Is 22 to young for Breast Implants? How long until you can work out after surgery?

Question

I am 22, have no children and have lost a lot of weight since high school. Am I too young to be changing my boob size?I eventually want children, how will having implants impact me if I wanted to breast feed? I am a B cup and I want maybe one cup fuller, if I only want one cup fuller, is this just a waste of money? I don't think so at all. I want to continue to lose the weight, however I want to know how will that impact me after I have the surgery? Will I still be able to work out?

Lewis Albert Andres, MD · Answer

Hello!  Thank you for your question. Breast augmentation is a procedure 
often sought by women to increase 
size, add upper pole fullness and projection along with improve shape 
and symmetry of her breasts.  Women who have the breast augmentation 
done report increased self-confidence, self-esteem, and more comfortable
 with her body. In fact, it has been the most popular procedure in 
plastic surgery in the US for the past few years.  Many surgeons use 18 
years of age as the standard for when to offer the breast augmentation 
procedure to women.  Maturity and the ability to make an educated 
decision for yourself of whether this procedure is the right one for you
 as well as factors regarding implant choice, size, incision placement, 
position of the implant, other adjunct procedures, etc are major 
factors.  Having the maturity to understand all of the risks and 
benefits of the surgical procedure is also mandatory - thus, most are 
readily able to comprehend this at that age.  23 years of age is the FDA
 guideline for utilization of silicone implants.   Most surgeons restrict vigorous activity/strenuous exercise/heavy lifting for 4-6 weeksGood 
communication between you and your surgeon of 
your expectations is warranted - choosing your surgeon wisely is the 
first step.   Consult with a board certified plastic surgeon well-versed
 in this procedure.  Research your surgeon's education, training, as 
well as ability to perform this procedure.  See postoperative 
photographs and most importantly choose the one who you feel most 
comfortable with and competent to meet your expectations.  Discussion of
 your wishes and having an honest and open 
dialog of your procedure is mandatory (e.g, implant type, incision, 
placement, lift, etc).  I have found that photographs brought by the 
patient is helpful to get a visualization of the appearance you wish for
 in terms of size, shape, fullness, etc.  In addition, your surgeon's 
pre and postoperative photographs should demonstrate a realistic goal 
for you.  Once this has been accomplished, allow your surgeon to utilize
 his/her best medical judgment during the procedure to finesse the best 
possible result for you after preoperative biodimensional planning and 
fitting the right implant for your breast width. Hope that this helps!  Best wishes for a wonderful result!

Chad K. Wheeler, MD · Answer

You have several questions and a less than straight forward breast augmentation consult so I recommend you seek a board certified plastic surgeon to answer specific questions about your situation in person .  In general 22 is not too young as they are FDA approved for that age.  I will say your desire for future pregnancy plays a larger role then age.  Breasts change a lot with pregnancy so the chances if needing a touch up surgery are higher the more changes there are to your breasts.  Most women can still breast feed after an augmentation and there are ways to do it to improve those chances.  Good luck

Tom J. Pousti, MD · Answer

No, the age of 22 is not too young to undergo breast augmentation surgery. However, you should consider your life circumstances carefully and time the operation according to your own schedule; other words, timing of  the breast augmentation operation is a very personal decision that only you can make.  You will find, that after a period of time, that you will be able  to return to full activity, including work out, normally.Generally speaking, the best online advice I can give to ladies   who are considering breast augmentation surgery (regarding breast implant size/profile selection) is:

1. Concentrate on choosing your plastic surgeon carefully. Concentrate on appropriate training, certification, and the ability of the plastic surgeon to achieve the results you're looking for. Ask to see lots of examples of his/her work.

2. Have a full discussion and communication regarding your desired goals with your plastic surgeon. This communication will be critical in determining breast implant size/type/profile will most likely help achieve your goals. 
In my practice, the use of photographs of “goal” pictures (and breasts that are too big or too small) is very helpful. I have found that the use of words such as “natural” or “C or D cup” etc means different things to different people and therefore prove unhelpful.
Also, as you know, cup size varies depending on him who makes the bra; therefore, discussing desired cup size may also be inaccurate.
The use of computer imaging may also be very helpful during this communication process.

3. Once you feel you have communicated your goals clearly, allow your plastic surgeon to use his/her years of experience/judgment to choose the breast implant size/profile that will best meet your goals. Again, in my practice, this decision is usually made during surgery.
I hope this (and the attached link) help

Luis Macias, MD, FACS · Answer

22 is not too young for breast augmentation with silicone implants. You should lose all of the weight that you are planning on losing and then get your augmentation.  A physical exam is essential as many patients who have lost a lot of weight also need a breast lift. You will be able to work out after.

Jeffrey Zwiren, MD · Answer

All of your questions are good and appropriate for one considering breast augmentation surgery.  It is important to understand that this is a life changing operation and that the choices that you make now will impact your life in the future.One cup size increase in breast volume is not an unusual requestThere are no birth defect associated with breast implantsThere is no silicone in breast milk due to breast implantsThere is a chance that you may not be able to breast feed after a breast augmentationYou will have to limit your vigorous activities for the first 4 to 6 weeks

Is 22 to young for Breast Implants? How long until you can work out after surgery?

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Is 22 to young for Breast Implants? How long until you can work out after surgery?

Answers (10)

Answer: 22 too young for breast augmentation?

Answer: 22 too young for breast augmentation?

Answer: Considering a breast augmentation at age 22

Answer: Considering a breast augmentation at age 22

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Breast Implants

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.