If you are a 16 year old girl, you are probably thinking about getting breast reduction surgery. You might be very frustrated by your large breasts, and you may have already tried lots of ways to lose weight.
For example, you might find that it is difficult to run or play sports because of your large breasts. Or perhaps they make it hard for you to sleep on your side comfortably at night.
You might also feel embarrassed when wearing certain types of clothes because they make your chest look bigger than it really is. For example, if you are wearing a swimsuit or tight-fitting shirt that shows off your cleavage, it can make people think that you are older than 16 years old!
This article also talk about how long does breast reduction surgery take and breast reduction surgery recovery time.
BREAST REDUCTION AT 14, 15, 16, 17. CAN YOU DO A TEENAGE BREAST REDUCTION? FIVE THINGS TO THINK ABOUT.
Breast reductions can be lifechanging surgeries. I just got off the phone with a mother worried about her daughter. Why? Her daughter went from an active, outgoing, athletic girl to withdrawn. Why? Her breasts are too big.
So what can you do about it? And when?
Breast reductions are a great surgery. It truly is lifechanging. When breasts are large, they are heavy, cause posture issues, make it so you can’t work out, make you self conscious to change in locker rooms or be intimate. Clothes don’t fit. You can’t jog. People look at your breasts not your face when they talk. You look fat.
NOW IMAGINE YOU ARE 16 WITH ALL OF THIS.
I do breast reductions on young women, but with the thought points listed below.
Is your breast size changing? The biggest risk in doing a breast reduction when you are young is that you aren’t done growing yet. You don’t want to do a reduction and then have to do ANOTHER reduction in a few years because your breasts were still growing. It isn’t an exact science to know when you are done growing, but there are ways to help figure it out better.
- When did you get your period? If you had your period at 12 and haven’t changed in height for years, you are different than a girl who got their period at age 15.
- Are you still growing taller? Again, looking at if you are done with all those pubertal changes.
- I see patients in my office and do measurements and take a Vectra 3D photo which evaluates breast volume (not exact science, but another data point). I then see patients 6 months later and do the measurements again. Are the measurements stable?
Is your weight stable? Weight is another thing that changes a lot around the time of puberty. Breasts are always made of breast tissue and fat. The breast tissue component doesn’t change with weight changes, but the fat component does. Even if you think your breasts don’t change at all when you gain/lose weight, they always do.
- The issue is when I do the breast reduction I am also LIFTING and TIGHTENING. This lift and tightening is a huge benefit of a reduction. If you lose weight after the reduction (which 25% of women do), you will loosen my lift. You don’t want to go through all of this and end up drooping again.
- The other issue is when I do a reduction we are trying to keep you proportional to your body. If you lose 10 pounds does it all come off your abdomen? your breasts and abdomen? your thighs? Instead of us guessing what body size and shape we are trying to match, lose the weight first.
Timing. The most common time I do breast reduction surgery on teenage and young women is when they are going through a life change. So the most common times I operate is when the summer before they start college or the summer after. This means for most women, I am operating on them at ages 18/19 or 21/22. The benefit of doing it during this timing is when you start your next chapter of your life, people have not known you as looking any differently.
- It takes about 1 week to be off medication after surgery, and about one month til exercising/doing everything normally. People with desk jobs return to work usually a week after surgery. You can drive when you are off medication.
- When flying far away, I like you to be in town if you can for about 2 weeks after the surgery. I can do further follow ups by Skype/ FaceTime.
Do the short scar. I do the lollipop short scar breast reduction. I LOVE it. I think it gives a better shape, is longer lasting, and has a shorter scar. For some reason, though I have been doing it for a decade, other doctors are still doing the anchor scar. I have yet to find someone who is too droopy, too big, too whatever-excuse-someone-says-they-can’t-do-it. There is always a risk of the scar not being ideal. Make the scar as small as you can.
Should my daughter do a reduction? This is a question I get a lot for any surgery. I am not a plastic surgery kind of girl (ironic I know as I am a plastic surgeon). But when something is impairing and changing how your daughter acts, how she feels, or what she does, I would tell my daughter to fix it.
- Is she avoiding changing in locker rooms? not going to pool parties / won’t wear bathing suits?
- Does she layer clothing and wear vests to hide them?
- Does she hunch over and have poor posture?
- Is she withdrawn? Unhappy? Depressed about them?
- Can she be as active as she wants?
- **Exercise is harder. There was a study showing statistically significantly your physical activity goes down the larger your breasts are.
I love breast reductions because I see the amazing changes in people after them. I constantly hear, “I wish I would of done it sooner.” “It changed my life.” “Look! “(And they show me their sundress, tucked in shirt, or other outfit they couldn’t wear before.) “Lifechanging.” “Best thing I’ve ever done.”
Breast reduction (female)
Breast reduction is a major operation that can help make your breasts feel smaller, lighter and give them a better shape.
If you’re feeling very distressed about the size of your breasts, or they’re causing problems like backache, you might be able to have a breast reduction on the NHS.
If you’re thinking about breast reduction to change your appearance, rather than for health reasons, you’ll need to pay for it privately.
How much a breast reduction costs
In the UK, breast reduction surgery costs around £6,500, plus the cost of any consultations or follow-up care.
What to think about before you have a breast reduction
Before you go ahead, be sure about why you want a breast reduction. Take time to think about your decision.
Find out more about deciding whether cosmetic surgery is right for you
You could also speak to a GP about it.
Choosing a surgeon
If you’re having a breast reduction in England, check with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
All independent clinics and hospitals that provide cosmetic surgery in England must be registered with the CQC.
Be careful when searching the internet for breast reduction surgery. Some clinics may pay to advertise their services on search listings.
Check the surgeon is registered with the General Medical Council (GMC). They should be listed on the specialist register and have a licence to practise.
Also, check the British Association of Plastic Reconstruction and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) or the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) to see if the surgeon is a “full member” on the specialist register for plastic surgery.
Always book an appointment to meet the surgeon before the procedure.
Ask your surgeon:
- about their qualifications and experience
- how many breast reduction operations they have performed
- how many operations they have performed where there have been complications
- what sort of follow-up you should expect if things go wrong
- what their patient satisfaction rates are
What breast reduction involves
Breast reduction surgery is carried out under general anaesthetic. This means you’ll be asleep during the operation.
Generally, the operation involves:
- moving your nipple to its new position – usually while it’s still attached to the blood supply
- removing excess fat, glandular tissue and skin from your breasts
- reshaping the remaining breast tissue
The operation takes 2 to 3 hours, depending on the extent of the breast reduction.
You’ll usually need to stay in hospital for 1 or 2 nights.
Afterwards
When you wake up after surgery, you’ll have dressings on your breasts and plastic tubes may be attached to them to drain blood away.
After 1 to 2 days, the tubes will be removed and you’ll usually be able to go home.
You may have some pain for a few days, which can be relieved with painkillers.
It’s likely your breasts will be swollen, and may feel tender and lumpy after surgery. The swelling may last for around 3 months.
You will not see what your breasts look like until the swelling has gone down.
Breast Reduction Surgery Recovery Time
It can take 2 to 6 weeks to fully recover from breast reduction surgery.
You may need to take 2 to 3 weeks off work, and need help with housework, childcare and shopping.
You should not drive until it’s no longer painful to wear a seatbelt. This may be several weeks.
Avoid stretching, strenuous exercise and heavy lifting for up to 6 weeks after the operation.
Some surgeons suggest wearing a sports bra 24 hours a day for up to 3 months after breast surgery. Check with your surgeon.
The length of time you need to keep the dressings on depends on how quickly your wounds heal.
Stitches will need to be removed after a week or 2, unless they’re dissolvable.
Scars
You’ll probably have scars around your nipples.
You may also have a vertical scar running down your breast and a horizontal scar across the crease, below the breast (anchor-shaped).
Or you may only have a vertical scar running down your breast.
It depends on the type of surgery you have.
Scars are usually red for the first 6 weeks, but most fade over time and should be invisible under normal clothes, bras and bikini tops.
What could go wrong
Breast reduction surgery can sometimes result in problems, including:
- thick, obvious scarring
- unevenly shaped breasts or nipples
- wound healing problems
- loss of nipple sensation
- being permanently unable to breastfeed
- red or lumpy breasts if the fat dies (fat necrosis)
- excess skin left around the scars, which may need to be surgically removed
- bleeding inside the breast tissue (haematoma) – this generally happens within the first 24 hours after the operation
Also, any type of operation carries a small risk of:
- excessive bleeding
- infection
- an allergic reaction to the anaesthetic
- a blood clot forming in the deep veins
Your surgeon should explain how likely these risks and complications are, and how they’d be treated if you have them.
What to do if you have problems
Cosmetic surgery can sometimes go wrong and the results may not be what you expected.
Contact the clinic where you had the operation as soon as possible if you have severe pain or any unexpected symptoms, such as red skin, burning, or unusual swelling on or around your breast.
If you’re not happy with the results of your breast reduction, or you think the procedure was not carried out properly, speak to your surgeon at the hospital or clinic where you were treated.
How Long Does Breast Reduction Surgery Take
The average breast reduction surgery can take two to four hours to complete. Your surgeon may be able to give you an estimate of how long your particular procedure will take.