Like most teenage girls, McKenzie Logan likes shopping, but those shopping trips often end up with tears.
McKenzie in high school was petite and about 5 feet tall.
But her bra size is 32.
So she says finding the right outfit is a constant challenge.
\"Big boobs are good and a lot of people think I\'m lucky,\" she said . \".
\"But like my back pain, I have pain in my shoulder and swelling in my shoulder.
It\'s difficult to find clothes.
I have all these questions.
\"So McKenzie made a drastic decision on her 18 th birthday to undergo breast reduction surgery.
\"I was told that I went against God and God gave me a gift that I should not have done and that I was too young to have surgery, she said: \"At my age, I should not consider plastic surgery. \".
\"I want to say to them, I don\'t care.
I don\'t care about your opinion, because at the end of the day, it\'s my body.
But Mackenzie is not alone.
According to statistics from the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, breast reduction operations in the United States increased by 157% from 1997 to 2013.
Some attribute this to the study finding that today\'s girls are ahead of puberty, suggesting a obesity epidemic or hormones in a modern diet.
Other experts say this rise is only because the surgery has been perfected to prevent scars and become safer.
As young women seek surgery, questions are raised about whether teenagers like McKenzie are big enough to understand the potential risks of surgery.
Risks include scars, loss of nipple sensitivity, and loss of breastfeeding capacity.
But for McKenzie, the benefits outweigh the risks.
\"The risks are high,\" she said . \"“[But]
I\'m ready to take this opportunity, just take a leap of faith because I really--
It will be worth it in the end.
She said that since her teenage years, her breast size has caused physical and emotional harm to her.
She often suffers back pain, bruises and bleeding from bra straps, and she says her breasts make it difficult for her to do the exercises she likes.
\"I think the worst part of society for me, like this, is just walking down the street or in the halls of the school,\" McKenzie said . \".
\"But like a freshman called\" Girl with a huge chest \", there are men dating me because I have a chest . . . . . . This gives me a lot of self.
Confidence is a problem because I don\'t think I can trust others.
\"I want to look like a normal person and I want to look like a normal girl,\" she added . \".
McKenzie and her mother went to the Boston Children\'s Hospital to meet with the doctor.
Brian Labow is one of the most famous young breast surgeons in the country.
\"The patients we see are only 12 or 13 years old, so they are middle school students, but this rarely happens . \"Labow said.
\"The average age of patients in our clinic is about 18.
\"Labow is one of the few surgeons specialized in breast reduction surgery for adolescents, an area with special sensitivity.
But Labow said, \"you can make a patient aged 15 or 16 more emotionally mature than someone aged 18.
It\'s not just age that determines this.
\"But part of the equation is also the actual charge.
Has been plagued by McKenzie shoulder back pain.
\"It\'s not just the anxiety of teenagers,\" Labow said . \". “[These patients]
There is obviously no same quality of life.
This is a big deal.
\"If not, these patients are one of the happiest patients I can take care of,\" he added . \".
\"I will say 99.
9% were ecstatic, but it was a very high satisfaction rate for these patients.
Fortunately, McKenzie\'s insurance covers the whole process.
Otherwise, it will cost about $10,000-almost three times the average cost of breast implants. After the four-
After an hour of surgery, Labow and his team said they removed about a pound of tissue from each breast, making her 32 years old.
H chest into a more comfortable 32-D.
McKenzie may be worried about future breastfeeding, but for now, surgery will significantly improve her quality of life, Rabo said.
Labow said: \"It will be a big difference for her and I think she will pay special attention to her upper back, shoulders and neck.
So she will feel relaxed right away.
Two weeks after her surgery, on the day her bandage fell off, McKenzie was buying senior prom dresses for her new image.
Since her chest has shrunk, her dress size has changed from 8 to 0.
She said: \"I didn\'t really feel any difference until I went to the doctor today. I looked down and I thought, \'Oh my God, they\'re gone. \'\".
\"My back pain is gone and it\'s the best thing ever.
I can sit straight without crying because my back always hurts.
I just feel like I\'m a brand new person. it\'s great.