Adolescent girls’ views on cosmetic surgery: A focus group study

Abstract

This study examined adolescent girls’ views of cosmetic surgery. Seven focus groups were run with girls aged 15–18 years ( N = 27). Participants read case studies of women having cosmetic surgery, followed by discussion and exploration of their views. Thematic analysis identified four themes: (1) dissatisfaction with appearance, (2) acceptability of cosmetic surgery, (3) feelings about undergoing cosmetic surgery and (4) cosmetic surgery in the media. Results suggest the acceptability of cosmetic surgery varies according to the reasons for having it and that the media play an important role by normalising surgery and under-representing the risks associated with it.