I just don't think it's something healthy." Nguyen said in his office, he sees parents struggling to explain what's good for the goose is not necessarily good for the gander. He explained, "Sometimes what happens is parents who undergo plastic surgery, they come to the consultation, they have their daughters with them and they see the whole process, the before and the amazing transformation after and it stirs their interest." Ten years after her breast augmentation, Lindsay has no regrets. What she does have is advice for other teens: She said, "If you're not happy with the person you are, no amount of plastic surgery is going to change that for you. Really think it through and make sure you're doing it for the right reasons." Nguyen also told Local 2 that because plastic surgery is becoming more affordable, anywhere from $5,000 for breast implants to $8,000 for a nose job, it's more accessible, therefore contributing to the rise in procedures across all socioeconomic lines.
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