Adolescent Breast and Chest Program

Our highly skilled pediatric plastic surgeons recognize that many adolescents struggle with their chest appearance, and these struggles impact their daily lives.

• For young girls, large breasts can lead to back pain and skin irritation and restrict participation in certain activities. While significant differences between breasts can make it difficult to find well-fitting clothes, which can impact self-esteem and confidence.
• For young men, excessive breast growth can lead to self-consciousness and social distress. Teenagers with this condition may avoid certain activities like swimming or going to the beach because of the appearance of their chest.

At Riley Children’s, our Adolescent Breast and Chest Program offers a variety of procedures to treat chest differences, including macromastia, breast asymmetry, gynecomastia, and other chest wall anomalies. We have multiple pediatric plastic surgeons who are uniquely trained to take care of breast and chest problems in adolescents. All our pediatric plastic surgeons at Riley Children’s completed additional training, beyond their plastic surgery residencies, to take care of pediatric and adolescent patients. Common procedures consist of:

• Breast reduction surgery
• Breast reconstruction for breast asymmetry
• Breast lift or reduction for breast asymmetry
• Fat grafting
• Removal of excess breast tissue for gynecomastia

Who needs to see a pediatric plastic surgeon for chest and breast concerns?

If you are an adolescent girl with very large breasts that are causing pain or skin irritation, or limiting your ability to be active, you might be a candidate for breast reduction surgery. We usually offer this operation when girls are done growing, and both their weight and breast size are stable.

• If you are an adolescent girl with breasts that are very different sizes or shapes, you might be a candidate for reconstructive procedures that would improve symmetry between the two breasts. We can improve symmetry with special surgical techniques, like tissue expansion, fat grafting, implants, and breast lifts or reductions. The approach will be customized, based on your situation.
• If you are an adolescent boy with extra breast tissue that feels or looks abnormal to you, you might be a candidate for excision of that breast tissue. There are two operations we offer for the removal of excess breast tissue. The operation recommended depends on your situation.

If your child is experiencing symptoms related to their condition, contact the Chest Wall Program. The Adolescent Breast and Chest Program focuses on addressing cosmetic concerns.