One of the more popular graduation gift for girls graduating from high school is a breast augmentation procedure. But is it appropriate? Is it safe?Breast augmentation has quickly become the number one performed plastic surgery in the world despite the tremendous controversy over health and safety issues. The controversies started when silicone gel was first used to augment a woman’s breast and they have steadily escalated ever since. Thousands of lawsuits filed during the 90′s caused major implant manufacturers to file for bankruptcy. The FDA even banned silicone gel implants for fourteen years in order to conduct a thorough clinical trial! Some implants, such as silicone gel implants, are next to impossible to detect a rupture unless an MRI is performed, thus allowing silicone gel to leak into a woman’s body for several years before detection. Amidst all that controversy, a breast augmentation surgery is becoming increasingly more popular every year. Teen breast augmentation surgeries are on the rise. In fact, it’s quite common for a high school graduate to ask her parents for breast implants as a graduation gift. The recommended minimum age for a woman to have breast implants is eighteen. However, these recommendations are exactly that: just recommendations. There is no law that dictates the actual minimum age for a woman wanting breast implants. Because it isn’t illegal, there are some parents who buy breast augmentation for their teen girls at an even younger age than 18. There are a number of factors that suggest breast augmentation at such a young age is not in the girl’s best interest. Studies have shown that teenagers (both girls and boys) are typically unhappiest with their bodies the younger they are. For instance, a twelve year old girl is least happy with her body shape. As the years go by and she gets closer to her eighteenth birthday, she becomes increasingly pleased with her appearance and her self confidence and self esteem rise as well. This applies to both girls and boys. Given this fact, a girl at the age of sixteen might be very unhappy with her body, but in just a few more years, she may become much more confident with her natural appearance and body shape. It would seem risky to allow her to have breast augmentation surgery when her body isn’t even fully developed yet, and her true self image is still several years away. Breast development in women can continue through a young woman’s early twenties. A young girl who is unhappy with her breasts at eighteen probably shouldn’t be getting breast implants, because in just a few more years, her body will most likely undergo more changes. It’s better to wait until her breasts are fully developed before electing to have a procedure such as breast augmentation. Another factor to take into consideration is an estimated three out of ten breast implant patients experience complications within the first four years after their surgery that require an additional surgery to fix. That means a young girl may need to have another surgery in her early twenties to correct the complications. Regardless of complications, the average time frame before implants must be replaced is ten years. So, a teenager who receives breast implants potentially could have multiple surgeries before she is twenty-five, and then another surgery every ten years thereafter!There are many potential complications associated with girls having breast augmentation while they are still teenagers. Not all of them are physically related either. It’s best to speak directly with a licensed surgeon regarding the proper age for your daughter to have surgery.