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Published On: Mon, Jun 27th, 2016

Colombia to ban cosmetic surgery for under 18

Colombia recently introduced a law that will ban cosmetic plastic surgery for minors. If adopted by Colombia’s Congress, the law will prohibit breast and buttock augmentation, liposuction, Botox and various other appearance enhancement surgeries on people under the age of 18.

Reconstructive surgery, ear and nose jobs, regarded as safe procedures, are excluded from the law which is expected to be adopted in the near future.

The use of minors as models in advertisements for plastic surgery clinics will also be prohibited. To an average Joe, this doesn’t mean much, but Colombia is very different. Renowned for their South American beauty, Colombian women have a serious engrossment with their looks. In a country that has high, almost absurd beauty standards, it comes as no surprise that, reportedly, every five to six minutes, a cosmetic procedure is done. Two years ago, Colombia was ranked eighth in the world for the number of performed operations, boasting the fifth largest plastic surgery industry in the world.

© Photographer - James C. Mutter / Facial Plastic Surgeon Amir Karam, MD

© Photographer – James C. Mutter / Facial Plastic Surgeon Amir Karam, MD

Those numbers are quite understandable when you realize that there is no shame in Colombia about altering your appearance and improving your looks, as opposed to other parts of the world. Cosmetic plastic surgery is a genuine trend in Colombia and all types of aesthetic procedures are welcome in order to fix one’s flaws and to conform to desired stereotype. Prices are unusually low for operations of this type, low enough that even a significant part of middle class is able to afford it. Prices are cheaper approximately 25 percent to 40 percent than those in the USA, prompting many foreigners to visit the country solely for this purpose.

Maturing before surgery

Introduced law is courtesy of senator Mauricio Lizcano who recognizes the severity of the situation. In an interview with RCN Radio, one of the main radio networks in Colombia, Lizcano stressed the social and health issues regarding cosmetic procedures, mainly done by teenage girls at worryingly early stages of their life. He reasoned that teens should mature both physically and emotionally to gain awareness that plastic surgery is not the ultimate solution for their problems.

In the first six months, there have been a dozen accidental deaths during plastic surgery in Colombia, along with almost 150 patients left with permanent, irreversible damage. Introduced age restriction aims to reduce the mortality rates but it’s also the psychological impact that worries the senator. He estimated that almost 30 percent of Colombia’s plastic surgeries are performed on underage teenagers, and that plastic surgery has become the fashion for teenage girls, imposing increased psychological risks to their still undeveloped minds and bodies.

Philip Stewart, owner of North West Independent Hospital based in Northern Ireland, thinks this is a move in the right direction.

“An increased number of young women are opting for cosmetic operations in Colombia and other South American countries, and the cheap price afforded by a largely unregulated country also attract medical tourists looking for bargain operations. Regulations make the industry safer and responsible – and we hope more South American governments will take notice and implement globally accepted practice standards and regulatory guidelines.”

Guest Author: Isabelle Hernandez

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  1. Battling Body Image in Bogotá says:

    […] These factors could potentially point to the high, and increasing, rates of plastic surgery in the country. Medellín, as well as being home to Pablo Escobar and a bunch of westerners searching out cocaine, is often referred to as the plastic surgery capital of the world. Stats suggest a plastic surgery procedure is carried out every five minutes. […]

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