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My story is very similar to many of yours. At 13...
My story is very similar to many of yours. At 13 my boobs grew very quickly and like many of you I bought bras to fit my cup size not worrying too much about the rib cage size, so by 15 I was already spilling out of a 36C, sport was painful as my bras only just about helped with modesty but they didn’t offer any actual support. It wasn’t until I got fitted properly that I found out that I was actually a 30FF, after which life was transformed, wearing the right sized bra helped a lot.
As I got older my weight fluctuated but whilst with every weight gain my boobs got bigger they rarely got smaller when I lost the weight so by the time I was in my mid 30s I was wearing 30GG/H.
I’ve never really minded the aesthetic of having big boobs and found ways to dress so that I still looked somewhat proportional, the issue for me was that the older I got the more painful the weight was on my neck, shoulders and back. I had regular physio treatments and went back and forth to the Chiropractor. I did Pilates and other exercises to attempt to resolve the issues but in the end it was a bandaid at best. I then found out a few friends and family members had reductions which finally gave me the confidence to investigate having the procedure done myself.
After a lot of research on the different techniques and PS’s in the London area I ended up booking a Consult with Adrian Richards at Harley Street. Truthfully he’s not a chatty sort of guy but in some ways that gave me a lot of confidence, there was no hard sell, he answered all my questions and when I told him the size I wanted to go down to he felt it was realistic. Aggie his nurse was really fantastic and had done the surgery herself which again boosted my confidence that he would be the right PS for me.
After a bit more research I started to question whether I’d prefer to have the Lollipop method versus the Anchor scar, I checked with Aurora clinics and they said Mr Richards specialises in the Anchor method but if I wanted to Miles Berry would be a good option for the Lollipop approach (again this reassured me that Aurora/Mr Richards was interested in making sure that I had the right procedure for me). A bit more research and after seeing the pics of people who had anchor scars here on Realself I decided to stick with Mr Richards mainly because I wanted such a large reduction even if a PS agreed to it there was a likelihood that I would have a lot of excess skin on the underside of my boobs which would maybe have to be cut away later anyway and/or would look no less unattractive than a scar.
My surgery was scheduled for November 10th at Highgate hospital (3 months after my consult), and by the beginning of October I wish I had gone for an earlier date. I checked if I could start Arnica 2 weeks before the op and was advised not to, so went with the PS’s advice.
The room at Highgate was very nice and everyone there was lovely. Various people came in to fit me for compression stockings, check my pre-op data for allergies etc plus of course a visit from the Anaesthesiologist etc. Then Mr Richards came in to mark up the incisions - what an odd feeling that was! As recommended by many others I re-stated that I wanted to be between a B and C cup which he listened to and said he’d do his best.
By 12 I was being wheeled into a pre-op room to get hooked up to IV’s and a pack that went around both my legs to keep my circulation going. Within seconds of the Anaesthetist injecting the General anaesthetic I was under. A little over 2 hours later I was in a post op room fitted with a bra and very thirsty. I had a quick look down and I was really impressed with how they looked. Mr Richards doesn’t use drains and had used internal dissolvable sutures with skin glue and the micropore tape on top of the incision lines, so I didn’t have any bleeding at all. They had managed to take 580g from one side and 610g from the other but even with that I would probably be a full C, that said I was really happy they were a bit swollen but I instantly felt the weight difference so full C is fine.
The next 24 hours I was very drowsy, I was able to go to the loo and wasn’t too dizzy but any attempt to eat didn’t work so they had to give me an injection to help me keep down food. I felt hot and nauseous for most of the night but thankfully by morning I was able to eat and drink. By afternoon I was able to go home. Family picked me up and armed with a travel cushion to put between my boobs and the seatbelt i headed off home with 2 types of painkiller and that was it.
I was pleasantly surprised at how little pain I was in but took both tablets as instructed every day for the first 4 days just in case the anaesthetic was still helping out. By day 4 I just took the tablet that also helped with inflammation. It felt a bit like I was wearing a really uncomfortable underwired bra which I just couldn’t take off or loosen, which considering wasn’t bad at all. The 3 things that I disliked the most was bad constipation, not being able to fully moisturise (I have exceptionally dry skin) and not being able to shower head to toe. I could shower my lower half and then towel wash whatever I could reach on top. As leaning forward was uncomfortable I went to the hairdresser for a wash and blow dry which helped make me feel better.
One week post op I was back at Highgate to see a nurse to get my tape changed. This was the first time I could see my new ladies and I was delighted - they were really perky. The scars that I could see weren’t too bad but the nurse felt the incisions needed a bit more time to close up before I could start showering, I was disappointed but with another appointment 3 days later I was especially careful but also started to take walks every day in the hope my body metabolism would be able to boost the healing process..
3 days later I went to Princes Risborough so that progress could be checked by Aggie and Mr Richards. The original problem area had healed but one other area still needed a bit more drying out with a bit of Iodine dressing. I had to wait 2 more days and was then able to shower…YAAY.
4 days later another dressing change and this time good news everything looked dry and was healing well. As I don’t live in the UK they then gave me enough tape to change the dressings myself every 4 days.
I went back to work 2.5 weeks post op, but in reality 3 weeks would have been better.
The first time I changed my tapes I felt a bit sick. It was awkward to pull off and of course I was scared I’d maybe open up the wounds. In the end it was fine. I had made the mistake of thinking it would be best to change the tape after a shower but infact it just made the tape glue more tacky so I needed to wait for it to dry which made it a lot easier. Again another chance to look at the ladies in more detail, the scars on one side were definitely a lot better than the other but again overall couldn’t be happier with how they looked. Mr Richards had given me a really good shape and the lift plus areola reduction meant that my boobs even with scars had never looked so good. I was expecting them to look very boxy but they already had a promisingly round shape.
Almost 3 weeks post op still a bit uncomfortable but mainly because it’s winter and my ultra skin is so dry it gets very taut so I have to very carefully moisturise between the tapes to relieve the pressure. The HospitalBra I was fitted with is quite comfortable and I bought a spare so that I had one whilst washing one. I probably would have been better with a XS bra versus S as I had everything on the tightest setting and it was still a bit loose.
Only other issue is that I’m quite dark and the nude colour wasn’t ideal so I tried various non wired black seamless bras, unfortunately none of them offered enough support so sticking with the Hospitalbra till the 6 weeks are up.
As I got older my weight fluctuated but whilst with every weight gain my boobs got bigger they rarely got smaller when I lost the weight so by the time I was in my mid 30s I was wearing 30GG/H.
I’ve never really minded the aesthetic of having big boobs and found ways to dress so that I still looked somewhat proportional, the issue for me was that the older I got the more painful the weight was on my neck, shoulders and back. I had regular physio treatments and went back and forth to the Chiropractor. I did Pilates and other exercises to attempt to resolve the issues but in the end it was a bandaid at best. I then found out a few friends and family members had reductions which finally gave me the confidence to investigate having the procedure done myself.
After a lot of research on the different techniques and PS’s in the London area I ended up booking a Consult with Adrian Richards at Harley Street. Truthfully he’s not a chatty sort of guy but in some ways that gave me a lot of confidence, there was no hard sell, he answered all my questions and when I told him the size I wanted to go down to he felt it was realistic. Aggie his nurse was really fantastic and had done the surgery herself which again boosted my confidence that he would be the right PS for me.
After a bit more research I started to question whether I’d prefer to have the Lollipop method versus the Anchor scar, I checked with Aurora clinics and they said Mr Richards specialises in the Anchor method but if I wanted to Miles Berry would be a good option for the Lollipop approach (again this reassured me that Aurora/Mr Richards was interested in making sure that I had the right procedure for me). A bit more research and after seeing the pics of people who had anchor scars here on Realself I decided to stick with Mr Richards mainly because I wanted such a large reduction even if a PS agreed to it there was a likelihood that I would have a lot of excess skin on the underside of my boobs which would maybe have to be cut away later anyway and/or would look no less unattractive than a scar.
My surgery was scheduled for November 10th at Highgate hospital (3 months after my consult), and by the beginning of October I wish I had gone for an earlier date. I checked if I could start Arnica 2 weeks before the op and was advised not to, so went with the PS’s advice.
The room at Highgate was very nice and everyone there was lovely. Various people came in to fit me for compression stockings, check my pre-op data for allergies etc plus of course a visit from the Anaesthesiologist etc. Then Mr Richards came in to mark up the incisions - what an odd feeling that was! As recommended by many others I re-stated that I wanted to be between a B and C cup which he listened to and said he’d do his best.
By 12 I was being wheeled into a pre-op room to get hooked up to IV’s and a pack that went around both my legs to keep my circulation going. Within seconds of the Anaesthetist injecting the General anaesthetic I was under. A little over 2 hours later I was in a post op room fitted with a bra and very thirsty. I had a quick look down and I was really impressed with how they looked. Mr Richards doesn’t use drains and had used internal dissolvable sutures with skin glue and the micropore tape on top of the incision lines, so I didn’t have any bleeding at all. They had managed to take 580g from one side and 610g from the other but even with that I would probably be a full C, that said I was really happy they were a bit swollen but I instantly felt the weight difference so full C is fine.
The next 24 hours I was very drowsy, I was able to go to the loo and wasn’t too dizzy but any attempt to eat didn’t work so they had to give me an injection to help me keep down food. I felt hot and nauseous for most of the night but thankfully by morning I was able to eat and drink. By afternoon I was able to go home. Family picked me up and armed with a travel cushion to put between my boobs and the seatbelt i headed off home with 2 types of painkiller and that was it.
I was pleasantly surprised at how little pain I was in but took both tablets as instructed every day for the first 4 days just in case the anaesthetic was still helping out. By day 4 I just took the tablet that also helped with inflammation. It felt a bit like I was wearing a really uncomfortable underwired bra which I just couldn’t take off or loosen, which considering wasn’t bad at all. The 3 things that I disliked the most was bad constipation, not being able to fully moisturise (I have exceptionally dry skin) and not being able to shower head to toe. I could shower my lower half and then towel wash whatever I could reach on top. As leaning forward was uncomfortable I went to the hairdresser for a wash and blow dry which helped make me feel better.
One week post op I was back at Highgate to see a nurse to get my tape changed. This was the first time I could see my new ladies and I was delighted - they were really perky. The scars that I could see weren’t too bad but the nurse felt the incisions needed a bit more time to close up before I could start showering, I was disappointed but with another appointment 3 days later I was especially careful but also started to take walks every day in the hope my body metabolism would be able to boost the healing process..
3 days later I went to Princes Risborough so that progress could be checked by Aggie and Mr Richards. The original problem area had healed but one other area still needed a bit more drying out with a bit of Iodine dressing. I had to wait 2 more days and was then able to shower…YAAY.
4 days later another dressing change and this time good news everything looked dry and was healing well. As I don’t live in the UK they then gave me enough tape to change the dressings myself every 4 days.
I went back to work 2.5 weeks post op, but in reality 3 weeks would have been better.
The first time I changed my tapes I felt a bit sick. It was awkward to pull off and of course I was scared I’d maybe open up the wounds. In the end it was fine. I had made the mistake of thinking it would be best to change the tape after a shower but infact it just made the tape glue more tacky so I needed to wait for it to dry which made it a lot easier. Again another chance to look at the ladies in more detail, the scars on one side were definitely a lot better than the other but again overall couldn’t be happier with how they looked. Mr Richards had given me a really good shape and the lift plus areola reduction meant that my boobs even with scars had never looked so good. I was expecting them to look very boxy but they already had a promisingly round shape.
Almost 3 weeks post op still a bit uncomfortable but mainly because it’s winter and my ultra skin is so dry it gets very taut so I have to very carefully moisturise between the tapes to relieve the pressure. The HospitalBra I was fitted with is quite comfortable and I bought a spare so that I had one whilst washing one. I probably would have been better with a XS bra versus S as I had everything on the tightest setting and it was still a bit loose.
Only other issue is that I’m quite dark and the nude colour wasn’t ideal so I tried various non wired black seamless bras, unfortunately none of them offered enough support so sticking with the Hospitalbra till the 6 weeks are up.
Itchy
My Ultra dry skin is starting to give me a problem with the icy winter that has just descended. I'm starting to get little eczema patches between the micropore tapes that are very uncomfortable since I have to wear the bra 24/7 the eczema is just getting agravated as I move around. It's bearable since I've had eczema for years so know not to itch it and oddly it's distracting me from any sort of discomfort I may have otherwise noticed from the surgery. That said it's annoying. Not sure if I'm Ok to use my normal ointments so going to have to get in touch with my PS to find out. Anyone else had this issue?
Provider Review
Specialist Registered Plastic Surgeon
98 Harley St,, W1G 7HZ,
I couldn't have been happier with Adrian Richards/Aurora Clinics. Aggie and Sinead the 2 nurses are particularly amazing. The team is professional, helpful and always quick to respond to questions/concerns. I'm very happy with my BR, scar management seems to be very carefully managed and I'm suprised at how quickly everything is healing. I would say that if you are going with Mr Richards consider going to Princes Risborough versus Highgate it isn't as easy to get to but is better for after care. (He and his nurses are only at Highgate once a week).