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Severe Micromastia - Waive 22 Year Age Restriction for Silicone Implants?

asked 1 year ago by eatmoresushi in Mclean, VA
Latest answer by David Bogue, MD
Question viewed 426 times
Tags: silicone implant, legal, restriction

I am currently 20 years old and really want silicone implants. My breasts are extremely small and asymmetrical, they do not even fill a AA cup. I read somewhere that severe micromastia can be a reason for getting silicone earlier than when you are 22, is this true?

8 answers to Severe Micromastia - Waive 22 Year Age Restriction for Silicone Implants?

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Silicone implants under the age of 22.

It is true that for some women under the age of 22 with a true congenital breast deformity, silicone implants are allowed. However, this does not typically mean micromastia, but rather a true absence of the breast or a significant deformity. Your best option is to consult with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon to see whether you have a true congenital deformity.
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Too young for silicone

The FDA feels that women should wait until they are 22 years old before having silicone breast implants.  I think you are best off waiting until you are that age before undergoing that procedure
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Silicone breast Implants under age 22

The FDA has not approved the use of Silicone breast implants for patients under the age of 22 years old is due to the fact that while studying the safety of Silicone breast implants the range of the age of patients that were studied was from 22 and above and so the data pertains to that studies and so approved only to patients from 22 years old and above unless they are used for breast reconstruction reasons. Some Plastic Surgeons will preform the breast augmentation procedure on younger... more
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Silicone Implants for Girls Under 22

It is not true.  The FDA has approved silicone implants for women over 22 (don't ask why they chose 22 as opposed to 18 or 21).  Unless you have a disease condition such as Poland Syndrome (missing pectoral muscle) or tuberous breasts, you should probably wait to have silicone breast implants.  But, you can proceed now with saline implants. There was a moratorium (in the late 90's and early 2000's) when we did not use silicone implants and only did saline breast... more
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Age restriction for silicone implants.

You may qualify for "off label" use of the silicone implants. "Off label" use means the product has not been FDA approved for a specific circumstance but the physician, in their medical opinion, feels it is appropriate. The easiest example of this is Botox. Botox has only been FDA approved for frown lines but physicians routinely use it in other areas that they deem appropriate, which is an off label use. Consult with a few board-certified plastic surgeons and inquire... more
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Silicone Breast Implants for younger than 22

As previously stated, use of Silicone Implants for someone younger than 22 is not against the law. For someone like you, their use would be quite reasonable. Though most people see this as a problem, we do this all the time. The most obvious example is in the use of Botox. The only place that is FDA approved for its use is between the eyebrows. However, this is only one of many places we actually use it. What the company cannot do is advertise or show its use elsewhere. The same applies for... more
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Severe micromastia, silicone gel under age 22

It can be the case that severe micromastia and asymmetry can justify the use of a silicone gel breast implant for an individual under 22 years. If your surgeon can make a successful argument that the implant was used in reconstruction of a breast deformity rather than in breast augmentation the FDA criteria and restriction may be satisfied. Keep in mind that silicone gel is not always softer, longer lasting, more natural, better looking, than a saline breast implant. You may enjoy a saline... more
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Silicone age restrictions

When the FDA approved silicone implants for all women to chose from they used the 22 year old age as a minimum because they had a significant number of women in the study at this age and beyond.  This is the age of FDA approval for the use of this medical device.  It is not against the law to use silicone implants on 20 year old patients.  The use of the implants on this age group would be "off label" use of the device.  The main impact of this... more

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