How Young Is Too Young for Cosmetic Treatments?

Zoe Myers
By Zoe Myers

My name is Zoe and I am a self-confessed skin addict! I believe that everyone has the right to feel confident in their skin so I created Authentic Aesthetics.


The view of a young Aesthetician on Aesthetic treatment and teenagers.

There’s been a lot of controversy about the Kylie Jenner lip enhancement story as she was just 17 years old when she had them done.

In some ways you can’t blame her, growing up in the limelight and having sisters such as Kim Kardashian, who openly spend thousands on their appearance every year.

Is this something that’s going to become more normal as the years go by?

Young people, including myself, feel the constant pressure to look our best and with celebrities setting ridiculously high standards, it’s easy for them to feel like cosmetic treatments are the only way to achieve beauty.

These 2014 statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS) show some incredible numbers for the 13-19-year-old age range in the USA having cosmetic treatments:

  • 63,538 had cosmetic surgery
  • 160,541 had minimally invasive (non-surgical) cosmetic procedures 
  • The most popular was rhinoplasty with a total of 30,127 opting for this procedure and breast augmentation being carried out 8,040 times
  • The most popular minimally invasive procedure was laser hair removal clocking up a total of 71,650 teens
  • Botox injections were performed 19,170 on this age range and hyaluronic acid fillers (such as you’d get in the lips and facial areas) were administered 3,210 times, up 6% from the previous year
  • The grand total comes to 224,079 cosmetic procedures for teens

I’d like to point out that most well-accredited practitioners will put a blanket ban on treating anyone under the age of 18 for purely cosmetic reasons.

At the clinic where I work, we stick to this unless there is a medical reason for treatment such as excessive underarm sweating or migraines.

We and most other aesthetic clinics in the UK will not treat anyone under the age of 18 for interventions such as lip fillers or Botox for muscle relaxation. There are unfortunately however clinicians (both medical and non-medical), and surgeons who will perform cosmetic procedures on young girls, and can also do them wrong.

Now, personally, I had lip filler done at the age of 20. Some people may say that this is too young, however, I would disagree.

what age is too young for cosmetic treatments

In my opinion, if a young person from the age of 18+ really wants a cosmetic procedure because it’s affecting how they feel about themselves, then there is nothing wrong with that.

What I do oppose to is when it’s taken too far. Beautiful young ladies end up wanting every surgery and injectable treatment under the sun to try to fit into an unrealistic stereotype depicted by the media. Cosmetic treatments should be seen as something to help improve your appearance, not to make you look like a completely different person, or outlandishly unnatural. I think this is where young people are going wrong.

This is rather an alarming amount for such a young age group, but it is worth bearing on mind that this number will also include people that may have had treatments due to birth defects, scars or sports injuries e.g. broken noses. The more reconstructive side of plastic surgery.

However, the vast majority is going to be teenagers who have actively spoken about wanting these cosmetic procedures done.

How young is too young for cosmetic treatments

If you want to read more, the experts at Consulting Room really know what they're talking about and have put together some lip enhancement, rhinoplasty, breast augmentation, laser hair removal, Botox, dermal filler, scarring and hyperhidrosis treatment FAQs just for you. 

If you have more questions, you can use the lip enhancement, rhinoplasty, breast augmentation, laser hair removal, Botox, dermal filler, scarring and hyperhidrosis treatment questions feature to talk to our panel of trained medical experts. 

If you're keen to get started with acne treatment right away then you're in luck - those clever folks also have a list of trusted, accredited lip enhancement, rhinoplasty, breast augmentation, laser hair removal, Botox, dermal filler, scarring and hyperhidrosis clinics in your area.

Thanks to the author

Thanks to Zoe, the acne skin expert from Authentic Aesthetics in Kenilworth. 

Zoe was a UK trainer for the HydraFacial company so she knows what she's talking about! 

Her mission is to not only perform treatments but also educate her clients about how their skin works so that they can have complete faith in why she has chosen that treatment for them and how it will give them the best skin of their life!


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