If you’ve kept up on the news this week, then you may have seen headlines about “Modern Family” star Ariel Winter’s decision to have her breasts surgically reduced. Winter made the news not only because she’s a celebrity, but also because she’s only 17. Her decision left some people feeling conflicted over the issue of allowing teens to get plastic surgery. In this post, trusted Pittsburgh breast reduction surgeon Dr. Anna Wooten discusses why teens and adults alike might consider undergoing breast reduction surgery.
Winter is far from the only teenager to get plastic surgery, especially breast reduction. Thousands of teenage girls undergo breast reduction every year, making up a significant portion of the over 40,000 women who seek breast reductions annually.
The reasons vary, from the physical to the psychological. Winter told reporters that she opted for breast reduction surgery not only because of intense back and neck pain but also because the size of her breasts had led to decreased body confidence and inappropriate, sexualized attention throughout her teenage years.
Winter’s struggle highlights many of the difficulties that women, especially teens, face that might lead them to want to reduce the size of their breasts.
As the desire for this kind of procedure has risen, however, so has misinformation – as well as outright scams. If you’ve been considering a breast reduction, here’s how not to do it:
Don’t Expect Exercise to Do the Job
Most of the time, getting in better shape is a good idea, plastic surgery or not. Working towards your ideal body with diet or exercise can help you to see more clearly what you can and can’t change on your own.
Unfortunately, though, you can’t always change your body through diet and exercise. Losing weight might help you to decrease your breast size somewhat, but breast tissue will not always decrease as you lose fat. Additionally, building your pectoral muscle won’t lift and reshape your breasts like surgery will.
Get to your goal weight before coming to Beleza, as Dr. Wooten often tells patients who are very overweight or obese that their plastic surgery results will be better if they get to a healthier weight.
Don’t Get Scammed with Supplements
We’ve written in the past on this blog about pills, creams and supplements that scam consumers by claiming to be able to increase the size of the breasts. The same types of supplements exist for breast reduction as well.
The temptation to try these types of solutions is understandable. After all, buying a pill or cream off of Amazon is much easier and much cheaper than going in for plastic surgery. But the fact is, one option works while the other is a waste of time and money.
Don’t Write Off Your Insurance
Most people assume that plastic surgery won’t be covered by their health insurance, and most of the time they’re right. But breast reduction procedures may be covered by your health insurance provider once medical necessity is determined.
The criteria for the procedure will vary from provider to provider, and the definition of medically necessary breast reduction varies according to your insurance company. But if you’re interested in breast reduction surgery, insurance coverage is absolutely worth looking into.
Most of all: don’t deny yourself the chance at a better life. It’s not uncommon for friends and family who don’t deal with similar problems to not fully understand why having overly large breasts can be a struggle. But as Ariel Winter and hundreds of thousands of other women can attest, breast reduction can be a huge boost to your quality of life, both physically and psychologically.