American Society of Plastic Surgeons
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BlueFlower
4 years ago
Answered

Is there an age requirement and does it matter breast size?

I'm a 38G Cup and I just recently turned 18. I was thinking by the time I'm 20 of going into get breast liposuction reduction surgery. They sag and make it hard for me to get clothes and bras that fit and have always caused back pain and I wouldn't participate in running and stopped doing my favorite sports a long time ago. What do you guys recommend?

Procedure: Breast Reduction
Location: Clovis, CA

Replies 7

Alex Lechtman
ASPS Surgeon

I'm a Plastic Surgeon in Visalia. Liposuction isn't going to fix this. You need a formal reduction to remove the glandular tissue (that makes milk), fat and skin. I don't know how many Plastic Surgeons in Fresno take insurance but I do. Good luck.

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Aaron Stone
ASPS Surgeon

You do not have to wait until you are 20. There is no advantage to waiting. All health insurance will cover the surgery for 18 year olds who meet their coverage criteria. The criteria vary between insurance companies. You need to look at your specific plan, check off the criteria you have met, arrange to complete the ones you haven't met and then have your surgeon submit a preauthorization letter to your health insurance with photos. Once the surgery is authorized you should be good to go. Liposuction alone will not give you a good result especially if there is a lot of sagging. The glandular tissue in the breast cannot be removed by liposuction and liposuction does nothing to address the extra skin contributing to the sagging.

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Debra Johnson
ASPS Surgeon

Breast reduction can be performed at any age, as long as you are healthy and your weight is stable. If you are overweight, and would like to lose weight, it is better to do that before you have a breast reduction. Weight loss after reduction might result is some deflation of the breasts, making them smaller than you might like. Younger women do need to think about the fact that you might one day have children and want to breastfeed. Pregnancy and breastfeeding can ultimately change the breasts in both size and shape. If you go ahead with reduction now, you may not be satisfied with the way your breasts are after pregnancy. I always warn younger women that there may be some "maintenance work" in your future. Reduction does reduce your ability to breastfeed by a small percentage, so realize if you are unable to breastfeed that you may have to bottle/formula feed your baby.

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Edward Domanskis

There really is no age requirement for a breast reduction except that under 18 you do need your parents consent.

Dr. Edward Jonas Domanskis is Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery

Newport Beach, San Francisco,Miami, EU, Anguilla

Assistant Clinical Professor of SurgeryWOS-Plastic,University of California (Irvine)

Orange County’s Physician of Excellence/America’s Top Physicians/Top Doctors

Plastic Surgery- 2005-2018

President,American Society of Bariatric Plastic Surgeons

Organoderm Skin care/ScaRxTape

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Nelson Castillo

Thank you for sharing your excellent question. You can obtain a breast procedure at any time that best fits your current life schedule with the best treatment recommendation made after an in-person examination of your tissues. For most patients with enlarged breast tissue, liposuction will be ineffective as the glandular tissue can not be removed in this way - a formal surgical reduction will be required. Hope this helps.

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Rahul Vemula
ASPS Surgeon
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Thanks for your question!

There is no age limit to do the breast reduction, however you should be completed with breast growth which is also called Tanner stage 5. Once you visit a plastic surgeon, it can be determined if a reduction is the correct procedure for you and the timing of it. You can possibly even get insurance coverage depending on your specific plan.

Please consult with a board certified plastic surgeon to determine which procedures are best to achieve your goals.

Best wishes!

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Karol Gutowski
ASPS Surgeon

There is no ago limit for a breast reduction but you need to start with an in person evaluation with a board certified plastic surgeon for a proper assessment.

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