Can a teenage have breast reduction

Elizabeth S. Lee, MD answers: Waiting necessary before breast reduction for teens?

I'm almost 16 and I have a 40DD breast size. Do I need to wait to have a breast reduction?


Elizabeth S. Lee, MD
1 month ago

The quick anwer is "no, 16 may not be to young to have breast reduction surgery." The timing of breast reduction surgery is really individual.  In general, it is nice to have the option to wait until a woman has had her children and has finished breastfeeding.  Having had a breast reduction may affect your ability to make enough milk to nurse without supplementing.  Also, breasts change with pregnancy and nursing.  Some women get much smaller than they were before having children, some women get bigger and stay bigger even after weaning, most women have change in breast shape.

At 16, you might not be finished having children for over 16 more years, and that might be too long to wait.  Large breasts can be really uncomfortable, both by attracting unwanted attention and physically because they weigh down your shoulders and your back. I usually want to see that your breasts are not actively growing and that your bra size has been the same for a year. So if you and your parents understand that having breast reduction may make you unable to nurse successfully and that future pregnancies will change the size and shape of your breasts again, 16 may be the right time to have this surgery.  

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