Fw: Considering breast implants at 15~ BBC (2 articles)

[Guest guest]

God help us!

Patty

----- Original Message -----

From: Ilena Rose <ilena@...>

Sent: Thursday, January 04, 2001 6:13 PM

Subject: Considering breast implants at 15~ BBC (2 articles)

~~~ thanks to Marge and Margo and Jan for these ~~~

Please let me know asap if any of you have any experiences with these

doctors ~ very important. Thanks.

DRS KAY AND MARTIN FRANKLIN

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_1101000/1101365.stm

hursday, 4 January, 2001, 20:53 GMT

Mother: Breast op teenager will wait

Jenna lin: Considering breast implants at 15

The mother of a girl promised breast implants for her 16th birthday has

now said her daughter will have to wait another two years.

The surgeon Kay lin wanted to carry out the breast enlargement on her

daughter Jenna, now 15, believes the girl will be too young for the

operation.

Mrs lin said she would not be a responsible parent if she did not

heed the advice.

At 16 the breast hasn't matured enough. Also, there would be a lot of

psychological implications

Fierce controversy has surrounded the plan after Mrs lin bowed to

requests from her daughter, who said she needed the surgery to boost her

self-confidence.

But surgeon Erian from the Cambridge Private Hospital, due to see

Jenna, from Warsop Vale, near Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, after her

birthday in August, said she was too young.

He said: " I feel at 16 the breast hasn't matured enough. Also, there would

be a lot of psychological implications.

" And I also think we have to wait to see what God gives us. Changes happen

when she breastfeeds, or when you take the pill, and breasts get bigger.

Surgeon Erian: 16 'too young'

" If it doesn't change at 18 or 19 then we can think about it. "

Mrs lin, who has had two breast implant operations, said: " Mr Erian

is our preferred choice of surgeon because he is one of the best in his

field in the world.

" If he says 16 is too young for Jenna to have the operation then we will

respect that and she will have to wait until she is 18.

" I'm sure she may not be happy with that but if we were to do anything

else then we wouldn't be responsible parents and we want only the best for

her. "

You've got to have breasts to be successful

Jenna lin Mrs lin had previously said she did not want Jenna to

have any " hang-ups " about the way she looked.

And she had said if that meant her daughter having a breast enlargement

operation then she would gladly pay the £3,250 fee.

Jenna said earlier told BBC News: " You've got to have breasts to be

successful. Every other person you see on television has had implants.

" I used to pray my boobs would grow. Then I just thought, what's the point

when I can have implants when I want? "

" I just want to be happy with my body and I think having my breasts

enlarged will give me more self-confidence. "

Ruth Coppard, a child psychologist form Sheffield, warned Jenna could be

storing up problems for the future if the operation goes ahead.

" Emotionally, she is at risk by making a decision now when she's a child

that will have long term repercussions that she can't consider yet, she

hasn't got the perspective. "

~~~~~~~~

http://dailynews./h/ap/20010104/hl/teen_breast_implants_1.html

Thursday January 4 2:53 PM ET n Teen Implants Concern Britain

By MARA D. BELLABY, Associated Press Writer

LONDON (AP) - Jenna lin is only 15 but she thinks she knows the

secret to a successful future - bigger breasts.

Jenna's parents want their daughter to be happy, so they've agreed to pay

for breast enlargements as a 16th birthday present.

The unusual gift grabbed tabloid headlines and filled the airwaves

Thursday, as Britons debated what kind of society places such a high value

on appearance, particularly for young women.

The British Association of Plastic Surgeons stayed out of the debate, but

other health specialists warned that Jenna was far too young. One

Conservative Party politician proclaimed the whole matter ``shameful.''

But writing in the Daily Express - which splashed the story on its front

page under the headline ``Jenna is pretty and intelligent. So why on earth

is her mother buying breast implants for her 16th birthday?'' - Jenna

insisted ``you've got to have breasts to be successful.''

The youngster, whose parents run a cosmetic surgery advisory service in

Mansfield in central England, told the tabloid she started thinking about

the surgery when she was 12.

``Every other person you see on the television has had implants,'' she

wrote. ``If I want to be successful I need to have them too - and I do

want to be successful, though I don't know at what at the moment.''

The plastic surgeons' association said statistics are not kept on the

number of teen-agers who undergo the surgery, but the usual advice is to

wait until age 18. Younger children are allowed to have the surgery

earlier with their parents' approval, a spokeswoman said.

Jenna's mother, Kay lin, defended her decision, saying larger breasts

would boost her daughter's confidence.

``There are so many young girls who are depressed or bothered about the

way they look, so if you can do something about it, that's great,''

Jenna's mother told the Express. She has had her own breasts enlarged,

cosmetic surgery on her nose and cheeks and liposuction to her stomach and

hips.

lin said he and his wife plan to arrange their daughter's

$4,900 operation through their company - if surgeons decide she is old

enough. Jenna will meet with the doctors after her Aug. 23 birthday, when

the size of implants will be selected.

The lins did not immediately respond to a request for comment left on

their company's telephone answering machine.

Jenna's story was also featured on an upcoming Channel 4 television

documentary about the pressures teen-agers face to look perfect. She is

one of seven women who discuss their reasons for wanting cosmetic surgery.

Some of the women have had their surgery, but they were 19 or 20 at the

time.

``It is insanity, absolute madness,'' said , author of an

upcoming book about her own surgery, `` 's Image and Cosmetic

Surgery Secrets.''

Women do ``not finishing developing until they are at least 21,'' she

said. ``Some girls don't get fully developed breasts until their

mid-20s.''

Other specialists warned that using surgery to resolve typically teen-age

anxieties sets a dangerous - and irresponsible - precedent.

``I have seen lots of women who keep coming back for more and more surgery

because they think it will solve things and that's dangerous,'' said

Eileen Bradbury, a psychologist who counsels plastic surgery patients and

advises surgeons.

Jenna, who is considering a career as a plastic surgeon, said she expects

breast implants will make her less shy and more self-confident.

``I just want to be happy with my body,'' she said.

But Tory politician Ann Widdecombe said Jenna had her priorities wrong.

``I think it is shameful that this girl is being encouraged to put looks

and image above the more important things in life at such a young age,''

Widdecombe said.