Breast Reduction and lift/DD to C, 32 yo

you look amazing! perfect size and shape

Thank you for sharing all these details. I met with Dr. Semple this week to discuss a breast reduction. I’m a 36F and was hoping to go down to a C. I was wondering if you could share your thoughts now that a few years have passed? How has the healing gone? Are you happy with the outcome? Did the swelling/size go down more since the pictures you shared? Thanks again for sharing this, I was so amazed to see a review from someone who saw the same surgeon I will see.

Hi @jennW2017,
Yes! I did go with Dr. Semple, and I have no complaints! I had my surgery in October 2023. The process went smoothly. My only regret is not doing it sooner. I found him to be kind and attentive. He even held my hand very compassionately as I was getting anesthesia. He would always take the time to answer all my questions during any follow-up appointments. I was quite large (an F to an I depending on the bra company I bought from). I haven't been properly measured now, but I would say I am around a full C cup. My breasts are a nice shape, symmetrical, my nipples are smaller and up MUCH higher (no longer looking at the ground, so that's nice, haha), and the scars have healed nicely. I can still notice the scars, often when getting out of the shower, but they are pretty clear/faded. I will say that the scar on my left breast does come up higher (under my armpit) than the scar on my right breast - I joke that the left breast was maybe done by the Fellow that was learning under Dr. Semple - but it's not a big issue, especially as the scars continue to fade over time.

I opted to pay the $2500 for the liposuction at the tail end of the armpits and he also took out some fat at the crotch of my armpit (not sure what to call it) - I was grateful for that - I am on the curvier side and I was always self conscious of the cubby part of my armptis when wearing tanktops. I will say I can notice a slight difference where I wish they lipo'd just a bit more on my right side, but again, it's minimal and only noticed by me, and I recognize it's impossible to make things 100% symmetrical. So with the $2500 lipo fee, plus some $400ish operating room fee (which I was told is standard and could not be waived) - it cost me just over $3000 out of pocket, OHIP covered the rest. My work has a medical expense fund through my Union, they don't often cover things like this, but I submitted anyway and was surprised they did! So if your work offers any additional coverage, I recommend trying for it, even if you don't think it will be accepted.

The healing process was a JOURNEY, as in it was a rollercoaster of emotions and I was fairly anxious about every bump, asymmetry, puckering, or crinkle I noticed along the way. I was able to take pictures and send them to Dr. Semple's team (I think his administrative staff's name was, Angela?) - they would pass it along to him and he always reassured me that it was normal and would sort itself out as I continued to heal - and he was right.

When I first got out of surgery, I immediately noticed less weight on my chest. They removed the following: RIGHT - 400 mL breast tissue + 175 mL axilla; LEFT - 420 mL + 150 mL axilla. I was still loopy from the anesthesia and was worried that I had NO breasts left, haha. Then in the first couple of weeks, I was worried they were still too big and wished he took more off. They started off really swollen and SUPER perky. Almost too perky, but I got used to it. Once they became less swollen and firm and felt more like normal breast tissue, they dropped a bit. I think because they were SO perky, I started to feel they were saggy (they are not, it was just the drastic change from swollen to not) - hence the rollercoaster. So take my advice and try to trust the process, it takes time for them to not be so firm and swollen. You will likely go through a period of feeling they are misshapen, too small, too big, too perky, not perky enough -- I shared my experience with some friends and family who have also had a breast reduction, and they had a similar experience of ups and downs.

Overall, I'm so happy I did this, and would recommend Dr. Semple. If I ever had to do this again, I would go with him. I was surprised to find some negative reviews about him, but I guess everyone is different, our bodies are different, we heal differently, and our expectations vary. So this was my experience, hopefully sharing it has helped you in some way. Best of luck!

Thank you so much for your response! I didn't find it until today, but it was so helpful. I'm scheduled for my reduction one week from today! You've made me feel a lot less nervous about it!

Thanks for sharing! I go in on Monday and am shooting for your same size outcome. They look great!

You look great, glad to hear things are going well!