20 Year Old with 32 DDD Breasts, Am I a Candidate for a Breast Reduction?

The biomechanical burden of disproportionately large, heavy breasts is accentuated in the woman of diminutive stature.  If bra straps dig painfully into your shoulders, you have upper and/or mid back pain that disables you, with poor posture, limitation of your activities, without respite or relief, then YES, reduction mammaplasty should be in your future.

You are definitely a candidate for breast reduction.  In proportion to your height, you have gigantomastia.  Many insurance companies will cover the procedure.  I recommend that you see a board certified plastic surgeon in consultation who can go through the pre-authorization process on your behalf.  For additional information, if you have health insurance, the insurance company should have its most recent requirements (basically hoops that both the doctor and the patient have to jump through!) posted on its website.  Breast reduction has the highest satisfaction rate of any procedure I perform and patients benefit tremendously both in terms of alleviating back pain and improving body image. 

Thank you for the question.

It sounds like you have been 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. You may be an excellent candidate for breast reduction surgery.

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 are  working with a well-trained/experienced board-certified plastic surgeon.


I hope this helps.