Breast implants for women under age 18

By MARIE KUECHEL and ROBERT SINGER
newbeauty.com
Tuesday, June 05, 2007

What is the right age for breast implants? Saline filled breast implants are approved by the Food and Drug Administration for women age 18 and older; silicone implants are approved for women age 22 and older.

Yet some women under 18 undergo surgery to place breast implants and the reason is not simply cosmetic enhancement. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, of the roughly 3,000 young women under 18 who received breast implants in 2006, only one-third of the cases were cosmetic. The remaining cases treated breast deformities such as tubular breasts, breast asymmetry, a genetic lack of breast development or Poland's syndrome (a congenitally absent breast).

Deciding the right age

Placement of breast implants at a younger age requires some careful considerations. If the desire is to enlarge a small, but normally developing breast, most doctors advise a woman to wait. If the desire is to treat a breast deformity or the lack of breast development, breast implants may play a very important role in the social and emotional development of a young woman. Most plastic surgeons will advise a thorough medical exam including hormonal evaluation. If a young woman began menstruating at a normal age but has not yet developed breasts, she may never develop them and breast implants may be appropriate. If she began menstruating late, she may develop late and waiting may be appropriate. In any case of breast implants under age 18, parental consent is a must and patient desire must be carefully evaluated.

Replacement or revision

Breast implants are not lifetime devices, and a woman's body doesn't remain the same over a lifetime. Breasts may sag, a woman may lose or gain weight and lose or gain curves. As a woman's body changes with age, pregnancy or as the implants age it may be appropriate to have revisional surgery so the woman's breast appearance complements her body image. The younger the woman is when implants were placed, the more likely she will need or want revisional surgery more than once in life. Implants may be removed and replaced with implants of different type, size or shape. In some cases, even the position of the implants may be changed, from above the chest wall muscle (submammary) to below the chest wall (submuscular position) or vice versa. A patient must understand and accept all these considerations before she chooses to get breast implants.

Reducing breast size

Breasts that are disproportionately large is another issue experienced by younger women. For a woman younger than 18, breast reduction may be appropriate to address overly large breasts that hinder social development, restrict fitness activities and physical mobility and result in emotional issues. Although breast reduction is more commonly suggested after childbearing, for young women afflicted by disproportionately large breasts the procedure can result in newfound confidence and enhance daily life. Like women who elect breast implants, young women who choose breast reduction early in life may experience changes in breast size, shape or position later in life and desire revisional surgery to improve body image.

Marie Kuechel is an editor at New Beauty, a semi-annual magazine about cosmetic enhancement. Robert Singer is a medical doctor. Reach them at editors (at)newbeauty.com. For more columns visit www.scrippsnews.com