Children under 18 Undergoing Cosmetic Surgeries

Dr Chia Shi-Lu asked the Minister for Health (a) how many children under the age of 18 have undergone cosmetic surgeries in each of the last five years in our private and public hospitals; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider implementing more precautionary measures to protect these children and educate their parents or guardians about the risks involved as they are still growing.

Mr Speaker, over the last five years, one person under the age of 18 had undergone a cosmetic surgery procedure, namely, a double-eyelid creation, in our public hospitals. The Ministry of Health (MOH) does not track cosmetic surgeries done in the private hospitals.

The Singapore Medical Council's (SMC's) Ethical Code and Ethical Guidelines stipulate that minors, defined as those under the age of 21, have to obtain their parents' or legal guardians' written consent prior to undergoing invasive procedures. This requirement applies to both public and private hospitals. For aesthetic procedures in particular, SMC's ethical guidelines stipulate that doctors must give patients a "cooling off" period to reconsider their decision before proceeding with the treatment. Also, they must not offer aesthetic procedures to minors, unless independent professional assessments indicate that these procedures are truly in their best interest. MOH's assessment is that these safeguards are appropriate.

I thank the Senior Minister of State for his replies. Just two supplementary questions. One, would the Ministry consider collecting data on plastic surgery done on minors, 18 years and below or 21 and below, in the private sector as well? I think the Senior Minister of State would understand that the impetus for this Parliamentary Question came from a recent newspaper report where some private plastic surgeons actually did mention that there were significant increases in the number of minors seeking plastic surgery and then even with their parents' support.

My second supplementary question is whether the Ministry, in addition to the ethics codes and various guidelines for cosmetic procedures, would consider coming up with guidelines specifically for plastic surgery in minors. Because if we look at the literature, the reasons for plastic surgery in minors versus adults can be quite different. For example, in minors, it is more to fit in; in adults, more to stand out. That is just one example. Also, because minors are still growing, the risks are also different. It may affect their development. So, it is a special group of patients, and I just would like MOH to consider looking at this.

I would like to thank Dr Chia for those two suggestions. As to the first one, whether we will consider collecting a data of minors undergoing aesthetic or cosmetic surgery in private hospitals, we will look at this suggestion. As for the guidelines for cosmetic or aesthetic surgery for minors, we will consult the Academy of Medicine whether this would be feasible.