What to Know Before Getting a Breast Reduction

Plastic surgery for cosmetic reasons has been largely accepted as common place in today's society. If a person is not happy with the slight bump on their nose or a few extra pounds on their thighs, they look no further than their closest cosmetic surgeon. Plastic surgery, however, is not just for the boosting of self-esteem. Some procedures, including a breast reduction, are not only for cosmetic but also for physiological reasons as well. For this reason, if a person meets the criteria and has a good insurance plan, a breast reduction may cost them little more than recovery time.

Before you rush out and try to get a free surgery, a word of caution from someone who has been there. I received my breast reduction in the spring of 2002. I was 20years old at the time. I was 5' 6" and even with some extra pounds, my DD breast were far out of proportion. Beside the uncomfortable and rude comments from my male high school classmates from years past, I dealt with the daily back pain, fatigue and increasingly deeper grooves in my shoulders from my bra straps. Sometimes I would sit up close to a table so I could rest the extra weight for some temporary relief. Finding clothes that fit was impossible. Button down shirts came with mandatory safety pins.

As genetics go, my mother was also 'blessed' with large breasts. She had her surgery 6 months before mine and by the same doctor. Because of our size and weight, the insurance plan paid for both surgeries. Because the insurance company was involved, they mandated that a certain amount of tissue had to be taken out in order to pay for the surgeries. My mother had not problem fulfilling that quota. However, when I was confronted with this number, my surgeon informed me that in order to make that number and not have to pay for the surgery, she may have to take mammary glands. At the age of 20, I had to make a decision that could possibly impact my life years down the road and even the life of my unborn children. This is just one more reason why teenagers should wait until they are older before committing to surgery. The ramifications and quick decisions may have longer stretching consequences.

Mom came out of surgery with flying colors. She healed perfectly and today there is little to no noticeable scars. She went from a DDD to a small B.
When I had my surgery, things did not go as well. Firs of all, I had to keep my drainage tubes in for about a week after surgery. It's more inconvenient than painful. Second, I did not heal as perfectly as my genetically similar mother. My incisions keloided, meaning instead of healing flat and the same color as your skin, the skin tissue overcompensates and a red, sometimes painful, bumped up scar results. If the scars were small in length, this would not be that big of a deal. However, when getting a breast reduction, the incisions start under your arm, continue around the underside of your breast and up to the breast bone. Another incision goes from this bottom one to and then around the areola area. Eventually it was determined that the pain was too much to bear, so I went under the knife for a scar revision. This is a fancy way of saying they cut the scars off and hope the healing process does better the second time.

My surgery took me from the DD to a small B. Even though I had issues with the scarring and I could not look at myself for the firs month, I was overjoyed that not only would the back pain ease and cease, but those grooves in my shoulders would eventually go away as well. I could buy pretty bras for the first time in my life! I could not wear the pretty bras until 2-3 months after surgery. That time was spent in fitness bras for proper healing. Even though you may feel and look great, continue to wear the not so flattering fitness bras so your incisions will have the sufficient time needed for proper healing.

Over the first few months after surgery, the nerves that were severed during the procedure began to wake up. Just so you are prepared, when a nerve wakes up, it is an intense, sharp pain that can last from a few seconds, to a minute. Even though painful and never expected, I choose to see each episode as more and more feeling coming back. Another weird thing that may happen after this procedure is exiting stitching. Normally the stitches used will disintegrate over time. However, for unknown reasons, some stitching will be 'rejected' by the body and will self-remove itself by coming out. Treat these stitches like an unwanted hair and gently pluck it out. It is not the most pleasant thing, but surgery recovery never is.

As for my results, it has been 5 years since I had my surgery. Some areas are still red. I continue to have some keloid scars. Some nerves never woke up. All of these are risks you take. When asked it I would do the surgery over again, I say without hesitation, "In a heartbeat." My body is now more in proportion. I can workout without getting tired after 3 minutes. I continue to buy cute underwear. I can even wear those little spaghetti strapped tops I could not wear before. Before my surgery, I received rude comments about my breast size. Now I receive the best compliment a previously large busted girl could receive: "You have such beautiful blue eyes."