title: Safety of Cosmetic Surgery in Adolescent Patients.
abstract: Limited surgical literature currently exists that evaluates postoperative complications after cosmetic surgery in adolescents.
  
  
  
  The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of major postoperative complications in adolescent patients undergoing cosmetic surgery and compare their complication rates to older patients.
  
  
  
  A prospective cohort of patients undergoing cosmetic surgical procedures between 2008 and 2013 was identified from the CosmetAssure database. Demographics, clinical characteristics, surgical procedures, and major complications in adolescent patients (age 10-19 years) and older patients (≥20 years old) were compared. Risk factors analyzed included age, gender, body mass index, smoking, diabetes, type of surgical facility, procedure by body region, and combined procedures.
  
  
  
  Overall, 3519 adolescents and 124,409 older patients underwent cosmetic surgical procedures. The adolescent cohort contained more men (20.0% vs 6.0%, P < 0.01), lower mean body mass index (22.6 ± 4.1 vs 24.4 ± 4.6, P < 0.01), lower prevalence of diabetes (0.8% vs 1.9%, P <0.01), and fewer smokers (5.9% vs 8.3%, P < 0.01) compared to the older patient cohort. Most commonly adolescent patients underwent breast followed by face and body procedures. Overall adolescent patients demonstrated a lower incidence of major postoperative complications compared to older patients after single (0.6% vs 1.5%, P < 0.01) and combined (1.2% vs 3%, P = 0.03) cosmetic procedures. Adolescent patients had lower complications rates after face, breast, and body procedures compared to the older cohort. The most common postoperative complications in adolescent patients were hematoma (0.34%) and infection (0.28%).
  
  
  
  Cosmetic surgical procedures in adolescent patients are safe with a lower rate of major postoperative complications compared to older patients.
  
  
  
  2.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, The South Permanente Medical Group, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yeslev
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt, TN.
authors.forename: Varun
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Winocour
authors.affiliation: Erlanger Heath System, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chattanooga, TN.
authors.forename: R Bruce
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Shack
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL.|Aesthetic Surgery Journal.
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Grotting
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt, TN.
authors.forename: K Kye
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Higdon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003357:Cosmetic Techniques / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult