Queensland looks set to become the first Australian state to regulate cosmetic surgery and solarium use for the under-18s.

Some cosmetic surgeons in the region have revealed that they operate on around 100 teenagers a year and the numbers of teenagers seeking cosmetic surgery are growing. A magazine recently ran a study of 4,000 girls aged between 11 and 18 and discovered that around a quarter would have cosmetic surgery if they were able to, with 2% already having gone under the knife.

The figures are worrying and Premier Anna Bligh has said that although accurate data is not publicly available, anecdotal evidence shows that teenagers are increasingly turning to cosmetic surgery options.

The Queensland government are not proposing a total ban the paper suggests a ‘cooling off’ period between the initial consultation and cosmetic surgery, as well needing parental consent and compulsory medical and psychological evaluations.

Dr. Howard Webster, the president for the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons has suggested that the proposals go one step further and ban cosmetic procedures such as breast implants for the under 18s as their bodies are still growing.

Currently no state or territory in Australia regulates cosmetic surgery for minors, or the use of solariums by minors.