Has anyone had a breast enlargement on the nhs in the last few years

Honestly I think it depends where you live. My friend had her bunions done on the NHS, but mine wouldn't fund it. Mine were worse than my friends too. Go and see your GP and see what they say, and get the ball rolling. If they won't refer you, then look into it privately. Private firms often offer an installment plan.

I have one breast literally double the size of the other one due to breast cancer and was offered an operation two years ago to even them up. I accepted eagerly and was then told there was a risk of infection and referred to the prosthesis clinic, which I declined having managed for 16 years with one breast double the size of the other. I went to a GP to ask for the operation and was referred but have heard nothing since, so I take that as a no.

“It's impacted my bf of my children”

What do you mean by this?

It has been granted sometimes in the past on the grounds of it affecting mental health and therefore quality of life. So there’s nothing wrong with OP wondering if she might get the same granted for her.

I must agree with this. Breast implants often come with systemic side effects that are rarely talked about because they are rarely attributed to the implants. Then there's the risk that having the procedure doesn't actually fix the way you feel about yourself. If you started with addressing the mental health concerns, even if it was simultaneously to investigating/waiting for surgery, you may reach their root and save yourself potential further health implications (physical and/or mental).

I say this as someone who doesn't even fill an AA cup.

Some seriously nasty messages on this thread. Some people should be ashamed of themselves.

People can't even get life saving/changing surgery for actual medical issues on the overstretched and underfunded NHS, of course they aren't giving out free boob jobs.

Several people I know haven't even been able to get reconstruction after a full breast single mastectomy.

While I sympathise with your situation If you have the money then why should the nhs pay? You can’t even get things like varicose veins stripped on the NHS these days. There is no budget for breast enlargement.

I sympathise OP but I’m not sure the NHS will be a viable option. If this is the case, I’d really try and look at other ways to be happy and accepting of your natural body. I have a couple of features that I truly loathed as a child and also as an adult. I have looked at cosmetic surgery countless times but I realised after having my own children, that they’d inherited my flaws and every day I make a huge effort to be kind to myself about my appearance as I hope my children will be about theirs. I’m a couple of years down the line with practicing this and I feel more content than I ever have with my appearance.

I would say get your GP to refer to mental health services and a breast clinic. Obviously people do have breast surgery on the NHS and people also have treatment for mental health problems on the NHS. Whether any/all/the combination, of physical and mental difficulties your breast size causes you are sever enough to warrant treatment on the NHS is only for clinicians to decide. I don't imagine they will have to do anything terribly invasive to decide whether you qualify for surgery, so if they say there is no reason for surgery because it's not something that is really affecting your mental or physical health that much fair enough, but they might not.

If it really bothered you that much, you’d have found a way to pay for the surgery by now.

I’m sorry but I agree with this. The sense of entitlement here is strong.

Op I totally get it. And i really do hope you can find a way to get the op done, I can hear how unhappy you are and it’s awful to feel that way. I haven’t any advice that wasn’t already mentioned above but I agree that life is to short to wait, so if you have any way of managing private, I would do it without hesitation given the difference it will make to your life.

Just to say that at 8 months, the results are not finalised. They take a year to be considered "finished", and even then can change.

I'm 6 month post op and have had no issues. Of course it can happen, but I think choosing the right surgeon and the right type of surgery, implants, and size makes a big difference.

I was completely flat so went under the muscle. Over the muscle would have looked "horrendous" in the words of my surgeon. I also went with smooth implants over textured, as textured can sometimes have issues with taking longer to drop. I chose one of the smaller sizes - 300cc - so that they would fit my body better.

There is always the risk that they won't turn out right. But I think making certain choices help achieve the desired results.

For info, my surgeon is Dr Mileto and he has incredible testimonials. You also get 2 years of after care (and the possibility of corrective surgery if the results aren't as they should be) when booking through MYA.

The NHS is on its knees, 10-12hr waits at A&E, serious operations with massive wait times and people still expect a boob job on the NHS because they feel insecure, thats very sad and selfish.

Have you talked to someone about the practicalities?

My sister had small tubular breasts. She wouldn't have been eligible for surgery on the NHS so took a private payment plan. The surgeon was lovely but as she had so little breast tissue, the finished result was not good... she was warned, but the skin looked very stretched and sore, and she had them removed 8 months later. I know that isn't what you'll want to hear, but I wish someone had told her. She's got surgery scars now, which don't help how she feels about herself. She probably wouldn't have listened, but she'd have been a bit prepared, at least.

I don't think changing location will help with surgery, unless you change your address. Then there may be a minimum time, and you'd need to go through the referral process again.

I am sorry that you're struggling with this ❤️

I think it probably is worth engaging with mental health services too, as the physical surgery doesn't always do everything you think it will. For my sister, she thought having boobs would help, but she found it made her feel strange - that they weren't "her", and she was now pretending. She was devastated.

She's also now got a higher risk of lymphoma, even though she didn't have them for very long.

You’d be better off coming to terms with your natural body. Breast implants are not without risk of complications. Look into underwear and swimwear for women who have had mastectomies to give you more confidence in your appearance.

OP, it's absolutely understandable for you to feel the way you feel but the question you asked was about your eligibility for the NHS procedure. It, unfortunately, does not routinely take into account how you feel but only if you fit the specific Trust's referral criteria.

No, you're right, it doesn't make you eligible.

But in a humane and rational system, we absolutely would consider paying for reconstruction of your damaged breast to be worthwhile, both on grounds of human suffering but also on grounds of cold hard cash — unhappy people are often unwell people, and both mental health problems and physical sequelae are expensive to treat.

I've no issue with those posters who are simply describing the situation as it stands — that the NHS in most areas won't cover surgery for people in OP's position, because it's considered purely cosmetic and they won't cover most purely cosmetic procedures.

What I object to is the tone of some of the posts just popping on to tell her it's cosmetic surgery, which are clearly just intended to reprimand OP for expecting the rest of us to finance the free boob job she fancies.

You pay for a service so if you are dying and can't breath, there is someone to help you or if you ha e a serious health condition.
It's not a service to give you a boob job.
I'm very seldom this blunt, but I also don't have any breasts I wouldn't even fit in A cup but I would never consider NHS as an option.

I did but it was almost 20 years ago now so not recent. I had very obvious asymmetry that upset me quite a bit. Before I went to uni my family GP was very dismissive and just said I should be able to accept my body. A few years later towards the end of my degree, I saw a GP and she was much more understanding - she said it would probably be quite a wait for surgery but she referred me and a year later I had surgery - it was two-stage because I was also pigeon-chested so they flattened out my breast bone as well. I was put through the same clinic that those with breast cancer reconstruction went through and not one consultant or nurse suggested or implied I shouldn’t be treated - they were all very understanding about how I felt. I assume (like infertility treatment) that there might be very different approaches between primary care trusts (or whatever they are called now) so it might be a bit of a postcode lottery. It also seemed fairly subjective - if you saw someone sympathetic then it would make a difference in how it’s presented as necessary. It was accepted that this was not just cosmetic or a whim of mine. I can’t say what would happen now though. Good luck OP xx

I’m sorry this is affecting you so much but surely trying therapy first would be a good idea and then persue surgery if you are still unhappy. Implants would probably need removing in future so it’s a very expensive procedure. The NHS next to mine won’t even do uterine ablations any more as they say they are unnecessary.

As someone who has been privy to the costs involved in NHS therapy, this isn't necessarily true. Added to that, it isn't even guaranteed to help. Added to that, decent mental health support is even more scarce than physical NHS resources.

Breast implants are a pita. I had a similar issue to you and went private. Had them put in a few years ago and they’ve since been recalled because of a link to lymphoma. Taking them out now won’t lessen my risk though apparently. You also can’t check your breasts properly for lumps. From a cosmetic point of view they make you look fat if you’re heavier and like two balls if you’re thin. I wish I’d never bothered. Honestly just embrace your slim figure.