Breast Reduction: Stories

I developed big breasts at age 12, as a result I was never comfortable with having large breasts and spent most of my life trying to hide them; unfortunately 38DDs cannot be hidden. After gaining and losing about 60 pounds twice in my life, I felt like I had 2 baloons that had been inflated and deflated one too many times--severe ptosis and stretch marks. My most recent gradual healthy weight loss had brought me to an ideal weight, but my 36DDs were not going to get any smaller (or any higher on my chest) by working out more, and the weight of my breasts put a major strain on my neck and shoulders, and if my bra was too tight, I'd get headaches as well. I was constantly aware and self-concious about my breasts.

About a year ago I started seriously thinking about a breast reduction. I began by googling images of before and after photos and was amazed at the work that could be done; I asked a doctor I respect to refer me a few names of local surgeons and researched them, settled on one and had a consult in Oct. 2010.

We submitted to my insurance company to see if they would cover the procedure and though it took about 2 months for them to reply, they did approve it, and so in January I scheduled it for 2-23-11. It's still very early in recovery for me, but so far I am thrilled to feel free of 36DDs and very content with what should end up being a 36C. I am excited to be able to do more exercise, like now jogging or running without feeling like the weights on my chest are holding me back; I also cannot wait to be able to buy some tops that I could never have worn before (halters, strapless, one-shoulder) because of all the "engineering" required to reign in my old breasts!

I read the help guides on this site by Kimmers25 back in January and they were an immense help in knowing exactly what to expect and I feel like there were no surprises throughout my whole experience thus far.

The only minor cons so far are that the incisions are a little longer than I thought, but they will also take months to heal; my doctor was clear that it would take at least 9 months to see the real results, so it requires patience. Also I have experienced a small amount of numbness along part of my incisions/scars, but I knew beforehand that was a normal side effect and possibility.