Unhappy with their breast size and how they look, more and more girls under the age of 18 are undergoing expensive and dangerous breast implant surgery. As reported by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 3,841 young women 18 or younger underwent breast augmentation, a 24 percent jump from 3,095, a 19 percent increase from 2002.

From coast to coast, and especially prevalent in Texas and California, breast implants are fast becoming the most popular new fad among teens looking to improve their looks and become more noticeable to the opposite sex."Breasts are a fashion item," says Dr. Garry Brody, professor of plastic surgery at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. More and more teens regard this dangerous practice as nothing more than fun, willing to ignore the danger, side effects, and long term problems associated with breast implant surgery.

Many teens regard the surgery as "just a fun thing to do," comparing it to having their hair or nails done, rather than the complicated, dangerous, and expensive surgical procedure it really is.

Around holidays, spring break, graduation, and especially during the Christmas season, doctors begin to see the demand for implant surgery increase.Breast augmentation has become so popular among teens, that many parents are now offering the surgery as a Sweet 16 or high school graduation gift, sometimes paying upwards of $10,000 for breast enlargement.

Even though in 2000 the Food and Drug Administration approved saline implants for women 18 or older, its recommendation is only advisory, because unlike medications, breast implants are not regulated by them.

However, silicone-gel implants are not approved for marketing, available to women only through FDA approved clinical studies.Throwing caution to the wind, teens are unwilling to treat implant surgery with the seriousness it deserves, acknowledging the risks and permanent changes they're making to their bodies and appearance. And unfortunately those risks far outweigh the advantages to having larger, fuller breasts, especially at such a young age, when most teen's bodies aren't even fully developed yet.

Most teens don't want sensible advice thrown at them, though, especially if they're flat-chested girls still in the process of developing. Unfortunately at that age, teen girls have the worst self and body image. When they look through magazines and see voluptuous models with large, full breasts on every page, they want to look just like that, the consequences be damned.

And there are always consequences to breast implant surgery, some serious, some not, but one thing is for sure, their bodies will be forever changed. And the saddest thing is that once the surgery is completed, it can't be undone. They're stuck with facing, what for some of these young girls, will end up being a lifetime of regret.

Everything from severe asymmetry to life threatening complications and illness can occur with implant surgery. Other risks include complications from anesthesia, excessive bleeding and infection, to name just a few. Also, over time the implants can rupture or deflate, requiring more surgery, along with capsular contracture the tightening of scar tissue around the implant, a common complication following breast augmentation.

Fortunately today there are other safer, all natural remedies, and alternatives to increasing breast size available on the market that can be just as effective, with none of the side effects or dangers involved with implant surgery.

If they're willing to take the time to look around, women and teens can have the larger, fuller breasts they want, without risking their lives to have it.