Nhs breast lift? Anyone had one?

[rosygirl14]

Hi everyone, the title says it all. Has anyone had a breast lift on the nhs?
I understand the NHS is completely stretched to capacity and underfunded, but I know in some cases people have been granted one.

For some context - I’m 21 years old. I had a baby a year ago and due to pregnancy, breast feeding and weight gain / loss I have been left with what I can only describe an elderly woman’s breasts.
They are so embarrassingly awful. My breasts hang well below my waist, I can pull them outwards and fold them. When sitting they hang below my belly button. My nipples hang directly at the floor, and in bras all you can see is all the excess wrinkly skin at the top. I was a D before, and now I can barely fill a B cup.
My mental health has been affected by this so much, it’s ruined my relationship, and whatever self esteem I had left after having my son. I’m so depressed by the state of these and ashamed my body is this way at 21 years old.

This is purely cosmetic. I've got massive boobs that cause me daily pain and irritation. I can't get a reduction on the nhs, so why should you get cosmetic surgery??

Go private

I’m not too young to decide at all. I had an awful awful traumatic pregnancy 9 months of hyperemisis, severe iron deficiency to the point I was bed bound my entire pregnancy, followed by an emergency c section and my baby who was and STILL is a Velcro baby, yet never slept and still doesn’t sleep 14 months on. Awful postpartum depression. A body covered in stretch marks that will never be able to be removed. A c section pouch that won’t disappear no matter how many homework outs I do or weight I lose. I’m also a single parent and do everything alone. So no. I don’t ever want to experience what I have or go through any of that again :)

Could you stay in a relationship with someone who never wanted to leave the house, suffered with their confidence so extreme to the point you couldn’t even have intercourse anymore, didn’t let you touch them, let alone do any activities that don’t require cold weather with layers to cover up?
nobody could, and nobody deserves to stay in an unhappy relationship regardless if a child is involved.

The fact I don’t know what to say to the GP is simply because when you call up, you have to give a reason for the call to the receptionist alongside symptoms. What would I even say to that? How do I even begin to describe the reason for my call without fear of being laughed at or ridiculed for wasting their time? My GP surgery do on the day appointments for ill in need patients and it’s the reception team who decide are most in need of those appointments.
I’m not an ill patient needing to be seen am I, nor do I want to waste anyone’s time or be laughed at for taking the pure piss. I know there’s a huge stigma for cosmetic surgery as it is. Let alone on the struggling NHS.

As I mentioned a few comments ago, the NHS in Sussex will not fund this surgery. I feel for you, I am getting old, my body isn't how it used to be after having children, my skin is sagging. I'm not form any more, but they have decided not to fund it.

You will be better focusing on improving your acceptance of your body as it is now. Seek out some MH support, stopping letting saggy boobs stop you enjoying yourself and your child's life (by not wanting to go out). Use is a s a reason to get a well paid job and pay for surgery

@smokingbum

No it's not, it's no different. I'm a high risk for breast cancer and if I had a mastectomy I wouldn't have reconstruction.

I'd be enjoying my flat body because that would give me confidence! Woman who choose reconstruction feel the opposite to me, but the motivation is the same - self-esteem

When ringing the surgery, I’d tell them it’s for MH issues - which it is.

But, as some PP said, you might not get anywhere.
In the mean time, counselling might be helpful (at the very least, to deal with the next few months until you can save enough to have the surgery).
I would also advise you to see a few consultants first.

@smokingbum , would you think that ‘of course a private consultant is going to tell you that you need surgery for <your endometriosis/cancer/heart problem>’ ? Or is it only because the OP is talking about ‘cosmetic’ surgery?

I don’t know now.
My private consultant recommended surgery for SVT. Maybe I shouldn’t follow his advice ….

Sorry where did I say they take priority? Nowhere. I understand the NHS are struggling as I mentioned several times previously. I asked if anyone had received this treatment and if it was worth approaching my GP surgery. I have paid tax since 16 which helps fund our NHS so I am well within my rights to see if this is an option should I do so. People like you who are so angry towards strangers simply asking a simple question really baffles me. Kindness doesn’t cost a thing.

@rosygirl14 you’re not taking the piss, you feel how you feel and you’re the only one on this thread with any clue what your life and body are actually like to live.

Aside from your body confidence it really sounds like you’ve been through the wringer, I really don’t fancy your chances on the NHS for this particular issue but you’ve as much right as anyone else to ask for support and assessment.

incidentally, have you checked through the NHS website what support there is available for mental health? I was recently researching for a friend and I was genuinely surprised how much there was available for self referral in our area. Whether you end up saving or going through the NHS you’re going to have live like this for some time yet, spend some energy on making sure there’s a happy version of you waiting when you get there.

If your poor mental health is affecting you quality of life and relationships on a daily basis then you absolutely should see your GP.

The life saving drugs thing gives away the fact that your comments are in bad faith. Unless you're advocating for nobody to be treated for anything that isn't life threatening until the NHS crisis is fixed.

Op paying tax from 16 -21...that won't even cover the birth of your baby..never mind all the other things..your school, college, uni, doctors, health visitors, midwife visits...

Seriously the NHS is crumbling, it will totally fall if we all need cosmetic enhancements. Do you want your child to not have any free medical care? Get some help with your mental health, otherwise once your boobs are fixed, you will need a tummy tuck, or help with stretch marks. etc.
You need to make peace with what you have and be grateful for a healthy child.

Good luck. The only way you will get it is under mental health needs. The NHS won't even treat women with fat disorders (lipoedema) so we can walk, and fuck out mental distress.

We all have shit boobs post pregnancy.

To the PP who wrote this, no woman has "shit boobs" regardless of how they look or have been affected by pregnancy, what an awful way of putting it.

Also, not everyone does have issues with their breasts after pregnancy - I have quite large ones and didn't after several pregnancies and breastfeeding; they changed a little but not much. It's only in my 50s that they are getting a bit droopy with less volume and firmness, and nothing like the OP describes. That is probably one end of the bell-curve with OP on the other end. So don't try to normalise the OP's obvious problems here!

OP, I don't know anything about the procedure, although I've heard of it. I think you are getting some good advice about starting a fund to get it sorted out privately, while pursuing it with the NHS as well, and also looking at how you conceive of your new body shape and get confidence in it back. Once you can afford an initial consultation, I would do that and get the expert opinion on what to have done and when, even if you know you can't then afford it for some time into the future (or if the NHS eventually comes up trumps), you will know what's what.

Having a baby is a shock to the system physically and otherwise so take your time and enjoy your baby while considering all this. Surgery on your breasts can affect sensitivity during sex etc. and has the usual risks of surgery, so you will need to weigh that up against the other benefits. And I would consider if you want to have some more children before having a corrective surgery, as I would imagine you would be prone to the same effect again, which might be harder to correct the second time around.

But if your partner isn't supportive and isn't loving and attracted to you how are, that's a bit of a red flag. You had his baby after all and women's bodies change through pregnancy and then throughout the lifespan. A loving partner will roll with it and enjoy being with you intimately, whatever. I suggest some counselling to explore all the above, but I am not saying that just counselling is what is ultimately needed, it'd be perfectly reasonable to pursue surgery if that's what you want to do once you have had the opportunity to explore all your feelings around the situation psychologically and talk to a surgeon about the practical side.

The life saving drugs thing gives away the fact that your comments are in bad faith. Unless you're advocating for nobody to be treated for anything that isn't life threatening until the NHS crisis is fixed

that’d me fucked then. I’m about to embark on a course of treatment that costs the NHS about £30k for the medication alone. My life isn’t in danger and I won’t be ‘cured’ at the end of it. In fact my life span is likely to still be shorter than average by ten years.

sorry I’m wasting your tax £££ @smokingbum

Misses the point, but how did you manage to put on three stone if you were sick throughout the whole pregnancy?

Being bed bound probably didn’t help.

It is causing her mental distress, including the break up of her relationship. She would qualify under the psychological criteria if her health authority funds it.

OP please go ahead and speak to your GP. You need to start somewhere and to know what the chances are. 21 is very young and I would hope the NHS would take that into account. Best of luck.

Why is reconstruction after a mastectomy different? There is no medical need to have implants. It's purely to address the mental anguish of having an extremely atypical physical characteristic. Exactly as would be the case for OP.

Most women do not experience the same breast changes or mental anguish as OP is describing, to the point that it affects their mental wellbeing on a daily basis. I don't believe that every woman should be entitled to cosmetic surgery after childbirth; you've just fabricated that so I'm not going to argue against a straw man.

I don't think there's much point in having a conversation if you're bent on being willfully ignorant and obtuse, or if you genuinely don't understand what OP is saying.

It’s awful that you have ended up with this problem, it’s often a problem that isn’t discussed when we go through pregnancy. We assume that everything just springs back into place and life goes on as before. Ask any woman who has had a csection how hard it is to get rid of the overhang or how we all end up with unpredictable bladders after childbirth and post menopause.
I had a therauputic mammoplasty when I had a lumpectomy to remove breast cancer. It is not a walk in the park and recovery is probably more complex than breast augmentation.
I had a brilliant surgeon and have a very good cosmetic result although it wasn’t guaranteed.
I think your best option is to start saving for private surgery. The NHS just doesn’t have the funds or capacity for cosmetic procedures.

My DS recently had surgery for a shoulder injury. We paid privately because it didn’t impact on his day to day life, however he was no longer able to play the sports he loves. Eventually it would have impacted on his mental health. He would have been eligible for treatment through the NHS but as a non-urgent problem he would have had to wait 2-3 yrs for surgery. We elected to go privately because we felt that 3yrs out of sport was too long. He’s already suffered with mental health problems through covid, he’s so much better now, but we didn’t want him going down that road again.

I would be cautious though. The surgery is tough and open to a lot of complications. You would need a lot of support with your child for a good month afterwards. You can’t drive for 10-14 days and you may have multiple drains for the first week. You may lose the feeling in your nipple and there is likely to be a lot of nerve damage which can be painful as it recovers for up to a year after surgery.
I have a very high pain threshold and I would not have the surgery again unless it was for breast cancer.

Blimey, I’m surprised at the pile on.
The op’s breasts and her feelings around how they look and feel are completely valid. Yes, our breasts change as time moves on and most definitely after breastfeeding. However at her age she is entitled to feel upset if they are past her waist.
Visit your GP. The worst thing will be a no. If it is a no, then perhaps start putting some money aside when you can, even if it takes a long time.

Does no one encouraging the OP to ask her GP for a boob job actually read threads? She lives in Sussex, the Sussex ICB have published what they will pay for and it DOES NOT fund this surgery. Encouraging the Op to go see her GP for this reason is a pointless exercise. She needs to see her GP in relation to improving her MH, because she isn't going to get a boob job.

I had a private mastopexy done at 21, I saved up as it was aesthetic. Think it was about 5k (my parents paid 1/2) but the gp put me in touch with a private breast surgeon.

Best thing I ever did. They still look amazing and I've had children. I also still breastfed.

Love my boobs x

int.sussex.ics.nhs.uk/clinical_documents/sussex-cec-clinical-policy/

Here you go @rosygirl14 read for yourself.

You're best off going to your go and telling them exactly what you've said here.

Good luck

Sympathise with your angst OP but I suspect you have a snowball's chance in hell of success with the NHS.

For context, I damaged a ligament in my foot to the point that I couldn't walk more than a few steps without pain, was told by a podiatrist and a specialist surgeon that it was only curable with surgery and the NHS STILL wouldn't put me on the waiting list! Ended up having to use a huge chunk of savings and getting it done privately.