Is a Breast Reduction Safe at Age 15?

It sounds like eventually you may be a good candidate for a Breast Reduction/Lift procedure. I would recommend waiting until you have ffinal breast growth which usually occurs from age 18-21 for a more predictable result. Other considerations is the potential inability to breast feed after surgery.

In some cases I will perform breast reductions on teenagers whose breasts are extremely large and problematic for them. I require that the child's parents and pediatrician agree with the decisions, in addition to the patient herself.

Thank you for the question.

It sounds like  you are dealing with juvenile breast hypertrophy along with the physical and psychosocial consequences of this diagnosis. In other words, the breasts are too large for the frame causing  both physical and psychological distress.

As  you think  about  breast reduction surgery make sure you do your homework and understand the potential risks and complications associated with  the procedure.  Unsatisfactory scarring is  one of the potential complications. Make sure you also understands that further surgery may be necessary in the future (for example if the breasts were to grow in size again).

On the other hand, breast reduction surgery is one of the most patient pleasing operations we perform and I think that for the right teenager (enough symptoms) it may be an excellent option (regardless of the age).
Sometimes breast  reduction surgery is covered through health insurance. The best way to obtain insurance coverage for breast reduction surgery involves some “hoops” to jump through. The more documentation you have (for example, from your primary care doctor, physical therapist, chiropractor etc.) the better when it comes to obtaining insurance “authorization” for the procedure.
This documentation and letter/pictures from your plastic surgeon will help you obtain authorization.

Make sure you're  working with a well-trained/experienced board-certified plastic surgeon.


I hope this helps.