Cosmetic treatment: Is 17 old enough?

Is 17 too young to undergo a non-invasive treatment? And is 18 really old enough? We explore. 
Having faced months of media (and public) speculation as to the seemingly fluctuating size of her lips, Kylie Jenner recently admitted that nature and make up had less to do with her new facial structure than a good aesthetic practitioner…

Speaking on an upcoming episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians, the reality star confessed that she had used temporary fillers to create her fuller pout, stating rather bluntly “I have had temporary lip fillers, it’s just an insecurity of mine. It’s what that I wanted to do.”
However, at just 17, Jenner’s decision has been an extremely controversial one and something that has sparked debate as to just how young is too young for any treatment…no matter how ‘non-invasive’ it is.
The Private Clinic spoke to The Huffington Post about the issue saying that, in the case of Jenner, 17 is “very young to be undergoing a cosmetic procedure such as lip fillers“. Our bodies constantly develop during our teenage years (and sometimes even later) and the face can change extensively. Opting for a treatment at too young an age is not normally recommended; you can’t be sure as to how your face will develop, and if you’ll be disappointed in the results later on down the road.

The Private Clinic has a policy that he won’t treat anyone under the age of 21, except in the case where treatments are wanted for more than purely aesthetic reasons (for example if it could be causing psychological or physical harm). “If patients come in that are younger than that [21], but over the age of 18, then I insist that they come with parents or a guardian that can lend support and help to take in the consultation contents, and even then, I would only consider seeing them for a consultation if the treatment they were seeking was for reasons beyond just pure aesthetics”, he told the newspaper.

This is an opinion shared by many doctors across multiple treatments. For example, our hair surgeons will very rarely perform a hair transplant on anyone under the age of 25. This is because in your teens and early twenties it can be hard to understand the true nature and extent of your hair loss and you may find that, while we restore one area, more hair loss will take place elsewhere, leading you back to where you started. For those under 25, we will often advise you to meet with a trichologist in the first instance to analyse what’s causing the problem and how it can be controlled without surgery. Something like N-Lite acne treatment, meanwhile, would be looked at completely differently and there are normally little issues for it to be performed on teenagers, providing it is suitable and full parental consent is given. It’s always about finding the best treatment for that particular time; as a clinic we have a huge duty of care to make sure that you’re not just happy to begin with, but will be happy with the results in the long-term.

Aesthetic treatments are always an extremely personal decision. We understand that and will only ever consider your own individual circumstances when consulting on a treatment. If something isn’t necessary or right for you, it doesn’t matter about your age. We believe in being honest and giving you the care, attention and skill that you need. It’s your body and we always appreciate that. Our job is to make sure you only go ahead with treatments that will help you be comfortable in yourself – not just now, but for the long-term too.

At The Private Clinic all of our injectable treatments are carried out by experienced cosmetic doctors, nurses or surgeon prescribers, who have undergone extensive additional training to qualify in prescribing and performing Dermal Filler injections.

Aesthetic Doctors

• Dr Hanson MBBS MSc MBCAM. GMC Number: 6136433
• Dr Rosa Santa Cruz MD, PhD. GMC Number: 7441197
• Dr Richard Brighton-Knight MBChB. GMC Number: 4196903

Aesthetic Nurses

• Mel Recchia RGN
• Marie Narsoomamode  RGN, BSc. NMC Reference No: 92A1045E
• Marie Dolan, RGN
• Le Xu, RGN
• Kirsty Davies, RGN

To find out more about dermal filler treatment at The Private Clinic, please call 0333 920 2471 or use our online dermal filler contact form to request a call back.