Alex's Answer
I want to get plastic surgery
Your Question
Hey! So I am 17 years old and a girl and I want to get plastic surgery but my parents don’t let me do that. I don’t like the way I look and no one Â
understands that. I want to have big lips and to fix my nose. I have to look perfect and to look good. My mom even cried when I told them if I can doÂ
 these things and they said that there is no way to let me do them! Agh I just want to look beautiful.Â
Answer
Hi there and thank you for contacting Ask Alex,
You talk about wanting to have plastic surgery as you don’t like the way you look and your parents won’t allow you to have plastic surgery and your mum became upset.
Plastic surgery is major surgery that can carry many risks. It is also very expensive. We can often think that if we can fix one issue, that this can bring us happiness but sometimes there may be deeper issues at play here.
We can all struggle with our appearance and how we feel about ourselves particularly due to the influence of social media and the drive to be perfect all the time. However, behind those perfect images, are the reality that we all live in and we all can struggle with our confidence and how we feel about ourselves. We very often focus in on our imperfections or the things we don’t like about ourselves as oppose to identifying the positives about ourselves
We often talk about self-esteem and sometimes low self esteem can be that deeper issue that I spoke of at the beginning. Self-esteem is about how we appreciate and value ourselves. It can be influenced by our life experiences and our interactions with others. We wonder do you value yourself and all your positive qualities; do you surround yourself with people who make you feel good about yourself and appreciate you for who you are.
Would you think about getting some support or completing a little work around your self-esteem? Examples of activities we can do is challenge our negative thoughts everyday and focus on positive thoughts through journalling, engage in activities that we enjoy and that make us feel good about ourselves, surround yourselves with positive people and if you utilise social media maybe limited the amount of time you spend on social media.
If ever you need to talk about it and you don’t know who to go to, know Childline is here for you. They will listen and support you whenever you need too. You can contact our free phone service on 1800 66 66 66 or chat to us through our webchat service, by clicking on the purple Messenger circle on www.childline.ie.
Take care,
Ask Alex