I cannot describe my happiness. Just got discharged and back home. I will share photos next week after my 1 week post-op appointment.

I was a 34J (UK), my surgeon did a free nipple graft and lots of side lipo. He said he removed approximately 2kg off each breast. I had drains in me that were removed before I got discharged. I'm on a lot of medication that's helping control my pain. I have foam dressing on that I cannot get wet until removed.

Private, London Clinic, Mr Paul Harris - gave up after years of attempting to do it on NHS and constantly told me my BMI needs to go below 27, so I used up my savings.

Best decision ever. Excellent surgeon and hospital. I know it's a long road to recovery but I'll take it day by day. It feels like a new chapter in my life.

Thank YOU to this subreddit that I've been following for years.

Hi! I had a reduction almost five years ago (34GG down to 34D). I’m thrilled with the results. And I’m pleased I did it when I did, even in the knowledge that I probably wouldn’t be able to breastfeed. Now I’m in a different phase of life and my fiancé and I are likely to want children in the next couple of years.

If you’ve had a breast reduction before pregnancy, how did it affect your breasts during pregnancy? Did your breasts grow by much, or not? For reference - I will not be breastfeeding.

Thanks!

my surgery date is 3 weeks away (august 12, any twins??) and I'm starting to get those cold feet everyone talks about. deep down I KNOW I want this, I have been so desperate to just have it done already since the moment I decided to pursue one. but I'm not at all immune to the fears that come along with such a drastic procedure, like the fear that I'll regret it, or that my boobs aren't actually that big (who are we kidding mate). it's been a huge comfort reading about similar experiences on here, knowing that I'm not alone and that it's common to get cold feet - and most everyone has no regrets afterwards, they'd do it all over again. but I'm still nervous, and my brain yearns for the comfort of certainty, of knowing for sure that I'm making the right decision. but I know that realistically, no one can really know for certain how they'll feel afterwards until it's done. all I can go with is the MOUNTING pile of evidence I've accumulated to support the idea that this is indeed a good decision, and my heart. so to remind myself of all my evidence, I wrote up a list of 100 reasons why I want a reduction. and it was honestly very easy for me to come up with these, which I think says a lot. but it was also really fun and validating and therapeutic, so I thought I'd share and recommend to others who are seeking some more certainty to try it out too!

100 reasons I want a radical breast reduction

1. no more pre-menstrual swelling every single month making them a whole cup size bigger and emphasizing the asymmetry - bigger boob swells more of course
2. no more sports bra uniboob
3. to be able to actually bind flat if I want to rather than having a giant odd looking lump on my chest that just defeats the purpose of even trying
4. no more jiggling when I WALK
5. no more sensation of the weight pulling on my skin without support
6. no more sobbing in the shower because I hate how big they are and feel trapped with a chest that doesn’t feel like mine
7. no more being jumpscared by my side profile in shop windows and my mood being tainted afterwards
8. no more looking like a sex doll in anything slightly fitted
9. no more stares from creepy men (!!!!!!!) that remind me that I'm automatically perceived as some fertile sexually available object
10. the ability to go braless and not be gawked at nor have jiggling or discomfort, even if I need to speed walk or jog a bit!
11. no more boob pain when biking (every single little bump HURTS even with a heavy duty sports bra)
12. no more boob pain when running
13. to finally feel comfortable dancing in front of anyone
14. to feel comfortable going out and wearing any sort of “going out” outfit
15. to fit into small cami bralettes
16. to fit into brandy melville bras
17. to not have to drop hella money on one (probably ugly) bra with giant straps
18. to be able to wear tank tops without industrial sized bra straps ruining the look (try no bra straps at all!!!)
19. to be able to wear triangle bikinis
20. to be able to shop swimwear literally anywhere (like target or los angeles apparel) rather than being limited to a few specific brands (mostly UK!) and their ugly styles and giant price tags
21. to be able to shop vintage swimwear
22. to be able to wear singular sized bikini sets (one size top/bottom, not having to dig for mix-and-match XXL top (which also has to have a tie/adjustable band since my band is XS) and XS bottom)
23. to go to the beach or pool without feeling like my tits are on full display with a giant billboard sign pointing at them for everyone to please look at them
24. to fit in the built in bras in camisoles
25. to not have to wear oversized tops to feel comfortable
26. to not feel trapped in hyper femininity
27. to not have my boobs poking out of even the biggest of oversized sweaters (!!!)
28. to not have all loose tops look like a TENT
29. to be able to wear cutesy things without being perceived as inherently sexual
30. for all the times I sobbed and cried over hating my boobs
31. like that time I thrifted a camo bikini top and when I took a front camera photo without the mirror flip, I realized for the first time how asymmetrical they were and how big the left one was, and sobbed for an hour, then convinced myself the left must be bigger because my right dominant arm's chest muscles were more developed, and then tried doing things left handed to "correct it,” to no avail of course
32. or the time I was doing well with my ed recovery and then caught my very projected side profile and broke down crying feeling so frustrated about shirts not fitting the way I want them to and wished I could literally “chop my boobs off” - and was late to the hangout because I couldn't stop crying trying to get dressed
33. or the time most recently I genuinely cried for a whole hour straight trying to get dressed and hating how everything looked because of them, being so angry just wanting them GONE already
34. for the fact that even at my lowest weight and sickest body and smallest bra size (30DD..), they were still too big and I still didn’t feel comfortable with them
35. to not have to go through every bra-shirt combination to see which one is the most flattering (and the best option still ultimately being disappointing) when getting dressed
36. to not look twenty pounds heavier than I actually am
37. to not have them hang like deflated water balloons a whopping 8 inches off my chest when I bend over
38. to not feel mortified by the very large numbers when taking bust measurements
39. for all the many, many, many pangs of envy I've felt looking at small busted women, feeling so strongly that THAT’S what I'm supposed to look like, and being angry at them and hating them for having what I so desperately wanted but could never have
40. for the young me who was so confused when people told me I had big breasts ("no I don't?") and couldn’t come to terms with them or see them for what they were
41. for the young me who was dress coded for wearing tops that other girls could get away with no problem - and not understanding why
42. to not get comments like "some things are better left to the imagination" (thx dad) for wearing a swimsuit
43. because the last time I felt comfortable in a swimsuit was the 5th grade
44. no more feeling uncomfortable taking a bath because of my bare boobs being out (despite being alone, just having to confront them is upsetting)
45. to not have my boobs float up above the water when laying down in a filled-to-the-brim bathtub (and nipples being out in the cold…)
46. because I've never felt truly comfortable having my boobs out during sex and have to keep a bra on because I don’t identify with them, and the mental image of my bare breasts disgusts me - even though I recognize that they are objectively beautiful, I just can’t feel sexy because they don’t feel like MINE
47. for the option of being titty fucked to be OFF THE TABLE (no hate to enjoyers but as per my above reason, I am disgusted by the idea personally)
48. to finally feel comfortable with my chest being sexual / involved in sex if I want to (I can identify with it if it's small and imagine feeling cute and sexy)
49. to feel comfortable with my partner seeing me topless, to not feel the need to hide my breasts from him when changing
50. to feel comfortable taking a bath or shower with my partner, or walking out without a towel wrapped around my chest
51. to not have to lift up my boobs to dry under them after a shower
52. not that I feel super strongly about going to a nude beach, but I would like to at least have the option available to me rather than it being strictly off the table due to never wanting my boobs to be seen; same with skinny dipping
53. to not have to compensate by hunching over to hide them
54. to not have to hold them in place to run down the stairs or run to catch the bus
55. to never have a button up shirt gape open at the bust again!!!
56. to not have to modify bras or swim tops to accommodate bigger boobs, like cutting out the inner cups or removing built-in bras
57. to not have to go up 1-2 sizes in every top or dress to make room for my breasts - then having to wear things that are fitted at the bust but baggy everywhere else
58. because my right side smaller boob has ALWAYS been favorited over the left bigger one, and for the spite and anger I feel at my poor left boob for being bigger (it doesn’t deserve that)
59. for my grandmother who always needed one but wasn’t allowed due to resistance from her husband
60. to not have one of my biggest reasons for not wanting to have kids be that my already huge boobs CANNOT get any bigger, I would just be absolutely mortified
61. to not have my nipples brush up against things that they're not supposed to (!!!!!) and the mortifying feeling of shame that accompanies the sensation
62. to not have my boobs stick out to the sides in front of my arms
63. to not have my arms rest on top of my breasts in order to use my phone while laying down (!!!)
64. to not have to get rid of really cute clothing pieces even though I would otherwise want to wear them if not for my boobs ruining the look (I regret so many things I donated before I knew I’d be having this procedure)
65. to finally look the way I want to in every top ever
66. because clothes and outfits will just hit different..
67. to not be self conscious of them just about every time I leave the house
68. to not feel defensive towards all men on the street on high alert for being gawked at
69. to not have that feeling of shame and anger from a man staring at my chest - and not letting random men have that kind of power over me
70. to not be treated unusually nicely by men and know it's because they're gawking at my breasts
71. to be able to wear low cut tops without showing cleavage or being automatically read as promiscuous
72. to not have boob hanging down to my elbow without a bra
73. to be able to actually SEE my ribcage and torso (!!!)
74. to have the pear shaped body I always wanted, not the apple I always dreaded
75. to have any semblance of an androgynous body
76. to be SOFT GAMINE kibbe type like I always wanted to be
77. to not have to wear a boob cage/prison bra to feel comfortable
78. to not be grossed out and appalled by how big my boobs look in photos
79. to not be limited to bras that are minimizing
80. to be able to thrift vintage bras and bralettes
81. to not have my breasts be the widest part of me (and for them not to brush against narrow walls/doorways when nothing else does)
82. to be able to wear open jackets without them making me shaped like a trapezoid
83. to do yoga (i.e., downward dog!!) without big boobs making it awkward and uncomfortable
84. to be able to run and workout
85. to be able to play sports with friends (!!!)
86. to be free from persistent body checking to specifically check if my tits look big in what I’m wearing (they do)
87. to feel petite and cute
88. to be able to feel girly (without feeling porny) if I want to
89. for all the times I tried on clothes and was disappointed and confused because my big boobs ruined the fit
90. to be able to wear all the tops I’ve always wanted to but never could
91. to be able to shop for cool clothes during my upcoming trip to japan freely
92. to feel cute and confident out with partner and have the vibes actually match
93. for all the (many, many) times my mood was ruined during an outing because I despised my boobs for being there and wanted them gone already
94. to not feel like I look matronly at the ripe age of 24
95. for the chance of having less sensitive nipples (and if it doesn’t turn out that way in the end, at least they won’t be brushed up against nearly as often, and when they do, it won’t serve as a reminder that I have giant breasts anymore!!)
96. to no longer have the breasts that my ex hypersexualized and constantly touched unconsensually making me feel deeply shameful and disgusting
97. just as a huge fuck you to him basically, to sever myself from that trauma in a way
98. because I went through intense phases of restrictive disordered eating driven by self-loathing of my breasts, as a defense mechanism for the hypersexualization I was subjected to, and in a desperate attempt to protect myself from being perceived as sexual at all (it didn’t work, it just made me sick, but being sick still felt safer than the alternative)
99. because the more they grew, the more I fell out of love with fashion and eventually gave up on ever presenting the way I wanted to - to finally take back my ability to express myself freely!!!!
100. because I never wanted big boobs in the first place

anytime my feet start to get cold in the next few weeks I'll refer back to this list to remind myself why I'm doing this. and honestly, the fact that I've made it this far says a lot about my motivations to get this done. there's no turning back now :)

I have my reduction scheduled for August the 7th. It’s been a year since I’ve been trying to get it done, it was another surgeon (who my friend had hers done by) suggesting a rather terrible surgery method to me, then me looking for another surgeon, then me not being able to get time off work, then anemia making me delay the op. Now that I have that little time left before the reduction, I’m starting to feel nervous. I’m a D/DD cup, but it has always been my dream to get the reduction done. Lately I’ve been finally coming to terms with my body, but still having a bigger chest is a nuisance in so many ways. On the other hand, I have always taken ages to heal even minor bruises and scratches and I am a bit of a hypochondriac. Please please share your reduction experiences to help me brave myself for the op!

I've recently decided to try to get insurance to cover a reduction. I'm in the very early phases. Thankfully, I have a history of neck/back pain all documented in my medical record. I've decided to pursue physical therapy since I've read insurance usually requires this. The BS is that my insurance only pays 60% AFTER I meet my $4,000 deductible. Who can pay that? For physical therapy!? I hate US Healthcare.

Hey all, my name is Silas and I’m 30FTM. Due to bmi limits in my state, nowhere that takes my insurance will even consider me for top surgery. I’m not 100% sure of my chest size but last I checked I was bigger than a 44DDD. I’m considering getting a reduction first so I can eliminate back pain and make it possible to exercise more efficiently so I can get my bmi down below the limit.

Is this a bad idea? To anyone’s knowledge would this prevent me from getting top surgery down the line? And lastly, how small can one go with a reduction surgery?

Didn’t know what the tag this, I never do 🥀
I had my first week PO appointment w my surgeon and he said I’m healing gr8! I took my first shower since I don’t need gauze anymore and I feel so alive and so fresh and so much better 😌 sleeping on my back is getting a little easier… ig… still can’t wait to sleep on my sides tho 😜 I got the ok to drink energy drinks so I’ll b happily indulging in those 💅 I looked at my boobs for the first time after the surgery except for when I had an appointment 3rd day PO to get my gauze changed and they look a lil scary w the stitches and there’s yellowing of my skin around them, google said they’re bruises. Theyre still a bit swollen and they don’t sit naturally but I’m pretty sure that’s normal too. Theyre pretty sore I haven’t been consistently taking my pain killers for a few days now so I can feel the aches and my stitches itch 😖 it’s nothing unbearable tho, I’ve been pretty tired and fatigue too the nurse told me that wuz normal bc my body went through trauma bc I wuz cut open and what not. Soon I’ll b able to start having a fuller range of motion like reaching above my head and stuff :0

Long story short, I had my procedure out of state (stayed up there for about 3 weeks in total). I had 2 post op visits. During consultation and pre-op, we discussed that once I returned home we'd likely do mostly remote f/u visits.

At the end of the 2WPO visit (I was flying back home right after that visit), the surgeon stated everything had gone perfectly, I'm healing quickly, can start driving, they removed my tape, directed me to start massages and return to normal activity slowly in another 6 weeks. Then stated that since the surgeon is not licensed in my state, they actually legally cannot provide any form of after care (no remote visits, I cannot contact them for questions related to care, etc.). The surgeon made it clear they would love to hear how I'm doing so I could send say a greeting card as long as the wording was generic (i.e., "Just saying hi/all is well on my end" sort of deal). She also gave me the name of a local surgeon's office in my state saying that if I had any urgent issues to consider giving them a call.

I had told the surgeon and PA that I've budgeted for up to at least 3 more return visits in person between now and end of year to which the Dr. stated if I wanted to come any time that they would be happy to see me. In checking my post visit note, none of the discussion regarding follow up after the 6 week mark or returning or transition of care was documented. I contacted a local surgeon's office (not the one recommended because they're an hour and a half away) yesterday and they stated they won't see me (and likely I won't have an easy time finding someone who will) for routine f/u because I'm just 2WPO and that my original surgeon is bound to continue f/u with me remotely. They stated they'd contacted my state's board and verified this, further communicating that the surgeon's office I contacted routinely follows his patients that come to our state for procedures but live in a different state.

I'm feeling a bit confused and scared as I suddenly feel kinda "out on my own" after what has been a relatively amazing experience.

Hey everyone I am 8 weeks post op this Friday. My scar was originally pretty close to being right in the breast crease/fold and hidden but now has migrated and is on the bottom pole and very visible. Anyone else experience this? Did it return to the correct location? I’m feeling defeated with one issue after another.

Hihi :D! For anyone that has debated between getting top surgery or a radical reduction, how did you decide on which to get? 

I'm 20 (NB), and I've always struggled with having boobs especially since I've always had a much larger chest- even when I was at a lower weight, my chest was still very disproportionate to the rest of my body 😭. Last I was measured, I was a 34DDD but I think I'm bigger than that now. I'm torn between either going fully flat or just going as small as possible because sometimes I actually don't mind having them and I like how they look in outfits but other times... I absolutely hate it and wish I could be flat. 

I also just absolutely hate the feeling of my chest moving around especially since it can hurt if I'm not wearing a supportive enough bra.

If I wasn't to go completely flat, I think I'd like to be small enough to where I could appear flat in baggy shirts but still have some of a chest if I wanted. But at the same time, I've also heard that after a reduction, they can grow back?? Which sounds... Horrifying honestly.

I have pmos (formerly known as pcos) which I'm worried could affect the chances of them growing back... which also makes me hesitant to go with a reduction rather than top surgery. Breast feeding is not something I see in my future so I'm not worried about losing that function if I am to get a FNG as well.

Anyway, thank you to anyone if you see my post!

had my reduction almost 5 years ago and have been super happy with my results…until year 3. I started having random nipple pain and hardness, despite having zero sensation up until year 3. I still have no sensation in my areolas.

I consulted my plastic surgeon who agreed to do a nipple removal, though the areolas would stay in place to preserve the breast shape.

I really wish I had been brave enough to ask for a Barbie reduction. Below is my experience through my first week.

I was in and out of the office in about an hour, and while I didn’t feel anything during the procedure, I was feeling tender by the evening. Took ibuprofen and Tylenol for a few days, but no longer need it unless I do too much.

My doctor had me hold ice packs to the area for about 5 minutes before numbing, so I didn’t feel the needle, just a little pinch from the lidocaine. 

I didn’t feel anything from the procedure until stitches, and even that was just a dull tugging. They covered the stitches with glue and paper tape.  I did bleed a little on the way home, but that was the only real hiccup I’ve had.

My paper bandages have come off, and I’m using non stick gauze until my one week follow up on Friday. 

My areolas are a bit misshapen at this point, but I’m hoping that as the sutures dissolve, my skin will relax back to normal.

Like I said, I wish I had just done a Barbie reduction, but since I can’t go back in time, I’ve been pretty happy with my experience so far 

I after many years have decided I want/ need a breast reduction. I've already had back surgery. I have shoulder and chest pain and can't find bras that remotely hold them up. Not to mention the struggles with body dysmorphia. My question I guess is what steps did you take to get insurance to cover it?

Has anyone had recent experience getting a reduction from Dr. Melissa Doft? I’ve seen lots of good reviews from here, but all of them are a few years old. I had a consultation and it went well but in setting up the surgery I’ve been trying to coordinate with her office, and they have not been very responsive and many of their emails contain odd typos and punctuation which is sketching me out a bit. Anyone have a different or similar experience with her office? And does that reflect her practice at all?