AUSTRALIAN women as young as 18 are taking overseas cosmetic-surgery holidays to "reclaim" their youth.

Single mother Ambah Young, 18, will head to Malaysia in a fortnight to have a tummy tuck, a boob job and a "designer" vagina procedure.

But the Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery has raised concerns about the appropriateness of such procedures on someone so young, along with the added risks of having them done overseas.

Ms Young, who has a two-year-old daughter, said she felt old and hoped to reclaim her youth and regain confidence.

The surgeries would cost $13,000. Ms Young has borrowed the money from a friend.

"After the birth of my daughter, my body never went back to the way it was before," Ms Young said.

"I'm having this surgery so that I can feel my age again," she said.

Exercise had not given her the results she wanted and she hoped the surgery would make her feel better about herself, and help her get ahead in life.

Melbourne-based Gorgeous Getaways director Louise Cogan said she was aware of a few 18-year-olds who had travelled to Malaysia for cosmetic procedures, though most clients were aged in their 30s to 60s.

"I've seen Ambah's photos and she really is a very suitable candidate for surgery because she has an overhanging tummy," Mrs Cogan said.

"The only way she can actually improve is through surgery. She can't diet, she can't exercise because her skin is very saggy."

Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery chief executive John Flynn said 18 was very young for somebody to consider those procedures.

"She's probably quite vulnerable in many ways and I think the medical service owes her a duty of care to make sure that the procedures she's planning to be done are appropriate and there's a big question mark over that," Dr Flynn said.

As well as concerns about the quality of the surgery, the risk of complications soared with multiple surgeries, he said.

Melbourne University psychiatrist Prof David Castle said young people should first be assessed for underlying psychological problems before major cosmetic procedures.

"Sometimes they believe their psychological distress will be cured by some cosmetic procedure, and it never is, it usually makes things worse," Prof Castle said.

About 400 Australians travel to Malaysia through Gorgeous Getaways each year, with 80 per cent having two or more procedures done.

It is one of a burgeoning number of businesses specialising in overseas cosmetic-surgery holidays, which draw thousands of Australians each year.

"They'll either have the combination of facelift and breast, or facelift and tummy tuck and almost everyone has a little bit of liposuction, " Mrs Cogan said.

Including flights and accommodation, cosmetic procedures cost about half what they did in Australia, she said.

Originally published as Teen has surgery to feel young