Clarifications on surgical interventions in minors
Excerpt from the article, with the title “After Rafa Justus performs plastic surgery, doctors clarify interventions on minors”, originally published on the Isto é Gente website. “Rafaella Justus, daughter of Ticiane Pinheiro and Roberto Justus, underwent rhinoplasty, plastic surgery on her nose, at the age of 14. According to the teenager, the intervention was carried out mainly due to a “functional correction”. However, the young age for an aesthetic procedure drew attention.
Data from the Brazilian Society of Plastic Surgery (SBCP) indicate that, in 2016 alone, of the almost 1.5 million aesthetic procedures performed, 97 thousand (6.6%) were on people up to 18 years of age.
Despite the significant number, plastic surgeries on minors require extra bureaucracy, with parental authorization and strict medical evaluation.
“Plastic surgery in minors is usually performed in reparative cases, such as those aimed at craniofacial development problems (whether or not related to syndromes, such as Crouzon and Apert); cleft palate and cleft lip; anotia and microtia (respectively: absence and incomplete development of the ears)”, lists Fabio Oshiro, plastic surgeon at the JK Estética Avançada clinic.
In addition to congenital problems, plastic surgery on minors can be performed to repair accidents, tumors and burns.
Plastic surgeon Jairo Casali, member of the SBCP and the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS), adds that interventions in minors must be carried out after complete training of the area to be operated on, which varies depending on the location. “A rhinoplasty, for example, should only be performed after the patient is around 15 years old, with complete bone formation in the face. It is also necessary to evaluate the patient’s emotional condition, as they will undergo a surgical process that will require discipline, patience and understanding of the phases.”
Both professionals highlight otoplasty, correction of “protruding ears”, imageas one of the procedures that can be carried out in childhood “without major concerns”, as the cartilaginous structural development of the region occurs between six and seven years. ..” Link to full article – Isto é Gente website