Doctors see increase in teen cosmetic surgery linked to bullying

NEW YORK - An ABC News Report claims tens of thousands of teens have cosmetic surgery each year. Doctors attribute the high number of surgeries to rampant bullying.

High school student, Erica Morgo, says she was taunted non-stop about the size of her nose starting in about the sixth grade.

Morgo started skipping school and eventually tried to take matters into her own hands.

"I tried breaking my nose once, 'cause I was so fed up with the bullying that I, I tried banging my face against the door," says Morgo.

Her mother allowed her to have cosmetic surgery at 15-years- old.

Morgo is not alone. Teens across the nation are lining up for nose jobs, breast reductions or augmentations, ear tucks and even botox injections.

"I do see a fair amount of parents coming in with their child because of bullying. My preference is, of course, to work out the issues first, the bullying, the teasing. But there are certain situations where people are mature enough and surgery is a final resort," says Dr. Michael Fiorello.

One child psychiatrist believes cosmetic surgery will only compound the problem of bullying.

"The idea of someone getting plastic surgery to avoid bullying, seems to me as crazy and worrisome as if a Black person were to got to a doctor and say, 'I wanna become White, to avoid racism.' The problem is clearly with the phenomenon of bullying, and not with the person' s nose." Dr. Ned Hallowell argues.