Can Plastic Surgery Help Teens Overcome Bullying?

   By SheSpeaksTeam  Jan 14, 2014

1

On top of homework, studying for tests, and getting out of bed at the crack of dawn many teens also have to deal with a daily barrage of bullies. Some teens find a way of coping or dealing with their bullies while others never really figure it out and their self-esteem suffers. One teen found it so difficult to deal with bullies that she dropped out of school in favor of being homeschooled and felt her only choice was to get a nose job.

Utah People Post reports about Renata’s quest to undergo plastic surgery and the New York City non-profit organization that fulfilled the teen’s wish. Renata applied to receive financial assistance with her nose job from the Little Baby Face Foundation (an organization that says it helps kids with “facial birth defects”).

Renata wrote about her experience with bullies in her plea for plastic surgery, “They were just calling me ‘that girl with the big nose. It just really hurts. And you can’t get over it.” She added, “I tried convincing myself that I am fine the way I am, but I just don’t believe it anymore.”

The organization heard Renata’s pleas and decided to grant her wish for a nose job, they also paid for her to receive a chin implant to “balance her face”. Renata’s mother Michelle has heard the warnings from psychologists that plastic surgery will not help a child overcome bullying, but she still feels her daughter did the right thing. Michelle explains, “Parents correct kids’ teeth with braces to make their teeth straighter. They’re still the same kid on the inside, but, unfortunately, people are judged on how they look.” Months after Renata’s surgery her mother says she is happier than she’s been in years and plans to return to regular school.

What do you think of this teen’s choice to get a nose job and the organization that decided to help her?

Do you think plastic surgery is the answer for some kids or is there a better way to deal with bullying?