How Old Does a Person Have to Be to Get a Breast Reduction? (30GG, Age 14)

Thank you for your question! I hope that these answers help in making your decision. You suffer from juvenile hypertrophy of the breasts, which is typically treated by breast reduction. It is not uncommon to have the symptoms that you describe such as neck/back/shoulder pain as well as infections/rashes and shoulder grooving, especially in teenagers once her breasts begin to fully develop. Once one begins to have the symptoms that you state above, consideration for a surgical procedure to ameliorate your symptoms, assist with self esteem, and allow you to get back to physical activities in your youth should be done. Given your symptoms, you would be an ideal candidate. You must first discuss with your parents and pediatrician, and then consulting with a plastic surgeon for evaluation and examination to assist you in deciding if this would be the right thing for you. Your surgeon will also go over what to expect as well as the risks and benefits of the procedure. Overall, your symptoms should be ameliorated almost immediately and hopefully give you more self confidence and an increased activity level. Your breasts may still continue to grow over the next several years, but it is certainly reasonable to consider this at this age with the issues that you are having. I hope that this helps! Good luck with your decision!

Not only do
you have large breasts at an early age, but you’re already suffering from
significant symptoms.I generally prefer
to wait until the breasts have stopped growing before proceeding with breast
reduction, but in your case early intervention may be appropriate because of
your symptoms.I recommend consultation with a
board certified plastic surgeon. Obviously, your parents need to be involved in
the process as well. Breast reduction
has significant benefits and patients who undergo the procedure at an early age
experience the benefits over a lifetime.There are downsides as well.These include the potential inability to
breast feed, prolonged healing, decreased nipple sensation and scarring.In my experience, patients who undergo breast
reduction at an early age, not only experience relief of their symptoms, but
also an improved quality of life.

Blue cross Blue shield should cover you in breast reduction surgery but it may be a slow and painful process getting them to respond to your inquiry. There is also the issue of consent. .                                                                                                     

I am sorry to hear that you are dealing with this at such a young age. Breast reduction could be a possibility. However, you definitely want to be as educated as possible and understand the risks of having this surgery at such a young age. Generally, we prefer patients to be at least 16 or at an age where growing is done or stable. It is important to weigh your options. While a reduction may get rid of some of your medical and emotional problems, you are also left with scars and the possibility of not being able to breast feed. This may not be important to you right now, but it may if you decide to have children. It is possible that you may need another surgery down the road since you are most likely not done growing, but then again you may not. These are all things to consider. Have a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon and your parents and really make sure that it is something you are ready for.

As for insurance covering the procedure, this will depend on several factors. Your reduction will have to be determined medically necessary. You will need evidence to back that up for example back, neck, or shoulder pain, indentations from your bra straps, skin irritation underneath your breasts, restriction of physical activity due to the weight and size of your breasts, etc. It will also depend on the amount of breast tissue that is removed. Every insurance is different, but you can always check with your specific insurance to see what they will potentially cover. If they won't cover the procedure, depending on which procedure exactly is done, the price can range anywhere from $5,000-$8,000. This will also vary depending on which surgeon you go to and the area that you are in.
Best regards,
Dr. Speron

For a breast reduction, you need both physical and mental maturity.  You need to have been stable at your height and breast size for at least a year, and you need to be able to fully understand the risks involved with the surgery.  Most women are not ready to undergo this until they are at least 16yo, since they can still be developing up until then.