DD wants a breast reduction.

[cinammonbuns]

Her breast are not too big for her body, they do not cause her back pain and she would not be able to get on on the NHS. She says she wants a reduction because she feels disgusted when she looks at how big her boobs are.

She is a 32EE and a size 8 top and bottom for reference. She is 18, 2nd year uni and has an internship this summer which would fully cover the cost of the procedure. She has said it’s been bothering her for years and has no issue of it causes her to be unable to breastfeed as she doesn’t want children.
I think she would like to go down to a B to C.
Is there any links or advice I can give her. I am happy for her to do it if she considers all the risks but I know the plastic surgery regret rate is quite high so I want to inform her of all the risks.

[cinammonbuns]

Why ok a lot of varying comments, thanks for all the feedback.

I think she hasn’t bothered to even go on the NHS but has researched and heard they are quite strict with allowing it nowadays. She has no back pain and would only be able to make a claim on psychological distress.

I do think she needs to research recovery more and consider if it would cause loss of sensation to nerves etc.

I am definitely not going to tell her what to do it’s her body and her money just want to make sure she is informed.

[ringboobs]

@Mollyollydolly it's quite unusual for them to grow back (mind did as I was a teenager and hadn't stopped developing) but weight gain / pregnancy can cause them to grow!

[MrsPerfect12]

It's not one op and that's them in forever, they'll need replaced at some point.

[ringboobs]

@Mollyollydolly my scars have also faded to be invisible. Sounds like your friend might have been unlucky

[zzizzer]

Might be suggesting she looks at https://www.reddit.com/r/reduction too - lots of candid accounts from people going through it all right now, both positive and negative, and questions worth exploring.

[TDMN]

I dont think the breastfeeding thing is the angle to go down, i think the fact she's only 18 and therefore has a few more years of physical maturity to go yet (PP point about them growing back is a good one!) is the bigger factor at play here, so thats where you might want to focus your research. Do your research together and encourage her towards professional advice etc (are there any charities that cover this dort of thing who could provide advice?)
One thing i will say as someone who has flirted with the idea myself, is that in my research every single woman i've come across, even the ones who might not have had the most straightforward recovery, have all said 'i wish i'd done it years ago rather than hating my body' - as a fellow E cup i completely understand why she'd be thinking about a reduction. So many women suffer from poor mental health due to gaving larger chests and it can really mess with your relationship with your body and body image.
If i were in your shoes i'd be encouraging her to go and find out if they recommend waiting a couple of years until she's 21 - that should give her some time to think/save.

[Wanderlusto]

As around a 32gg myself and sometimes I wish considered a reduction too when I was younger. As the recovery time is less at a young age.

That being said, I was probably a 32ee at her age and they have grown since then as my weight has fluctuated back and fourth between a uk 6 and 12 over the years. The boob weight however, never seems to reduce much, no matter my weight. Only grow bigger.

So she needs to know that if she reduces them now, they may come back. And by mid twenties she may need another op.

Most ppl start to retain more weight in the early to mid twenties I think (teens are often stick thin) That's when I probably should have got mine done.

I'd also worry about the reason why she wants them done. I feel out of proportion as I'm small with big boobs. But I've grown into them I think. But at an EE ...they really arent that big. I mean,not to the extent that they should be making her miserable.

I also don't want kids or have backache and now...its fucking annoying to find a bra that fits but apart from that I really dont care anymore. No 18 year old likes their body. Tell her she might because to hold off until she has a better idea of what her grown body weight will be. Because otherwise they may just come back.

And if she must get them done...i would try to go to the nhs first.

[MarkRuffaloCrumble]

M&S are terrible. Get her to do the Boob or Bust method until she can get an appointment somewhere more reputable. Rigby & Peller is the obvious one, (bra fitters to HM the Queen if I recall!) If she's going to spend thousands on a breast reduction, then spending a few hundred on some decent and supportive bras in the meantime, which could well alleviate the problem, seems like a good investment to me.

Bear in mind she may not always be a size 8 and they may end up more proportionate if she puts a bit of weight on. They could also grow even more of course, mine have been on a constant diet of cake over lockdown and they're fucking enormous.

[ArabellaScott]

For me, the practical issues are that surgery is not a small thing, there are always risks. And the loss of sensation. Breastfeeding always put me off, but if she says she doesn't want children then there's no point making this argument to her.

It is very young to have a cosmetic op - but as others have said it's not really something you can forbid.

What really concerns me is: she feels disgusted when she looks at how big her boobs are

To me, this sounds like a deeper issue. Why does she think breasts are disgusting? Women have breasts, there isn't anything wrong with breasts. They have become so culturally loaded, there's so much to unpick. They're a very visible sign of being a woman, they often have sexual associations, men often stare or make comments.

I would want to discuss not so much the ins and outs of whether she chooses to have surgery, but the why. No 18 year old should feel disgusted by their body. There must be a reason. Otherwise, surgery is just fiddling with a symptom, instead of addressing any deeper reasons.

[cinammonbuns]

@HoldontoOneMoreDay thank you, it seems most people agree that they are terrible. I will be taking her to Bravissimo when she is back from uni. She absolutely hated the first fitting (because she didn’t want anybody to see her boobs as she hates them) but I hope I can tell her that a proper fitting would be so much better.

I also think that the fact they are very likely to grow back at some point may give her pause. I’m sure she’ll have a retort but if it causes massive scarring (which she is prone to due to a skin condition) then perhaps it may lead her to other solutions.

I take in the losing weight comments. She is already small. I think 5”4 and about 50ish kg so I don’t think losing any weight will be healthy. But also inscrutable she will likely gain weight later in life and that may reverse the surgery.

[Amortentia]

I really want to have this done when I was a teenager and I really, really regret not getting it done. I think unless you know what’s it’s like to have large breast when the rest of you is small you can’t imagine how much it restricts your life. I think if she’s properly informed about the risks, scars, damage to nerves etc then she should do it.

Putting this off it off just because one day she might have a baby and want to breastfeed honestly doesn’t match the lack of freedom mentally and physically lost by having big breasts. I’m planning on getting it done before I’m 50, but god, I regret not getting to enjoy my youth without all that extra weight hanging around my neck, it really limited me in so many ways. I won’t get to enjoy a lot of the freedom I would have when I was younger and my neck and back are irreversible damaged from the additional strain, but I can’t wait to be free of them.

[Wanderlusto]

Oh and for bras btw - Bravisimo have good bra choice. But they always measure me too small. Like fuck I want to walk around constricted into a 30inch back all day. But she could pop in and try things on. Covid regulations permitting.

[cinammonbuns]

I think I’ll tell her to get a consultation. I would want a doctor who wouldn’t really look at it with profit in mind so perhaps just asking her GP about the pros and cons.

[thenightsky]

I have 2 friends who had reductions. Both grew back, but bigger.

[zzizzer]

@thenightsky

I have 2 friends who had reductions. Both grew back, but bigger.

Jesus. That's a nightmare.

[cinammonbuns]

@Wanderlusto I think it must be generally body image issues most of her fiends her size have much smaller breast and she thinks they get to wear nicer clothes without people looking at their chest. She hates having to be self conscious and in general doesn’t enjoy any attention.

[ArabellaScott]

Also, agree that M&S are the worst at sizing.

[cinammonbuns]

@Amortentia thank you for your perspective. I admit I don’t know what it feels like so I never tel her that she should get over it or its not that bad. If doing it young is best then that’s fine. It’s just even form where own research it seems she has been told that she will likely have them grow back at some point.

[ringboobs]

@thenightsky seems unlikely. The reduction doesn't trick them into needing to grow. Likely they would have grown bigger regardless. I have had two, my mum, aunts and cousins have all had them and no ones have done that

[MarkRuffaloCrumble]

To me, this sounds like a deeper issue. Why does she think breasts are disgusting? Women have breasts, there isn't anything wrong with breasts. They have become so culturally loaded, there's so much to unpick. They're a very visible sign of being a woman, they often have sexual associations, men often stare or make comments.

Yes absolutely this. Young girls have so much to deal with these days, being objectified and harassed online as well as IRL, its no wonder so many of them struggle with their bodies. But changing her body isn't necessarily the answer. I know a lot of PPs who've had this operation say that it was great and that they wish they'd had it sooner etc but they weren't growing up in the internet age with the social pressures faced by girls today, so I do think its worth a wider conversation around the driving force behind this desire for surgery.

[Amortentia]

Oh, I meant to add about scarring, I’ve not had the surgery but I’ve got permanent scars from years of wearing underwire bras. Permanent dents on my shoulders and under my arms from years of my skin being rubbed. If you wear the correct bra size it will be tight around your rib cage and that rubs too. If you’ve got a small back and large cup the wire sits high up under your arm. Even if I found a supportive strapless or thin strap bra I still have to be careful about what I wear to cover this. So, even without surgery you can still be stuck with scarring.

[JosephineDeBeauharnais]

@ArabellaScott

Also, agree that M&S are the worst at sizing.

M&S had me in 34B. Rigby & Peller put me in 30D. Guess which is more comfortable. Take her to R&P. They measure by eye so she needn’t worry about feeling embarrassed.

[zzizzer]

From a quick Google, it looks like breast tissue is more likely to grow back in young women who have had the surgery, but it's not common.

[Physalis]

Get her to read this op and the experiences below. It's a fair account describing the discomfort in detail.

www.shape.com/lifestyle/mind-and-body/what-i-wish-id-known-about-breast-reduction-surgery-going-under-knife

[SpiderinaWingMirror]

If there was thing I wish I had done it was having breast reduction surgery.