Breast reduction/lift please come talk to me

[lemonadesparkle]

have been considering having something done about my boobs for years and am coming to the crunch finally.

Bit of history - was completely flat chested (32A) and not unduly unhappy with them but then I got pg at 25 and suddenly developed ENORMOUS breasts. Was reassured by people telling me they would shrink back again eventually. B/f twins and lost alot of weight but still ended up size 8 clothes and 32F boobs !! 9yrs later pg again and b/f again ENORMOUS boobs (up to a J cup ) Am now 13yrs down the line from my first pg, 4 yrs from my last and have no intention of ever having more and have been left with 32Fs that are saggy and heavy that I hate and depress me.

Found a lump in my breast last year (non cancerous) and this is being removed in the next couple of months. Have an appointment with my consultant in a couple of weeks and am thinking this is the perhaps the opportunity to speak to a professional about having something done.

Think I am unlikely to be able to get it done on the NHS and would pay if I had to, but was thinking it may be wise to combine it with the surgery I am having in the next couple of months anyway.

Dh is incredibly supportive, he loves my boobs and makes no secret of it but he knows how they make me feel about myself and agrees that if it stops the tears, sadness and helps with the migraines and shoulder pain I get as a result then it can only be a good thing.

Would love people who have been through it to give me the real story as to what its actually like to have done (pain, scarring etc etc) and whether you are glad you had it done etc

Hi, I know exactly where you're coming from and how uncomfortable large breasts can be. I also looked into this operation and the one thing that seriously put me off having it was the fact that your nipples are actually cut out and reposited further up when the lift is done - the op also leaves visible scaring from the nipple right down the front of the breast.

Sorry that's probably not what you wanted to hear but was just giving some input.

If you still want to go ahead with it then discuss it at the appointment

No definitely want to hear about the scarring etc from the perspective of real people

Am not put off by some scarring tbh I am covered with them - tumour removed from my neck left a scar across the entire base of my neck, 2 ECS, scar running from wrist to elbow on one arm where metal plate & screws were fitted to repair 18breaks!!) But obviously would hope that it would fade in time as the others have (still visible but not the first thing you notice IYSWIM) and tbh only dh would be likely to see them (am not one for exposing the things that I hate about me the most.. although that could change ).

Just hate them so much, hate the way they make me look in clothes - either all about boobs, or fat because of wearing baggy clothes to mask them . Hate everything about them.

hi i very recently had this done and would be willing to discuss it with you if you still want. Email me at irlangford at hotmail dot com.

I had a breast reduction about 18 months ago and am absolutely thrilled with the results. No complications or excessive scarring. I love them! My only regret is that I didn't do it years ago

flaminglips - only had mine two weeks ago and i already know its the best thing ive ever done- heres to enjoying my new body! Cheers

I've had mine done on the NHS but as I was only 18 at the time I didn't have my nipples messed with, instead they went in underneath the breast and basically did lipo before taking out a flap on skin and stitching. It does mean they look a bit saggy and slightly deflated but I'll still be able to BF and I don't get the back/shoulder/neck pain. Plus I'm a more normal size (32F )

Pain - it hurt, I was bruised, the scars didn't heal brilliant because they were right along the line under my breasts. Scarring - not really visible but if I lifted them up and peeked underneath I'd imagine there would be a scar of some kind. DP has looked and says it's very faint and neat!

I had mine done privately 5 years ago. I could have got it on the NHS but the waiting list was about 18 months, and I didn't want to wait that long. I had the same surgeon as I would have done if I'd waited, as he does both private and NHS work.

Scarring varies from person to person - how well do you usually heal? - and depends on other factors like whether you smoke, your weight, how much rest you get post-operatively - particularly trying not to use your arms too much for about a month, not lifting them above your head and so on.

My scars were quite wide and visible at first but are now very pale and not really noticeable. For most women, most of the scar will be hidden under the breast anyway, but there will be a scar running vertically up the middle of the breast towards the nipple, and then around the nipple.

The other main consideration - difficulty with breastfeeding - doesn't apply in your case, as you've said.

It's not complex surgery and only takes a couple of hours at most. If all goes well you'd be out of hospital in a couple of days. Be prepared for your breasts to look pretty alarming afterwards, with the bruising and swelling.

As with all surgery there is a risk of the usual complications, both during the operation and afterwards. I had a haemotoma (basically a large collection of blood under the skin) in my left boob that took a while to drain. Also there's a risk of infection in the incision sites, which will mean that healing takes longer and usually also means bigger scars. But

Personally speaking, despite the expense, hassle and gore-factor of my own reduction, I would have the operation again in a heartbeat. I'm a totally different shape now to how I was (no longer an 18 on top and a 12 bottom half) and have much more confidence in my appearance. And I'm way more physically active, which has made a huge difference to my overall health. My posture is better too - I no longer slouch all the time to try to hide away.

Anything else you want to know, just ask.