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Plastic Surgery Position Statement by DSNSW
Thursday 13th Mar 2008
COSMETIC AND PLASTIC SURGERY ON CHILDREN WITH DOWN SYNDROME

There have been recent reports that parents of a child with Down syndrome arranged for her to have plastic surgery to alter her appearance. The parents advised that they had undertaken these processes so that their daughter would ‘fit in’ with her peers and not be subject to the discrimination that a child with Down syndrome may undergo.

Down Syndrome NSW opposes any type of surgery that is performed on a person with Down syndrome solely for cosmetic purposes.

While people with Down syndrome do have features in common, they also closely resemble their parents and family. Many characteristics are attributed to Down syndrome, but any one person will have only some of them - each person is an individual, with a unique appearance, personality and set of abilities.

Surgical alterations to a child with Down syndrome will alter the fundamental and unique appearance of that person.

Surgery of this type may also place the child into a situation of risk that would not otherwise exist.

Our view is that this is not appropriate and that – rather than altering the appearance of a child – we should continue to work towards altering the attitudes of the community in general to achieve the complete acceptance of Down syndrome and other disabilities.

We can also equip our children to cope better with the often painful processes of being different. There are many skills and techniques that children can be taught to enable them to function effectively in sometimes difficult environments.

We believe it is unacceptable that a view is held anywhere in the community that some individuals or groups need to have their appearance altered before they can be accepted.

If a need for surgery exists because of sound physiological reasons then an assessment on the potential benefits and risks should be conducted on the same basis as they would for any other member of the community.

Down Syndrome NSW

12 March 2008