- Well, you know, I guess a whole lot of people wish,
you know, everybody wants to look a little bit better
but there is one young mother so desperate
to change her appearance, she's making national headlines.
Her name?
Ambah Young.
She's preparing to undergo radical plastic surgery
in Malaysia, but, here's the real concern,
she's only 18.
Last night, she told A Current Affair why she's doing it.
- [Interviewer] You're way too young
to be having procedures like this.
- Yes, everyone says that, but I've wanted it
since I was about 17, 16.
- [Interviewer] Why?
- I don't know, I just don't like the way that I look.
- [Interviewer] Ambah says that since having a baby,
things have only got worse.
- What are you hoping will be different,
after you've had this surgery?
- I'll be more confident in myself,
and I'll be able to get out more and do what I wanna do.
- Really a very controversial decision.
So, to tell us why so many moms are choosing
to go under the knife, this morning we're joined
by Melbourne cosmetic surgeon Dr. Gavin Chan
and also in the studio, our Dr. Penny Adams,
our resident medical expert.
Morning, everyone.
- Hi there.
- Good morning.
- Dr. Chan, if I could ask you,
someone at the age of 18.
The three procedures she wants:
she wants a tummy tuck, a boob job,
and a vaginal operation.
What does this say to you?
- Well, I think there has to be a really serious reason
for any 18-year-old to undergo major cosmetic surgery.
And, as a doctor, it's really my responsibility
to assess the potential benefit for the patient
both from a cosmetic point of view
and a psychological point of view,
versus the potential risks, which there are, of course.
- Well, any surgery.
We'll get on to the fact that it's happening
in Asia in a moment,
but 18 having a tummy tuck,
this is very, just that procedure alone is very,
now, we all wanna get rid of a few rolls in our tummy,
but at 18, what future issues might she have,
especially if she has more children?
- Certainly a tummy tuck is major cosmetic surgery,
and it involves quite a large graft
from one side of the abdomen to the other side.
So, if you really only have a very small problem there,
it probably isn't worth undergoing that procedure
from a cosmetic point of view, because you end up
with a scar, and also, there are major risks,
it takes about a month to recover from
an abdominoplasty or tummy tuck.
And certainly, if you're planning on having
more children, it's only going to re-expand
the tummy and sort of take you back to square one.
So then you want to be knowing
that you've finished having children
before you undergo a tummy tuck.
- And also, in terms of breast enhancement,
what issues would she have with future children,
let alone just other issues in life?
- It is possible to breastfeed with breast implants,
but sometimes it can make it difficult,
and also, it's something that people don't realize,
is that breast implants need to be replaced
every so often; it's not something you have
once and done once only.
So it's an ongoing issue for this person,
especially such a young age, 18,
she'll probably have to have several
through the course of her life
if she wants to continue this.
- Indeed. Dr. Penny, she's 18,
she already has a two-year-old child,
in the same story she admitted
to suffering depression, and there is
a family history of schizophrenia.
What sort of alarm bells are ringing for you?
- Major alarm bells, Kerri-Anne.
I mean, for her to be a mother
of a two-year-old at 18 meant she had
that baby when she was 16, and I know
there are some exceptions with teenage pregnancies,
but it's not something that we would normally
think is a sign of somebody being
psychologically sound in the first place.
And, she's had a history of depression,
she's 18, we know that the frontal cortex
of the brain, which controls our impulsivity
and that sort of behavior,
it doesn't fully develop until you're 25 anyway.
I mean, I think this rings major alarm bells
for me in an 18-year-old, apart from the fact
that she's going overseas.
Another issue: she's a young mom,
it said in the article she had
to borrow $13,000 for this surgery,
I mean, she's borrowing money for that,
I mean, that money, in my mind,
would be much better spent on her two-year-old.
- Indeed.
The aspect of going overseas, because surgery
is cheaper overseas.
- Well, again, I have grave fears
about people going overseas because
of cosmetic surgery, because part of the process
with a good cosmetic surgeon is actually
him interviewing that patient and looking
at those psychological aspects in detail
over several visits before you even contemplate
having surgery, and this is in a mature person,
here's an 18-year-old who's going overseas,
I mean, what about those interviews,
what about if there's post-operative complications?
- What advice would you give her?
- I would say to her to get herself fit,
as fit as she possibly can, and just,
I mean bodies do change when you have babies,
and learn to love it, I mean you can see
she looks fine on the television.
- She needs some serious psychological help.
- I think some psychological help
rather than cosmetic surgical help.
- Dr. Chan from Melbourne, thank you very much
for your time this morning.
- Thank you.
- Dr Chan joining us from Melbourne.
So, viewers, what do you think, is this
sort of screaming emotional issues to you?
What advice would you give this young girl?
Should young girls of that age be going
under the surgeon's knife?
Email us your thoughts: kerrianne@nine.com.au.
Dr. Penny, as always, thank you.
- Thanks Kerri-Anne.