Ban on cosmetic surgery for under-18s proposed

The most popular procedures include breast augmentation and rhinoplasty

A bill to ban under-18s from undergoing cosmetic surgery is to be presented in Argentina’s Congress later this week.

The proposal, drawn up by National Deputy Mara Brawer of the ruling Frente Para la Victoria party, will be formally introduced into the Chamber of Deputies by a panel of specialists on Thursday.

Reconstructive, restorative and therapeutic procedures would be exempt from the proposed ban, which also allows for sex change operations under certain conditions.

Ms Brawer said: “This law is for surgical procedures that are purely cosmetic and that do not repair anything on a psychological or physical level.

“It is about the obligation of the state to protect young people from the physical risk that each operation involves and the psychological damage that is implied in the non-acceptance of a body that is in the process of changing.”

She added that while there were no official statistics on the level of under-18s undergoing cosmetic surgery in Argentina, many parents had expressed concern about the pressures faced by their children in conforming to a cultural “ideal” in terms of how they should look.

The most popular cosmetic procedures amongst teenagers worldwide include breast augmentation, liposuction and rhinoplasty.