Breast augmentation for adolescents and teens

Breast augmentation is a surgical procedure to increase the size of the breast and usually involves inserting a breast implant under the breast tissue.

What are the risks of a breast augmentation in adolescents and teens?

Any surgery to the breasts should be carefully considered, especially at a young age as changes should be expected over time, but especially during and after pregnancy, as some operations can have implications for a woman’s ability to breast feed and risk significant complications to the breast. 

If breast implants are used, they can cause complications even years after their insertion including:

• A change in position of the implant

• Infection requiring removal of the implant

• A firm, visible or even painful capsule that forms around the implant

• The implant rupturing causing a change in shape and size of the breast

In these cases, further surgery is likely to be required. The chest is an area that changes dramatically during early adulthood so it is important that any treatment is planned to give the best long-term result into adulthood.

What can I expect with a breast augmentation in adolescents and teens?

Treatment options vary and depends very much on the nature of the problem and the patient’s wishes and expectations.

• Breast hypoplasia - When treating breast hypoplasia, there may not be enough breast tissue to hide the breast implant, making it is necessary to position the implant under the muscle behind the breast.

• Breast asymmetry - When treating breast asymmetry, treatment usually involves inserting an implant under the smaller breast to even out the size difference and/or reducing the size of the breast with breast reduction surgery.

Depending on the patient's needs, other treatment options include:

• Differential augmentation - To overcome the differences between a breast with and a breast without an implant, the surgeon may use a technique called differential augmentation. With this technique, the surgeon uses a larger implant in the smaller breast and a smaller implant in the larger breast. This can give good results in the size and shape of breasts.

• Augmentation mastopexy - To both enlarge and correct ptosis (sagging) of a breast, an augmentation and mastopexy is done in either one or two operations. It is a combination of a breast lifting operation with a breast implant, which can give good results in the right patient. It is not often used in pediatric cases.