The biggest boob

By Merill Haseen

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WOULD you let your daughter have cosmetic surgery

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Hitting the news is Jenna Franklin, who has asked for a breast enlargement as a 16th birthday present. For some time now, Jemma has wanted her size 34As enlarged to size 34C or D.

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Her reason 'I just want to be happy with my body and I think having my breasts enlarged will give me more self-confidence.'

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Both Jemma's parents are in the plastic surgery business and wanted to give Jemma the �5,000 present of surgery when she turns 16 later this year.

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However, the surgeon at the Cambridge private hospital where she was due to have the operation has told her she must wait until she's 18, because her breasts won't be mature enough and there are psychological implications.

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Currently, the lower age limit for breast augmentation without parental consent is 16, but most surgeons are reluctant to operate on girls under 18.

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Twenty years ago, teenage girls who wanted to appear more grown up would stuff hankies down their bras. Not any more. Now they are turning to plastic surgery to enhance their looks. At a cost of �3,000 upwards, breast implants are fast becoming the latest fashion accessory for teen girls.

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Health specialists warn that cosmetic surgery is not the way to resolve teenage anxieties about looks.

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Caroline Prest, who took part in a recent Channel 4 documentary Perfect Breasts, found that a breast enlargement didn't solve her problems. Caroline nagged her parents for two years until they relented and loaned her �3,500 for the operation when she was 17.

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Now aged 20, Caroline admits that the operation wasn't the solution she thought it would be. 'After a month, when the novelty wore off, I started fixating about another part of my body. Suddenly I wanted my legs to be more toned.

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'Now I look back at photos of myself and realise that I had a really nice figure. Having a boob job changes people's perceptions of you and men start talking to your breasts and not your face.'

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In the United States, plastic surgery is common among teenagers. Last year, 2,000 girls under 18 were given breast implants.

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And, where America leads we tend to follow. Plastic surgery is becoming increasingly popular in the UK. In 1999 we spent �158.6million on cosmetic surgery, with breast enlargement topping the table as the most popular operation.

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Do you think something should be done to curb the use of cosmetic surgery on children Or, are teenagers able to make up their own minds about�how they change their physical appearance Have your say on The AnswerBank message boards. Click here