40 Year Old with 2 Grown Kids - Breast Reduction/lift - Should Have Done It Sooner!!! Santa Rosa, CA

I had never been happy with my breasts. They always sagged and had large areolas. I had two children in my early 20's and this took me from a C cup to a DD cup adding to the sagging and making me even more unhappy. I started research on breast "jobs" around 32 and on my 40th birthday I told my husband I really wanted to see about a breast reduction. He was extremely reluctant to discuss any plastic surgery and thankfully for me, loved me just as I was but this was a very intimate thing I needed to look into to make me happy. Yes, I wanted to look good but more importantly, I needed to feel good when I looked into the mirror and I was so over the "sand bags" on my chest! I made 3 consultation appointments and asked him to join me on all 3 to be part of the process. After hearing my story he understood my want to reduce and lift my breasts. They were uncomfortable and every night felt like sand bags falling when I removed my bra. The not so pretty bra with thick monster size straps to hold those puppies in place all day bra!! Today I am 5 weeks post op and am in absolute heaven!!! For the first time in my life I look in the mirror and LOVE my breasts. My recovery was surprisingly easy. I was sent home without drains.. YAY!! I went straight to bed for 3 solid days of rest. I showered on the 2nd day with help from the hubby but just sat on the shower bench and sponge bathed with washcloths. Only yuck/ouch factor was that the dressings had dried to seepage and blood over the last 2 days so getting those wet and peeling away from wounds kinda (really) sucked but that was the worst of my recovery. I went to Tylenol on day 3 with exception of night 3 and 4 to help sleep. Best sleep I was able to get was in the recliner chair - Highly recommend the recliner especially if you a tummy sleeper like me! Around week 3-4 some of the dissolvable stitches "poked" out of my skin but I just snipped those with scissors (sharp and cleaned with alcohol first) and they went away. This decision has completely changed by self confidence. I truly love my breasts and wish I had done this long ago. A couple pics below - I'm sorry I don't have a before pic but will update once I request it from the office. I will also update another shortly without the tape... Oh, the tape... It should shower off eventually but mine just didn't want to budge. Week 4 I put a little bio-oil on a q-tip and rubbed the curling up edges of the tape and it came off fairly easy. I was afraid to pull it off but this way worked fine. I highly recommend this to all interested... A big concern of mine was loss of sensation in the nipple - Nope, I am all good and feel just as much as before.

Sorry the lighting is not good. All bruising is gone so disregard the shadows :)