Hi everyone! I had a breast reduction in May 2018 and went from a 36DDD to 36C. I am so happy with the outcome and I wold truly recommend that anyone that has considered it, to get in touch with a surgeon and find out what your options are. I have lost 50 pounds since the procedure, but it was from stopping a medication that I had been taking beforehand. As I lost weight, I noticed that I had this weird bulging around the incision line around my armpit area. At first I didn't really care, but during this summer (2019), I had a very hard time trying to find a swimsuit top that held the bulging down. I had to find a thick strap, but even then, I was too self conscious to even swim or go anywhere with just a swimsuit top on. This also limited the shirts I could wear because if I wasn't wearing a bra, you could see that bulge and I hated it. I went back to talk to my surgeon in August or September of this year (2019, I don't remember the month though). He said that it does sometimes happen and it becomes more noticeable as you lose weight. We set my surgery up for November 20th, 2019 and I am writing this review on November 24th, 2019 In post-op, my surgeon came in to do some marking before having me come back. He noticed one of my bigger scars that didn't heal correctly from m original breast reduction. It never really bothered me, but it bothered him to the point where he asked if I wanted it fixed. He's the same surgeon that I had for my breast reduction and he just wanted me to be completely happy. I told him to go ahead. Surgery was easy, pain wasn't bad, and I had a nausea patch which made things really easy. They actually started using this drug called Exparel. They injected it after surgery and basically it's a long lasting pain medication. Doctors are trying to prescribe less narcotics and this has been a big help. It was supposed to last 3 days and he had given me less pain meds than what he usually would've done. I think it worked out great and I haven't had any problems. I was told to ice the area every half hour and take my pain meds every 4-6 hours as needed. For the first day and some of the second, I kept taking the meds every 4 hours to stay ahead of the pain. Since I wasn't prescribed as many pills, I started to slow down and I only take them if I'm in pain that doesn't settle down with ice or Tylenol. I was able to take off the bandages 3 days later and I was able to shower then as well. I recommend taking them off in the shower because they can be hard to get off. Also, have someone else wash your hair for you because it's extremely hard to do it and you'd probably hurt yourself if you did it alone. I am pretty limited on what I can hold, push, or pull on, and how far I can raise my hands up. I get a better range of motion every day, but I don't overdo it. You don't really need to know a weight limit because your body will definitely tell you what's too heavy or what's too much. On the first day, I couldn't pick up my full Yeti cup without using both hands, if that gives you an idea. I'm so happy that I had the surgery and I'm excited to see the end result. I will keep posting updates as I continue along! Updated on 20 Feb 2020: These are my first progress pictures since November. With my breast reduction, I made updates frequently and took a lot of pictures. For some reason, I just didn’t do that this time. Okay, so I’m absolutely loving the outcome! The scarring is fading and I am so happy that I decided to go with it. I actually went down a band size for bras and I feel so much more comfortable with my appearance. The dog ears/bulging were the only thing that I hated from my original reduction. Now, I don’t have any complaints. Some of the pictures may look like an awkward angle, but I really wanted to show how my scarring was looking. It’s also very hard to try and show that the bulging is gone in pictures. It was hard to even show the bulging in pictures before I had the surgery. I also have officially lost 65 pounds from when I had my surgery in May 2018. I hope that I will continue to lose weight, but I’m happy with how far I’ve come. My plan is to post updates more frequently, so there will be more pictures soon!
Amazing experience and outcome with a breast reduction. He explains things in a way that you can understand and is willing to help you with any problems that you may have. He really knows what he is doing and is very good at it. I love the way that my breasts turned out.
Quick summary: I had my surgery at 20 years old and just had my 21st a couple weeks ago, so it has only been 3 months since surgery. I was 206 pounds and was wearing a 34DDD cup size. I had a breast reduction and lift on May 7, 2018. My surgeon also reduced the size of my areolas and made them symmetrical to each other. I am now a 34/36 D/C depending on the bra. I’m still trying to figure out what size fits the best. I suggest waiting a while before buying many new bras because you won’t know your size until you are fully healed. Recovery went by fast and the pain was tolerable. I just got the “okay” from my surgeon for my last post op appointment on August 23, 2018, so now I can wear whatever bras I want, go braless, etc. my scars are healing nicely and I absolutely love my breasts. It is probably the best decision I have ever made in my life. Full summary: I have always hated my breasts ever since they first started to develop. Immediately I noticed that my areolas were different sizes. As a young girl, this was a huge damper on my confidence. I didn’t even let my boyfriend see them for a while because i hated them so much. My senior year of high school, I was a 34 DD or D depending on the bra, but it wasn’t too big of a deal for me. I liked the size and how they looked besides the difference in areola size. I was 150 pounds when I graduated. Moving on to college, I weighed 206 lbs at my highest which was around April/May 2018. My cup size was now 34/36 DDD. Not only did they get bigger, but they became saggier as well. My weight gain and the change in my breasts’ appearance really made me self conscious. I was pretty proud of my body in high school, but going into college and gaining weight, I came to hating my body. I started to talk to my aunt about my options for my breasts because she works as a nurse in plastics. She told me to consider a breast reduction because she was confident that I’d qualify for it. I made an appointment and the surgeon agreed that I qualified for a breast reduction. All that was left was to get my insurance’s approval for them to cover most of it. Eventually my insurance decided that it was medically necessary for me to get the reduction. Before surgery, I had trouble with headaches, back aches, shoulder pain, and pain/tingling in my arms. I had to get my back adjusted frequently due to the pain. To get my insurance to cover it, I had to prove that I had been talking about my pain to my doctors and chiropractor. Surgery day finally came on May 7, 2018. I went back fairly quickly, an IV was placed, and next thing I knew, I was laying on the table and I was out like a light. When I woke up I was in a hospital room and my surgeon asked if I wanted to see them. Of course I did! (Keep in mind I was high on pain meds and anesthesia still) He let me see and I about broke down crying, but I managed to say, “Oh. My. God. They’re so cute!” My surgeon laughed and said that he doesn’t think he’s had anyone call them cute before. The pain was tolerable and when I started to get uncomfortable, it was already time to get another pain med. I spent the night and was able to go home in the morning. I had two JP drains on both sides, no visible stitches, some medical tape on the incisions, and a surgical bra that I had to wear for a few weeks. The pain was still okay when I got home, I started to ache, but luckily I slept a lot. I don’t usually sleep on my back, but I got used to it and it was easy because the pain meds just knocked me out anyway. The only things that really bothered me were my drains because they used a stitch to keep them in place, so if I moved too far on my side, the tubing would pull and it hurt. My other major complaint was the itching. I was completely numb on both breasts for a couple days, but for some reason, they would itch like crazy! So since they were numb, when I tried to scratch them, I couldn’t feel it. This lasted for only about a day, but oh my god it drove me nuts. I wasn’t able to shower for a few days, but I could feel my hair getting to be too greasy. I had my mom wash my hair because I was unable to lift my arms up very high without it hurting. Showering by myself soon felt like an Olympic sport because my arms would get tired and my breasts would start to ache. After a couple weeks, it was no big deal, but I would definitely have someone help the first couple times! Recovery got easier and easier every day. My drains were taken out and everything was healing nicely. I did have my incision open up where the incisions come to a “T”, but it’s very normal for that to happen. My surgeon gave me some cream to put on it and it healed about 2 weeks later. Eventually my scars healed up completely and my breasts began to settle and look more natural. I love how my breasts look, this is easily the best decision I have ever made. I had my last post op appointment on August 23, 2018. I can now wear underwire bras if I want to and I can really do whatever. A few things that I feel like I should mention: I have feeling in almost my whole breast on both sides. There are a few spots that I am still numb in. I may get feeling in them or they will always stay numb. I have complete feeling on both of my areolas. Before surgery, I wasn’t able to “nip” because the skin on my breasts wold stretch too much. After surgery, I am now able to nip. I did a little dance the first time that it happened. It’s the little things that can make you happy My surgeon would prefer me not to breast feed if I decide to have children. He said it can change the shape and I would have the possibility of them growing back to my pre-surgery size. He said that I might not have been able to do so anyway because of my size before surgery, so after surgery, my chances of being able to breast feed are pretty slim. Some people are able to, but I’m not going to try. I was nervous about the shape of them when they were healing and settling. They looked kind of boxy at first, but they are becoming more round even 3 months+ out. I have been using a cream called Body Merry Stretch Marks and scars. It has significantly lightened my severe stretch marks and it is helping with my scars too. My scars are currently a purple/red color. I bought the cream on Amazon. The first time I went clothes shopping after surgery, I cried in the dressing room. I couldn’t believe the change in how clothes fit me. I was finally able to wear crop tops/shorter tops without looking huge. I was happy with how I looked in clothes and I could feel my confidence coming back. Seriously though, it was a big difference. I tried some shirts on that I thought I could never wear pre-surgery and they looked amazing on after surgery. It was just crazy to me how many new styles of shirts that I could try without looking ridiculous. This was one of my best decisions I have ever made. If you are thinking about getting this surgery, DO IT. The cost was worth it. I will come back to edit this once I look at my pricing total again. I did drop a couple pounds after surgery, but as you can see in the pictures, just by lifting my breasts and changing the size, it made me look a lot more curvy. My waist looks more defined and that made me really happy. I felt like a blob before surgery, now I’m a blob that has a little bit of a curve to it haha. The pictures I have included go from high school, to college pre-surgery, and post-surgery. I also included a picture of where my incision came open. (I was 18 when I took the photos in high school). Updated on 12 Nov 2018: Wow, I can't believe it's been 6 months already! I have lost around 15 pounds since surgery and I am now getting the confidence to wear tighter shirts once again. This surgery is still one of my best decisions that I have ever made. Please, please please, if you are considering this surgery, go talk to a specialist to see if it's right for you! It totally changed my attitude towards my body and changed my mood in general. Growing up, I hated my breasts, I hated them. Even when they first started to develop, I already noticed that my areolas were different sizes and that my boobs seemed to be saggier than other people's. I never thought that I'd ever be able to say that I love my breasts. I love them! How crazy is that? The one thing I hated on my body for most of my life is now one of my favorite things about myself. I included pictures, just be aware that my breasts are pretty symmetrical and so are my areolas, they just look somewhat different from each other since I am lifting my arm up to take a picture. I didn't have anyone to take a picture for me to show what they look like at a "resting" state. I only have noticeable scarring around my right areola, but you can't see it that well in the pictures. It has a light pink ring around it while my left one has practically no scarring at all. The scarring under my breasts are looking fantastic and now have a more tan/pink color to them as well as the ones that are running vertically from my areola to the bottom of my breast. The vertical incisions are now looking more like weird stretch marks than anything. Just some extra things, I am still gaining sensation back in places of my breasts. Some areas are still completely numb, while there are others that are back to normal, but there are also places where I seem to be hypersensitive. I have almost full sensation back in my areolas/nipples and most of the top of my breasts have sensation as well. The areas where I am hypersensitive are around my areolas. The places that I am still pretty numb is more towards the incisions at the bottom of my breast and I have no sensation at all where my incision extends back towards my ribcage/under my armpit. That area is where I had my JP drains, so a lot of nerves were messed with around there. Keep in mind that I could gain sensation back anywhere from months to years after surgery. Like I said, I am still finding new places that I can finally feel instead of them being numb. However, there are some places that might be numb for the rest of my life. A common place that some people will always stay numb at would be the areolas/nipples. Please do not let the chance of numbness deter you from getting this surgery. I promise you that it is so worth it! Another thing, I put lotion on my breasts nearly every day, this helps keep stretch marks away and helps scars heal faster. I mentioned it in my original post, but I used Body Merry Stretch Marks and Scars cream. That stuff is like magic in a jar, let me tell you. I have severe stretch marks and they have almost vanished. Stretch marks are a tear in the layers of your skin, that has to heal by itself, cream cannot heal that, but the cream has lightened the appearance of the stretch marks. Not only has it helped my stretch marks, but I believe that it has definitely helped lighten my scars as well! You can find this cream on Amazon! And another thing, I used to rejoice when I would come home and whip my bra off, but now I have a bra on almost all the time. 90% of the time I will have a bra on, including while I'm sleeping. It's kind of uncomfortable to not have a bra on now, it almost pulls and makes my breasts feel heavy without one. If I don't wear one over night, my breasts can feel really tender and sore. It is recommended to frequently have a bra on for a few months after surgery just so your breasts can heal and form to a shape that you desire. Side note, I can sleep on my stomach all I want without my breasts hurting, even with a bra on. (TMI Warning/Sexual-ish) Last thing, kind of a weird thing to mention, but hey, one of you might have this question. So if you like to or like to have someone else massage your breasts, your breasts will still be tender even months out. Here I am 6 months out and I can barely squeeze/massage them without being in pain. (I don't mean squeezing as in hard squeezing) I'm not talking about "good pain" or just uncomfortable, I'm talking about it actually hurting where I have to tell my boyfriend to stop and do it lighter. I used to really like the feeling before surgery and I would never be in pain, but now even lightly doing it can make my breasts hurt. *End of TMI paragraph* Okay, I'm done blabbering! Feel free to message me with any questions and I will be happy to help. Good luck to anyone who wants to begin this journey and for those who are just looking into this, I hope this helps you! Updated on 30 Dec 2018: Hi, everyone! I know I updated last month, but I have had a big change happen with touch/sensations. Last month I talked about how I couldn’t really massage my breasts without being in a lot of pain. I now can do it with little to no pain at all even when I do it harder. It’s amazing what can happen in just one month! I am also gaining back more sense of touch in some parts. I am still numb around my armpit area and where my incisions are, but that’s okay. Another thing, I have lost almost 30 pounds since May, which is absolutely insane. It has not changed the shape of my breasts which I was a little worried about. However, I am constantly changing the length of my straps and going to a new hook on my bra band to make it tighter. I’m beginning to think I might need to go down a cup size. I’m currently wearing a 36D, but I think I could get away with going to a 36C. If I continue to lose weight and get back to my starting weight, I imagine I’ll be around a 34 or 36C. Alright, that’s all I got for this update. I’ve also included pictures once again! The pictures show how my scars are looking underneath my breasts as well as around my areolas. Both of the scars around my areolas have lightened too. Also, there is a red mark on my chest, but it’s just from accidentally scratching myself before taking the pictures. Updated on 15 Mar 2019: It’s crazy that it’s almost been a year since my surgery. I’m soooo happy that I went through with it. This update is to talk about wearing a bra. In my previous updates I have said that it hurts to not have a bra on after a few hours. I can now go braless during the night and then for a couple more hours during the day. I do start to get a little sore, so I have to put one back on, but it’s fine! I’ll include newer pictures soon! Updated on 25 May 2019: I can’t believe it’s already been a year since I had my surgery. I’m forever thankful that I went through with it because I am so much happier and feel so much better. It seems like they are still shaping and changing themselves, but only slowly. I still find it more comfortable to wear a bra, but I have been wearing them less and less. I’m getting sensation back even a year post op! I’m still very numb around my scars, but I can now feel a little tingling. I know when I’m starting to gain sensation back because I will be itchy in a spot that is numb. That is still very frustrating because obviously I can’t feel myself scratching it. I learned if I itch around that area and find places that I can feel, it will stop being itchy. My scars continue to lighten up, but the scar around my right areola is still pink where as my other scars have changed to skin color or a tan color. That’s totally fine though. Otherwise I wish my scars where my incisions broke open were smaller and less noticeable, but there’s not much I can do about that. It doesn’t make me regret the surgery at all, it’s just something I wish I could change. One thing that really does bug me is my fatty scar tissue under my armpit that sticks out. There is no way to get rid of it, no weight lifting or losing weight will help it. It was very hard for me to find swimsuits with a thick band that would cover it and push down on it. The thinner bands looked terrible on me. My surgeon told me last year that the only way to get rid of it would be to have my incision extended. I said no way last year, but now I wish I had the money to do it. Do not let that part change your mind. It’s basically my only con about the surgery. I have also lost 43 pounds since last year! I’m so much happier and in a better place now that I had the surgery. If you’re thinking about it, definitely get a consult and continue to do research! It is still one of the best decisions I have ever made. I included a lot of pictures just to give you a good idea of what 1 year post op looks like. :) Updated on 18 Oct 2019: Hi, everyone! As I continue to lose weight after surgery, the more prominent my “dog ears” underneath my armpits become. I thought I could suck it up, but it’s really been bothering me. In fact, it was hard to find a swimsuit with a band thick enough to keep them pinned down. I never ended up going swimming this year, mostly because of that. I talked to my surgeon again and he told me what they are called and what they are. Basically when your body heals itself, fat and scar tissue can build up around the incision site and will make them look swollen and will stick out. He said that we could remove it as long as my insurance covered it. My insurance surprised me and gave me the go-ahead. On November 20th, I will be having surgery to remove my dog ears. I will post a whole new review for it. I’ll add pictures on here soon, I just realized that I haven’t posted any, or even toon any new pictures for myself. So I’ll do that whenever I can. Updated on 20 Oct 2019: It’s been a while since I’ve posted some “after” pictures, so I decided I’d post some since my next surgery is coming up. I’ll be getting my dog ears removed from the sides next month. They may not be very noticeable in the pictures, but they are very noticeable to me. If you look at the sides, you can see some tissue that juts out or almost comes to a point, that’s my dog ears. After my surgery, they should lay flat. Updated on 24 Nov 2019: I had my surgery on Nov. 20th and I’m very happy with the outcome. My surgeon also got rid of a scar from my original reduction from an incision that didn’t heal well. I’ll post a few pictures here, but I’m going to write a separate review with more information. Updated on 21 Feb 2020: Here’s more pictures from my surgery from November 2019! I love the results and I’m so happy with how everything turned out. I’m now even more confident and I even went down a bra band size. I also have lost 65 pounds since my original surgery in May 2018. Updated on 25 Jun 2024: Hi everyone! It’s now 6 years post-op and I still love that I went through with my operation and the dog-ear touch up (scar extension). I’m currently a 32D and weigh about 158 pounds last I checked. My breast size does fluctuate a little with weight gain and loss, but not by much. Tenderness and soreness went away maybe around the 1 year mark after my second surgery. I still have numbness in certain areas along the scar line, otherwise I can feel everything. My scars have really lightened up and I personally am content with the way everything looks! In the pictures I’ll be adding, you may see some bumps on the nipples, but that’s just scarring from when I had my nipples pierced before my first surgery in 2018. Side note, I haven’t had children. So I can’t add anything about breast changes due to being pregnant and/or breastfeeding. If you have any questions, please ask. I updated my notification settings, so I’ll be alerted to messages/comments. I remember first joining RealSelf when I was researching before and after pictures of breast reductions. It was rare that I’d see after pictures passed the 1 year mark, so I hope this helps anyone that is curious about how scarring and breasts can look years down the road. :)
My first treatment of Botox for migranes was about 3 years ago. I was averaging 4-5 migranes a week. Over the years this varied of course. The results have been very good though not without challenges. At first I had severe migranes 2 days after the injections lasting for 2-3 days. I continue to get what I am still calling migranes, but they are much different than in the past. I rarely have days where I am out of commission like I used to be. I do not have the pain in my head as in the past. The photophobia is greatly reduced. I do still get nauseous, but have not thrown up in over two years. I consider these changes to be a HUGH improvement. I do experience a weakness in the right side of my neck so I we have varied injections at that site. I still keep my other migranes medication and work with it to ease the symptoms I still have. This method has been the most significant inprovement I have ever had in migranes treatment.
My goal was to still look like myself and keep my almond eye shape but reduce droopiness of one eye and get rid of that tired look. The outcome was shocking; rounded eyes with heavy upper lids, and visible scars not only on the crease, but also on the inner and outer corners. Permanent dry eye and tightness, and sagging of one of the lower lids. Eyes less symmetrical now than they were before I had the surgery. I have to wear glasses to try to hide my eyes because I'm embarrassed by my appearance. I look like I've had some serious plastic surgery, I also look older due to aggressive fat pad removal. Your eyes are what makes your face special and their unique features can be easily destroyed by this procedure; mine was and once it's done it is permanent, folks. This was the worst decision of my life, and I'm telling my story so it can help one person avoid the hell I've gone through, and have to live with. My boyfriend and grown children, and grandchildren have also had a rough time with accepting my changed appearance; consider all consequences of this surgery before making your decision please! Do your homework; ask to see before/ after pictures from your surgeon and have him put in writing what he is going to do. See a specialist, not a general plastic surgeon for face or eyelid surgery.
