Can I have a breast reduction at 17? I have 30G breasts, but no pain

Many young girls are troubled by their large breasts that are often out of proportion to the rest of their body. Often, they are ridiculed or made the subject of jokes by their adolescent cohort. As a result, many girls develop a negative body image, become more self-conscious and withdraw. Some girls will avoid exercise because of their concerns of being stared at during gym. The reduction in exercise leads to weight gain, which eventually leads to larger breasts and the cycle continues.As a plastic surgeon, my concern is the safety and well-being of my patients. When considering whether or not someone is a candidate for surgery, I consider their physical and mental health as part of the initial evaluation.The physical evaluation looks at the actual size of the breasts as well as the degree of sagging. There are some woman with small sagging breast that feel large but truly only need a lift. For those young woman and girls with large breasts, I want to be sure that the breasts have ended the pubertal growth phase. A simple rule of thumb is that breasts are typically at that point about one year after the first period. However, this rule is does not hold for all girls and in the end, we should not consider surgery until the breasts have stopped growing for one year.The mental evaluation for an adolescent girl must include a consideration for reasonable expectations. This means that girls must understand that 1) surgery has risk and can have complications that can delay the final outcome, 2) Breast reduction surgery will reduce the size of the breast but will not change their social life - only they can do that! Finally 3) Plastic surgery is as much art as science - even when all is done and healed the desired outcome may not look like Kate Upton or some other Hollywood celebrity.For those girls that have large breasts and satisfy the simple criteria described above, age is a less important criteria and only a benchmark that other parameters are tied to. If you in the group described above, find a board certified plastic surgeon to help you further. A good starting point for more information on breast reduction in an adolescent patient, please read my book "Cosmetic Breast Surgery - a complete guide from A to double D"

Yes, you could have a breast reduction at 17, providing you are in good health.  You should consult a board-certified plastic surgeon in your area for a complete consultation.  It sounds as if your insurance carrier would give pre-authorization for the surgery once they have seen photos and a consult note from a plastic surgeon.Best of luck to you!Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance.