The Controversy Over Plastic Surgery For Down Syndrome

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Several years ago, the parents of a child with Down syndrome were featured on the BBC News for putting their baby through three painful operations to improve her appearance. The couple said they only wanted what was best for their daughter and were worried about her being teased in school.

Performing surgery on patients with Down syndrome is controversial and the debate has many sides. Despite the controversy, there is growing awareness about the risks and benefits of plastic surgery for those with Down syndrome.

Origins of Down Syndrome

John Langdon Down, an English physician, identified Down syndrome as a specific form of mental retardation in 1862. Down ran a school for children with mental retardation and published an essay on his observations of the distinct, common features of a group of children who were different from those with mental retardation.

It was only in the late 1950’s that Down syndrome was recognized as a genetic birth defect. The condition causes slow growth, abnormal facial features, and mental retardation as a result of an extra copy of all or part of chromosome 21.

Ups and “Downs” of Surgery

In the 1970’s, a group of skilled physicians and surgeons began performing surgeries on children with Down syndrome to change their facial characteristics. Since that time, the subject of plastic surgery for Down syndrome has been extremely controversial.

Plastic Surgery on a Down syndrome patient, in most cases, is cosmetic and optional. Very few cases are deemed medically necessary.

According to the BBC News story, the Down Syndrome Association said they fully support the rights of adults to choose plastic surgery. A similar opinion is expressed by Ann Suziedelis, a bioethicist who questioned whether the Down syndrome child should be subjected to purely elective surgery before reaching an age where he or she can fully consent.

However, the National Down Syndrome Society thinks parents should be able to seek plastic surgery for their Down syndrome child as long as their decision is fully informed.

Other advocates feel that Down syndrome children who undergo surgery would receive more acceptances in a broader community because their faces would be normalized. Surgery gives these children a way of escaping the stigma they are born with, some say.

Types of Procedures

There are two primary areas that a Down syndrome candidate may receive plastic surgery for: tongue reduction and facial reconstruction. Both surgeries are performed under general anesthesia.

Little Georgia, the baby featured in the BBC News segment, had both and her parents felt assured that they made the correct decision.

“Society is not going to change overnight so Georgia has to fit into a society rather than society fitting into the way she is,” said her mother.

Peter Bell, 44 years old with Down syndrome, consented to having surgery to alter the shape of his nose and eyes.

“I just want to be normal, find a girlfriend, settle down and have a normal relationship,” he said.

He made that choice himself.

(Article by: Donna Corrado)

Interested in learning more about plastic surgery? Contact a board certified plastic surgeon near you today.


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