CHANGING FACES

Nobody is perfect.

There is always going to be at least one thing about yourself that you wish you could change, whether it be something as small as a freckle above your lip, or something as big as your nose.

More teenagers then ever seem to be having these insecurities and many are turning to plastic surgery to fix their perceived natural flaws. Teenagers are choosing nose jobs, breast implants, ear pinnings and Botox injections to make themselves seem more attractive.

"It was the best decision I've ever made," says Jasmine Davoudi, a recent graduate from The Meadows School, when asked about her nose job.

Davoudi remembers thinking how much she hated her nose and wanting to fix it as early as the age of 4.

At the age of 17, Davoudi decided to undergo plastic surgery, a rhinoplasty -- which is most commonly known as a nose job.

Davoudi is one of thousands of teens who have opted for plastic surgery. According to American Society of Plastic Surgeons statistics, in 2003 more than 331,000 cosmetic surgeries were performed on kids under the age of 18.

In that year, more than 42,500 teens got nose jobs and more than 16,000 had ear pinnings, which are two of the most popular procedures among teens.

More than 3,800 teens had breast implants.

Professionals say that plastic surgery is becoming more accessible to the general public and becoming more acceptable throughout high schools.

"There is tremendous pressure among high school students to look a certain way," says Dr. Jeffrey Roth, a board certified plastic surgeon. "When a teen comes to me wanting rhinoplasty, I first look at the function and then the form, and from there together we decide whether or not surgery is necessary."

Many teens are undergoing these surgeries to solve deeper issues such as low self-esteem, but in many cases plastic surgery does not solve any of the underlying issues.

When most teenagers look in a magazine, they may see their favorite celebrities with big breasts, a perfect nose and a flat stomach.

"That is just not the reality of how people really are," says one teenage girl who has been contemplating having breast augmentation. She asked to remain anonymous.

"People are all different shapes and sizes and I have realized that although many celebrities look perfect in their pictures, it does not mean that is how they look in real life," she says. "Sure I would love it if I had the curves of Kim Kardashian, but I don't and until I am 100 percent sure I am ready to change my body I'll live with my 32 AA's."

What many teenagers do not realize is that pictures of celebrities often are altered to de-emphasize imperfections.

"When a celebrity is being photographed, they are told to pose a certain way which causes them to appear slimmer," Roth says. "They also have the best photographers, best makeup artists and they are oftentimes airbrushed to perfection.

"The reality is, is that it is impossible to look amazing all the time," Roth says. "Even the most beautiful girls have something they want done, but the challenge is knowing when enough is enough."