Breast Reduction Surgery - Have you had it done?

I had lost about 50 pounds and nothing in the boob area. I was a size 12 wearing a 36H bra. I had the surgery, and it was covered by my insurance. I called the insurance company and asked what I needed to do to get the surgery approved and followed their guidelines. That included me seeing a physical therapist and getting her recommendation, seeing my doc, gynocologist, and a plastic surgeon and getting recos from all of them. I saw all female doctors as I thought they would be able to identify better with my issue.
Yes, it was a reduction and a lift combined. I have minimal scaring and I get a lot of compliments on the results of my surgery (new doctors, when I go in for a mammogram). I asked the plastic surgeon for pictures and testimonials. She didn't have great bedside manner but that didn't matter to me, I wanted someone who knew what they were doing and had a good reputation.
Had the surgery about 7 years ago - I would do it again in a heart beat. I feel so much better, the weight is off my back and shoulders. I can run and do so many other things that were painful before the surgery.

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.

I've had a breast lift. My scars are minimal and I can wear a bikini without them showing. Find a surgeon who knows what he/she is doing. It makes all the difference. I love my surgeon. I would do it again in a heartbeat!!

Her nipples where removed and replaced. We both know that this was the best decision for her health, back pains and future self esteem issues. The insurance company paid, but took a while because of her age. But after review of her situation, it was approved. Two years of no sun exposure or underwire. But it has all been worth it. Also, she did not need a lift, he made her perky and beautiful.

Nipples are never removed. The skin around them is just reshaped. There will be a scar around the nipples.

My aereola was taken off and cut smaller to fit my smaller chest.

If you plan on having children you should wait until you are done with that.

First, breasts can change before and after pregnancy. After two kids, each of whom I breastfed for over 3 years (they are both tweens now), my breasts ended up bigger than before I had kids. Other women have had theirs end up smaller. You really never know until you've done it.

But the biggest reason to wait is so you can breastfeed your babies. I've been a breastfeeding counsellor for five years and I have yet to meet a Mum who has had reduction surgery and was able to exclusively breastfeed her children, and even then they struggled with issues.

Breastfeeding may be the last thing on your mind right now, but having a baby changes EVERYTHING. Don't rob yourself of the opportunity to give your children the healthiest start in life, not to mention the numerous health and emotional benefits it brings to mothers.

Having babies and feeding them from my body turned me from a typical "I hate my [name body part here]" North American female to LOVING my body and all its imperfections, because bringing LIFE into the world and nourishing it with your body is hands down a bigger, more amazing accomplishment than looking "perfect" in a bikini.

Hi, I'm now 21 years old and I had this surgery done about a year ago in August. Mine was medically needed, and it still was a very hard struggle that took almost a year and a half of waiting, asking, and appointments to get the cost to be covered by insurance. I didn't have a choice in how they would come out exactly, or what size I was going down to. I went from a DDD to a C.

It was a VERY painful and scary experience. The pain was brutal and i had to take pain medication that made me nauseous and sleepy. It was hard to sleep because I couldn't lay on my side for over a month. When i finally could it was awesome. For the first few weeks it hurt to walk, I wore a special bra that hooked in the front and needed to apply guaze of the scars in case of bleeding or leaking. Gross. I also was supposed to keep my hands below my head for as long as possible as to not stretch the stitches. I had my mom help with my showering at first and I needed help at work and home reaching for things. Lifting for awhile was also not an option. Because I was so careful with the healing process my scars look great. I remember even months later it hurt to walk so I formed a habit of walking with both arms over my chest to hold them still. I probably looked like a fool. The healing process was also an emotional journey because it wasn't a nice site for a very long time and even now I have to remind myself that I did the right thing. I've grown to love them though.

Since this wasn't done for any reason but for medical reasons it didn't come with a breast life. My boobs are still very natural and mine. All that was done was removing tissue and moving up the skin. The reasons I needed this surgery were not all about looks but definitely some. My shoulders and back were killing me and my boobs hung towards the floor. It was gross. My bra straps dug into my shoulders. I now have less back pain and almost no shoulder pain. My boobs are a lot less saggy of course due to less weight but that just is natural, not from a lift.

I have no idea if I'll be able to breastfeed but I'll find out sooner or later.

Another point is that I had so many struggles throughout this process. I had stitches fall out, holes were created, lots of gross things were going on, my nipples and the sides of my breasts were completely numb for months and months and I wasn't promised I'd ever get feeling back. I did though, which I'm thankful for.

If you are going to go through with this make sure it is something you really want. It is the best decision I ever made, but it was almost a year long journey before i felt completely normal again. If you are honestly willing to give up a full year of your life then go for it (no roller coasters for me for awhile!). But do your research, talk to many doctors, and make sure its what you really want and need.

With 25 pounds to go you might want to wait until you've been in maintenance for 6 months. They will get smaller and things adjust physiologically even while maintaining. You will then be able to make an informed decision.

This.

This! This! This! It might be the last place you lose weight, and even then some body recomp stuff could help you out. You may or may not change your mind, but at least you won't wonder after the fact if you actually needed it!

Dear Jilly- I had an eval with a plastic surgeon-breast specialist last October. Under my insurance, she had to be able to remove 500 grams of fat for it to be covered by insurance (and the max amount they can take is based on medical issues such as not compromising sensation). I had that much fat plus the grooving in my shoulders from the weight (which I think is another criterion for insurance coverage. I decided to wait because she showed me in sideview pictures that my stomach was protruding as much as my breast (sideways view) and that she did not think I would be happy with the aesthetic result. I have decided to wait until I have lost all my weight and then reevaluate. Especially when she told me that only 5% of people who have their breasts done before their weight loss actually lose the weight. Likely there will not be enough fat at that point to have it covered by insurance.
I hope this is helpful to you. Congrats on your good weight :happy:

Noooo..don't do it.