Should bullied kids have cosmetic surgery?

People have argued the toss over adults having cosmetic surgery for decades , but generally most people are in agreement over one thing: it’s the individual’s choice to make. However, it’s a little more difficult to navigate the moral maze where children are involved. Is it ever right to allow children to go under the knife? Is it plain wrong to encourage them to have surgery?

It’s an issue that’s been raised again in the wake of a report in the US media about youngsters having surgery to avoid being bullied. According to ABC News, seven-year-old Samantha Shaw is set to have her protruding ears pinned back after years of teasing. Her mother, Cami Roselles, said that although taunts from her little girl’s classmates can be bad, often “adults can be worse”. "One lady walked up to her and said, 'Oh my God, what happened to your ears?'" the concerned mum recalled.

As a result, little Samantha has become very sensitive about her ears. “It really does get to her,” Ms Roselles explained. She first consulted her doctor, who told her that Samantha’s ears would most likely become more normal looking as she grew older. However, years on from this appointment, the youngster is still suffering the same problems – leading her mum to take the decision to do something drastic. This month, Samantha will have otoplasty to pin her ears back. “Having it done now is probably the best, instead of when she gets older and they make fun of her more,” Ms Roselles commented.

According to the latest figures from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery , the number of kids and teens going under the knife has gone up by 30 per cent over the past ten years. Many experts have suggested that this is due to a rise in bullying – or that an increase in playground teasing could certainly be a factor.

If this is the case, then for parents of bullied children, it could be a case of working out the lesser of the perceived evils. If having plastic surgery could take your child out of the line of fire, is that worse than keeping them surgery-free but unhappy. There’s no hard and fast, black and white answer: everyone’s different. But for some, it appears that going under the knife is the easiest way to fit in – and concentrate on the things that matter at school rather than personal taunts.