Adolescence encompasses the evolutionary challenge of life. While beginning to explore and forge his or her personality, the teenager has to face many psycho-emotional complexities. These include the acceptance of one’s aesthetic appearance. In the majority of cases, a healthy mediation between the ideal and real settles the conflict. However, considerable deviations from the prevailing beauty standards can prompt the wish for aesthetical change.
When this dissatisfaction does not result from a distorted perception of the self image but has objective confirmation, the surgery can happen before the coming of age, and therefore before completion of the evolutionary development.
Although very in demand among teenagers, rhinoplasty is not always compatible with the developmental age, irrespective of its reasons. The anatomical development of the nose does not complete until 16-18 years of age: therefore, in some cases, it might be advisable to wait. Only the specialist rhinoplasty surgeon can determine whether it is advisable to operate the young patient or to postpone nose surgery for a few years.
