Uncomfortably large breasts can ignite an overwhelming sense of insecurity for adolescent young women. Plastic surgery can have significant physical and psychological benefit.
The stigma that a young woman experiences when her breasts are disproportionally large interferes with her body image and sense of confidence. Physically, there is daily discomfort from the strain on the neck, back and shoulders.
“My parents got sick of me complaining.”
This is the story of one teen’s experience beginning at age 11:
“In the fourth grade I began wearing a bra; by sixth grade I was wearing a C cup. It was hard for me to look around and wonder why no one else looked like I did. By seventh grade being different bothered me so I wore a jacket and never ever took it off. I was a D cup and I started getting back pain. I really didn’t ever think about getting (plastic) surgery until I was a freshman in high school. Believe me I had to argue with my parents a ton. I was always getting back massages and people constantly made sly comments on the side.
By 10th grade, I was a DD and all my problems seemed to escalate. I was going to my chiropractor once a week for about a year and a half. Finally, I guess my parents got sick of me complaining about my back pain and how miserable I was and they decided to let me look into surgery.
“Would I regret it?”
There were a lot of decisions that my family and I had to make. Would I regret it? Do I really want this? Will I change my mind at some point? How long would recovery be? With any surgery, of course you are going to have to have recovery time. I have never had an easier recovery than with this surgery.
It was very easy. I even did it during the school year. After 4 days, weekend included, so basically 2 missed days of school, I was back at school doing normal things.
“Best decision; no regrets”
I have absolutely no regrets about having this surgery at age 17. I look and feel so much better. My back pain went away almost immediately, which was a huge relief. I am really happy with it and I think that it was one of the best decisions that I have ever made.”
Once the breasts are reduced to be in proportion with the rest of the body, a more normal body image can develop and social interactions become more comfortable. For these young women, there is a feeling of “being abnormal”.
Not every young woman is a candidate for surgery. Plastic surgery does require a level of maturity. There is a recovery period and a permanently changed physical appearance. Unfortunately, many young women are told to wait until they are older to have surgery, not because they are not mature enough, but because of a medical bias that teens should not have plastic surgery. Nothing could be more unfounded. Teens who have had breast reduction surgery consistently wish they had done it sooner.
If you or your daughter would like to learn more about the surgical breast reduction option to relieve the physical and emotional pain from uncomfortably large breasts, please give my office a call. I would be happy to provide you with the information you need to determine whether this is the right time and right procedure for you.