#Roommates, what’s an appropriate age to get plastic surgery? An 11-year-old Virginia girl recently underwent cosmetic surgery to pin back her ears because she said bullies constantly made fun of her “elf ears.”
“They would always point it out, but then the more people pointed it out is when I wanted to change it,” the pre-teen told WRIC reporters. “I thought that they stuck out way too much.”
After years of people calling her names, the young girl’s mother decided to let her get the surgery, known as an otoplasty. Dr. Joe Niamt, who performed the procedure, said it’s not uncommon for kids as young as 4 years old to go under the knife and he called it his “biggest reward.”
“It was my honor to help this beautiful young lady to escape the effect of peer bullying from her protruding,” Dr. Niamtu said in a Facebook post. “Even small facial deformities can produce very negative psychological consequences in childhood that can lead to a lifetime of low self-esteem and negative body image.”
“We like to treat these children before they enter school, so it’s not uncommon that I’m doing 4- or 5-year-olds,” he added. “And the reason is bullying or peer pressure. It’s been shown to psychologically to have the ability to affect their self-esteem or body image for the rest of their life.”
Thoughts, Roommates?
TSR STAFF: Myeisha E.! @myeisha.essex
