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.

[Elsiebear90]

Is that definitely her bra size? I’m a 32EE/F and I wouldn’t be able to fit into a size 8 top because of my boobs, I wear a size 12, 10 fits the rest of me better, but my boobs won’t fit in. I don’t find them to be that large either and they suit my body frame well. I think she’s must have a much smaller back size and is likely a bigger cup size (like a 28G/H), because a 32EE is really not that big from my experience. My fiancée is 38GG and her boobs are ten times the size of mine.

[Quincie]

I have been fitted in Bravissimo and Rigby and Peller - not only did I get the right size the bras were pretty, much nicer than I'd been wearing (probably because i'd been wearing hefty styles to give me support).

[MrGHardy]

"I assume they mean the money they make from the internship will cover the costs of the procedure."

Ah, I understand now, thanks.

[NewlyGranny]

Why isn't Bravissimo called Bravissima? 🤔

[FinallyHere]

Interesting point, @Quincie I am happy with the brand/model of bra I wear nowadays with just the size changing as I have lost and gained weight.

However, I do remember the joy of having a whole range of different ones to choose from, at my first R&P fitting. I had convinced myself my only hope would be their custom service so felt quite emotional about being offered a whole range of different ones to pick from. The lovely fitter even pointed out the drawers full they had in my size.

The thing that impressed me most was the first one she gave me to try fitted really well. She had told me this would just be to confirm my size and when she selected it had only seen me in my winter puffer style jacket before I undressed.

Pretty Magic stuff

I tried loads of styles on and ended up buying the first once she suggested and have stuck with that model ever since.

[Puntastic]

@NewlyGranny

Why isn't Bravissimo called Bravissima? 🤔

🤯

[Brefugee]

It's men's and boys' attitudes that need to change, not girls' and women's bodies.

2 different issues for me. I loathed the grabbers, the catcalls, men talking to my breasts etc etc

but they're ugly and uncomfortable and they restrict my activities and i wish I'd had them reduced a lot when i was younger. I will go to my grave regretting it

[whiteshark]

I would really try and delay it. My sister had hers reduced from GG cup to C at 18 years old. They grew again which apparently isn't uncommon. They are bigger now than they were originally.

I second getting a second opinion on bra fitting. It does seem odd she can fit into a size 8 top if she really is that size.

[janeapple111]

Why do some women have large breasts, they are annoying. It seems like another way that women are badly designed. I read that mammals in the animal kingdom, do not develop breasts until they are actually breastfeeding. That humans are very unusual in having breasts all the time.

I have huge breasts, I don't have children and I never will. They seem so unnecessary.

[Quincie]

I am amazed that breasts can grow back - is this just in younger women eg less than 20??

[Arbadacarba]

@Quincie

I am amazed that breasts can grow back - is this just in younger women eg less than 20??

I think they store fat like any other body part and if you are genetically programmed to store fat in your boobs, any weight gain will include them. It's always the first place it goes on for me and the last place to come off. I assume if I ever had a reduction I would have to try not to gain weight afterwards. If I was having a reduction I'd want an A-cup!

[WhatMattersMost]

@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.

I had a breast reduction at 19. I was so very, very tired of having to hold them down when I ran, and having unwanted male attention.

I'm now nearly 50 and I have no regrets whatsoever. It might be useful to know what I experienced though:

• Numbness under my breasts for a good 10 - 15 years. This has now corrected almost completely
• An inability to breast feed
• The operation was long (4.5 hours), I was in a lot of pain afterwards with drainage tubes attached to each breast, and was on morphine for two days
• My breasts were strapped up for several weeks, with a lot of bruising, helped by arnica
• I have scars, but, honestly, if a man is put off by them then they're not the kind of man I'd want to see me naked anyway, and my partners have been absolutely fine with them
• They have enlarged slightly, but only slightly: I'm now a B instead of an A cup

The op changed my life. I felt more confident, I could run!, I stopped being on the receiving end of a slew of abuse/comments, from whispers to shouts, to men talking exclusively to my chest. I could wear what I wanted because I could finally find clothes that fit.

So even with my post-op experience, I'd go through again without a second thought.

[Amortentia]

@Quincie

I am amazed that breasts can grow back - is this just in younger women eg less than 20??

Breast tissue doesn't finish developing until you've gone through pregnancy. So, it's possible the regrowth isn't just down to weight gain but additional tissue. This is partly why it's recommended putting surgery off until you've completed your family. I'd personally still get it done sooner and enjoy the benefits.

[Viviennemary]

I'm amazed by Didn't know breast could grow back. They're not like noses you know. They store fat which is why they change in pregnancy.

[DdraigGoch]

Can’t really understand why you have posted this under feminism though ?
@Suffolkpunch345 because the OP's daughter has problems with body image which stem (at least in part) from unwanted male attention. In an ideal world it would be the unwanted male attention which goes under the knife but as we do not live in an ideal world her daughter is having to change her own body. This is a feminist issue.

[24GinDrinkingOnceTheKidsInBed]

I’ve now had a child, tried BF ect. I still would have done it when I thought about it from 17>. I’d do it now but I can’t afford it

[daringdoris]

Am reading the AIBU about men perving over teenage girls. It's just awful.
In an ideal world it would be the unwanted male attention which goes under the knife but as we do not live in an ideal world her daughter is having to change her own body. This is a feminist issue.
I was trying to articulate why I do view this through a feminist lens, and I agree with you, DdraigGoch.

I think breastfeeding is a femminist issue too, just like healthcare, childbirth, provision of childcare, maternity leave, maternity pay etc.

I also have large breasts and really hated the way my body looked in the mirror at your daughter's age, OP. I do think it's healthier to accept your own body, although I also completely accept and understand all the women who have done it and have no regrets (or haven't and do!)

Men have stopped staring at me as I've got older, but something I do hate is that people always seem to think of me as fatter than I am, because of my breasts. Like others, also I hate that I have a lot less choice in styles of tops and dresses.

[Iootraw1]

I can’t see the problem with this if her breasts are causing a physical impediment. I mean if there is back pain, or a resistance to take part in physical activity or sport due to this then I would think that breast reduction surgery may well help.
Also women are made to feel conscious of having big breasts (by men mainly). Maybe she feels she can’t follow some of the fashions for instance that she would otherwise like to.

[CatherinaJTV]

@MeadowHay

I don't have any advice but I don't believe she can be a size 8 top and a 32E bra size. It's far far more likely she is a much smaller back size and correspondingly much bigger cup size - size 8 tops in correct fitting bras would typically be around a 28 back. She's probably more like a 28G - and I don't mean to be flippant but wearing well fitting bras can make a big difference to confidence, appearance and comfort so if you can gently suggest she has a fitting with a reputable company like Bravissimo (or use the Boob or Bust calculator) in the meantime I would do so.

This! If there is any chance she can get a good bra fitting, treat her to one. It makes a huge difference. Bravissimo is a great brand, Freya are my go to after a fitting I had at John Lewis' (had originally taken the daughter and then asked whether they would do me).

[Shehasadiamondinthesky]

[quote Potteringshed]@Shehasadiamondinthesky - I'm so sorry this happened to you, but that's not always true. My scars faded in a few years. They weren't noticeable unless you were looking after 5 years and after 10 years you really can't see them at all - there are just a few fine white lines. Stretch marks are more noticeable.[/quote]
I think it depends on the surgeon too. I later had correction on the NHS because the NHS surgeon said the original private surgeon had made a right dogs dinner of it. I had the corrective surgery at Queen Victoria East Grinstead.
Unfortunately he couldn't do a lot about the excessive scarring but it does look a lot better now.

[FFSFFSFFS]

My best friend had reduction when she was I think 17. This was almost 30 years ago. She has scarring and I think numbness. Hasn't had kids so breastfeeding never came up.

She has always says is one hundred percent the best thing that she has ever done and zero regrets!

[AdHominemNonSequitur]

Absolutely, I agree with what others have said that she is simply not that chest circumference at a size 8. I'm a 32 FF and a size 14. It's a stock and manufacturing issue. Shops limit the cup sizes available to Aa to DD as it is cheaper and easier. Only specialist Bra shops are properly stocked to cover the bigger Cup sizes and back size variations. The support comes mainly from the chest band, if it is too big, there is no structural support. Recommend bravissimo or Rigby Peller. Who stock Freya, Panache etc. Brands that can cope. Once you know size and shape that works, you can buy brand direct and shop around, which is a bit cheaper.

[CardinalLolzy]

M&S measured me at a 40B. Bravissimo measured me at 34GG.

Wow! How can there be that much variance?! Did you fit any 40B bras at M&S?!