You are 20. You don’t like your breasts. They may be uneven, a funny shape, too small, too big. The question is should you do something? And WHEN should you do it?
The question is a big one, especially as we are now seeing teenagers considering things like breast surgery. So I have some things for you to consider.
1. Are you done growing? When did you have onset of puberty? Has your height changed at all? Breasts and body are all about proportion. You need to make sure your body isn’t still changing.
2. Is your weight stable? Breasts can change with weight changes. The breast is made up of breast tissue and fat. The proportion of breast tissue to fat is different for every person. For some, their breast size will go up and down with their weight. For others, it won’t change at all. Regardless, you seek a certain breast cup size to create an overall proportion with your body. So make sure your weight is stable. Especially when you go through life stage changes- college, new job, etc, it is common for your weight to change. For example: you don’t want to put in implants which look proportionate to 150 pound body, which may look too large on a 135 pound body. Another example: You don’t want to do a reduction and lift, and then lose weight, so then the lift loosens up and droops.
3. Babies? Anytime soon? I know you are in your 20s, but pregnancy and babies change everything. If you are on the cusp on babydom, wait to do surgery.
4. Think about the future. Particularly for breast augmentation, consider future surgeries. Fat grafting could potentially increase your breast size, and no future surgeries are needed, but there are issues with fat grafting (I am a fan, but it is not perfect- read my blogs) . With implants, consider what size to do with the thought you will need to replace implants in the future and during pregnancies and breastfeeding your breasts will be bigger. My general advice is don’t max out when you are young- leave yourself room to upsize down the road to tighten things up as you age. With breast reduction, surgery can affect your ability to breastfeed.
5. Why are you doing this? Your body changes as you age. There are things though which will not change with time- breast asymmetry, a funny shaped breast, no breast tissue at all. These are usually good motivators. Are you doing this for you? your self esteem? Or someone else? If it is for a boyfriend, your implants will likely last longer than he will. If it is to get a boyfriend, wrong motivation. Plastic surgery is not for others. It really is for YOU. Take this as a time to be introspective. What are your expectations?
You can see my post on Quora as well: http://www.quora.com/What-should-I-consider-before-getting-a-boob-job