Raise the age of cosmetic surgery from 18 to 21?

According to research by de Volkskrant, cosmetic procedures are becoming increasingly common among young people. Of the 22,000 women under 35, one-third can imagine undergoing a cosmetic procedure at some point. Earlier, Boston University coined the term 'Snapchat dysmorphia' for the desire to look like an edited version of oneself through a filter. VROUW colleague Hester Zitvast wrote an opinion piece last year about botox and fillers for young people. Read it below.

"Raising the age limit for cosmetic procedures from 18 to 21 – patronizing behavior? Not at all! It's trendy in certain circles – where Chanel bags dangle from arms in middle school and €500 shoes are the norm – to get a botox treatment or lip filler as a pastime (?). A quick toast with a glass of expensive champagne, of course, a post on Instagram, and on to the next thing.

THE PERM

In the Netherlands, we detest being patronized. Everything should be possible, preferably at any age. The government shouldn't meddle! I must say that a wagging finger from Dutch politics almost always irritates me, but an occasional protective rule is truly not an unnecessary luxury.

Try to look at it objectively: botox and fillers... it's starting to become the new perm. Do you remember that time when young people also got perms en masse? Oh, if only someone had shouted back then: 'That should be forbidden at your age!' Well, that didn't have lasting consequences for us. We walked around for a few months looking like absolute idiot poodles, but all your friends did too, so who cares. But botox and fillers, I think, are really a step further.

PREVENTATIVE

We saw Koen and Gigi – the 'Hillegersberg handbags' from the TV show 'Niet lullen, maar poetsen' (Don't blab, just get to work) – making a trip to the botox clinic as an outing back then. No, they didn't have wrinkles; it was purely preventative. You never know what's coming, and the mere thought of a facial crease is enough to cause a semi-depression.

And that's the crux of this story. Why do you want botox? Is it because it's the norm in your social circle? Are you insecure about your appearance? Or do you have a deep-seated fear of aging?

FILLER

Because in all those cases, I believe a visit to a psychologist would do more good. You simply don't have wrinkles when you're 18. And in the three years between your 18th and 21st birthdays, you may have become a bit more confident, realizing that you really don't (yet) need to alter yourself.

Boundaries blur easily. After a visit to the botox doctor, a filler in your lip is the next step. And if you're already at it, in a few years, a mini-facelift too; your data is already in the system anyway.

BABY BOTOX

Of course, most cosmetic doctors don't agree with me. They argue that they genuinely don't inject young adults who don't need it. But meanwhile, anyone who is a general practitioner can earn extra money this way (at home), provided they keep the product cool in the refrigerator.

You'd be surprised how many general practitioners and dentists earn their fifth holiday this way in the evenings; most of them don't bat an eye at a wrinkle-free 18-year-old – they'll give them 'baby botox' without hesitation.

BAN

So just ban it until 21. It's not like such a ban takes the fun out of someone's life, is it? You're not denying someone the ability to drive, for example. No, you just can't inject poison into your head for three more years, boohoo.

Such an increase in the age limit seems like an excellent move to me and should be implemented immediately. Let's start accepting more that aging is an unavoidable (ad)vantage of life. And it's better to realize that in time." Source: Vrouw.nl