I had breast reduction less than 24 hours ago. AMA. [Update with photos]

now they have waaay better shape!

Thank you! I agree as well!

did the surgeon say if the scarring will fade over time?

It should fade over time, yes. Over the next year or so.

that's great! not that they don't already look fabulous, of course.

Thank you!

The advantages of being white... My partner got breast reduction about two years ago, about 2000 grams out of each one, and she's still got very visible scars (and spotty nipples). Apparently black people tend to get long term and/or permanent discoloration along surgical incisions.

She knew going in, and decided the breast reduction was worth it anyway.

Yes, I'm grateful for that!

And 2,000 grams? HOLY SHIT.

*She did a good job on the nipple

Yes, I think she did too! Good surgeons are trained to work with proportions and measurements for the best fit. They're artists, really.

Will you be able to breastfeed in the future?

That's a 50/50 shot. I hope so. If not, I'll figure something out.

With 2 boobs thats 100%!

Aww yeah

The longer the time before you have kids the better your odds! Breast tissue is pretty impressive, and over time the glandular tissue will repair itself an replace a large portion of the milk ducts that were removed.

If you want to breastfeed, you will likely be able to, though many women who've had breast reductions supplement to ensure baby gets all the nutrients he needs.

And if you don't want to breastfeed, that's fine, too. I just think boobs are cool and find it fascinating how the end up making milk!

That's actually awesome to hear; thank you!

Do you still have your sensation in your nipples? My ex had this same operation (your scars look much better than hers did btw) and luckily for her she maintained feeling. Apparently it was a chance that would go away.

Also did you have those blood grenade things? Helping her change those was awful.

Yep, still have sensation!

And nope, no drains for me! It was nice.

Really? How did you manage to get away without drains? You're lucky! She only went from DD to a C and needed them.

I guess my surgeon doesn't do them. Hm. I'm glad I didn't have them.

Dont mean to be a creeper but I think you did the right thing. You look better now :)

Thank you. For awhile, before I told my mom I wanted this, I was doubting, thinking, "Do I actually need this?"

Now, I'm so glad I did it. I do think I look better, too.

Can you finally go out for a run without them flopping everywhere?

Yes, and I can wear normal clothes too and lie down without my arms falling asleep.

Lie down without your arms falling asleep? Like, if you lay on your side they would be on the bottom arm and make them numb?

Yep! And also if I was on my back they'd flop to the sides as well.

Strange... First time since grade school have I looked at boobs for medical reasons. and all I can think of is.... "man, the drugs she is on must be awesome..."

Vicodin.

It was fine, but I only really took it for two days.

They're like...Zombie titties.

No these were. (NSFL). That was like, 5 days post-op.

I want to click, but I am so afraid to. AND FEAR OVERWHELMS ALL!

It's just a little bruised.

Those poor boobies : ' (

They had a wonderful service in pathology and were then incinerated

Wait a minute, what? They didn't look overly large to begin with...

Trust me, they were. They took a pound and a half off them. (And I'm 5'7" too.)

I hope I don't sound rude, but was the large size hereditary? Does your mother also have really large breasts? If so, how did her opinion affect your decision, if at all?

No, my mom's actually a 38A or B. Seriously! And I have no sisters!

She actually cried when she saw my boobs on the operation day (before surgery). She had no idea.

Could you post a picture of before with shirt?

Here you go

Your boobs look way better now!

Thank you! It's so nice to hear that! I think so as well.

I had a friend who had a breast reduction and she seemed to have mixed feelings after. I have always been jealous and wanted it for myself. I hope you have a good recovery and are pleased/content with the results. Cheers

Aw, was she unhappy with the scarring or shape after?

I can honestly say that if you really want one, you should look into it. It's so important to really think about it and realize that it's a big change, and to be prepared for it.

Thank you. My recovery has been amazing so far, and now all that I need to do is let the scars fade.

I think she was unhappy with the rest of herself. She seemed to feel like her big boobs were her one selling point as the rest of her was average and feared that she had lost her one selling point. I always thought she undersold her humor but what do I know, I'm not a dude. We lost touch after college so I am not sure how she feels about them years later. I have thought about it but the cost is not insignificant, though mine aren't much larger than your before (would probably be the same if I'd work out some). I am also afraid of anesthesia, even ensured I had a surgeon who would use local only for my hernia surgery... so there is that. Same reason I haven't done my eyesight, just seems like throwing caution to the wind and I don't have enough built up karma to want to challenge the wind ;) Awesome on the recovery, and good luck!

edit: guys I appreciate the sentiment but I don't really need/want to have surgery proselytized to me. I am glad your anesthesia worked out and I understand that it does for the vast majority of people. Also wrt Lasic every surgery has potential side effects, it is up to each individual to weigh the risks/rewards with their doctor. I can see perfectly fine with lenses and to me the potential (add emphasis here because it is not a guarantee) payoff of excellent vision with no lenses isn't worth the potential side effects no matter how unlikely. Cheers all

Aw, see, I would joke that they were "my one redeeming feature" but now I realize I have a pretty decent personality and whatever.

Yeah, this was my first major operation, but I don't think it was too bad. I was lucid pretty much right when I woke up and I didn't even vomit.

And build up that karma! Best wishes, if you're having back problems!

No, I've been lucky so far, just annoying trying to find supportive sports bras, and dealing with wandering eyes before I got used to it. I'm glad it was a good experience for you, off to bed now :)

Off to bed for me or you? I ain't tired!

My cousin, male, had breast reduction surgery after he lost about 150 pounds. Still has his saggy stomach to go. The doctor did not to nearly as nice of a job on him as he did on you. He left quite a bit of loose skin on his breasts and his nipples are all brown and crusty. He had surgery about a month and a half ago, and they are still like that. The doctor said it was because he wasn't using his surgical tape, but he redresses it every morning after he showers.

So, my question is, what was your upkeep regimen? And what advice could you give to my cousin to help him along a little better - lotions, creams, different sort of tape, etc?

Thanks!

I'm a month and a half post-op, but I apply Bio Oil to my scars twice daily, and I really massage it in.

Congratulations to your cousin, as well. Also, does he use silicone tape on his incisions? Apparently that works as well.

All he has ever called it was surgical tape. It's beige and stretches a little, but that's all I know. I'll definitely let him know about the Bio Oil, though.

Hope all is well!

All is well for me!

Is it possible that he just had a shitty surgeon?

Very nice - your doc did a great job.

I think so too. I'm so incredibly happy with how it turned out. Honestly, I wasn't expecting them to look good, but I didn't care because I was so unhappy with my physical pain.

This may sound shallow, but I think your breasts look better post-op

Not shallow at all.

Means a lot. Seriously. I was so worried that they'd look bad after.

Quite the contrary. They went from large and droopy, to medium and perky. Perkyness > all

Yes, I am happy to have perky boobs.

They felt small at first, but I'm getting used to them. But oh my God how sad is it that I was 18 in those shots, and that saggy?

Why did your band size go up?

I don't know. Maybe I was actually a 34F, and the store didn't carry it? The 32G was tight, as well. I'm in between band sizes, actually.

i honestly expected some ass holes would start spamming the comment section with rude remarks and pretty dumb questions. but thanks reddit for being caring :)

Yeah, haven't gotten too many.

I'm crossing my fingers and hoping it stays civil.

Insurance didn't cover that? All your complaints are about health issues, not appearance. Is there some odd blanket reason they didn't, such as it simply having to do with plastic surgery of the breasts? I'd imagine this would vary from region to region.

Q2: Did your doctor tell you not to gain or lose a ton of weight? I'm curious if that would muck things up?

There's a weird insurance thing that would require 390g be removed from at least one breast in order to qualify for coverage. My surgeon sent in an appeal for a smaller amount because she wasn't comfortable with removing that much, and she was sure they'd comply, but they didn't. I was 17 when the appeal was sent.

Also, it's common sense about gaining and losing weight. I have been the same weight for 5 years (since I was 13) so I wasn't too worried.

My girlfriend is thinking of having it done. Hers are DD+ish, but quite heavy. (weighed them once, close to 10lbs). She refuses to get a professional bra fitting, which I think would help, but he has always been self conscious about her size. As for me, I'm taking to Yoda stance: size matters not!

Tell her a professional bra fitting is best.

Also pm me and I'll give you my email if your girlfriend wants to talk to me.

Congrats on the surgery (and the sweet, upgraded rack), I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision.

This is a kind of morbid question... but is it true the nipples are removed and then later reattached for breast reduction? I remember hearing this somewhere, but I'm not sure where or if it's even true.

Thank you! And YES, deciding to do it was so difficult because at the time I was 17 and so worried about not looking decent after or losing my "redeeming feature".

Yeah. It's true. It's still attached to the blood supply, but it's cut and repositioned higher. That's why my areola is smaller now. They resized it to fit my boobs better, and lifted it up (I think 8 inches higher they said). I can still them and they still get hard.

Sigh. I'm a 34DD. I dream of getting a breast reduction, but I can never bring myself to seriously consider it. I don't have a lot of back pain, but it feels like my shoulders are always sore. Then, on top of that, my boobs are sore 85% of the time. I went to Victoria's Secret and got measured, but I can never seem to find a good bra. They either add padding (do not fucking want?) or they do the push up or they try to wrangle the girls in and push too much -- ugh. Basically, bra's are never comfortable not to mention if you're over a C all the bras are ugly and built for maximum support. Can't one have both maximum support and cute bras? Then going without a bra is just impossible cause the girls go everywhere and end up being sore then too.

.. Basically, fuck. Part of me wants this surgery and the other part of me is terrified of going under anesthesia and dying because I wanted smaller boobs.

T___T ... Also, your nipples were fine before, but I totally love what they did. I wish mine were like that... :(

Edit: Thank you for all the replies everyone! I found out I'm a 31I and not a 34DD. This is based off the measuring guideline that was linked by schwarzle ! I'm going to be going to Nordstroms (or other specialty bra store) to get a proper fitting this weekend. Also, thanks for your suggestions of Bravissimo, Soma, and BareNecessities!

You are all amazing and I can't wait to see if this makes life easier and my shoulders way less sore :)!

Maybe you're another size? You could be a 32F or something. Try being resized at Nordstrom or Macy's and see if that helps with your shoulders.

Were the drugs they put you on AWESOME?!

It was a form of Vicodin. It made me really out-of-it. I actually called my cousin and said, "If Newt Gingrich got his Moon colony, do you think that linguistics would change because of the isolation and a new lunar dialect would form? Or would the media keep it in check?" A week after the conversation, it came back to me. It was embarrassing.

So not to be the weird gal here, But I noticed you reshaped your areola as well, have you noticed and change in sensitivity?

P.s they look wondaful! not to say that before was bad. Boobies are boobies and I love em either way!

Nope, no change. They're the same, and I still feel them.

Thank you!

I had a reduction years ago. It was awful pain right afterwards, but it was worth it. I wish I had pre and post photos to show. My chest was bigger than yours. The surgeon told me afterwards that I'd lost 15 lbs in 2 hrs :(

I'm glad you went thru with it. The scars on the front fade, but if you had "side boob" removed, those scars last longer. But, they're never really visible.

Now you can go out and buy those cute bras, and wear shirts off the rack!!

15lbs HOFUCK?! Congratulations!

And yes, thanks for the encouragement with the scar fading. And yes, I know! So happy to wear good clothes!

Yes, and to make matters worse, I had been in the army with those!! Running!!!

Seriously, when I was 20, the hung past my belly button. I never did get an accurate size but you can imagine... My rib cage size was a 34-36

Oh my God... That is seriously impressive. I can't even... Did the military medical crew pay for it? You deserve it!

And my God. Past your navel? Poor baby!

How many people you know didn't agree with you doing it. And were you advised by the surgeon to not do anything for any amount of time?

I personally think you look great in both perhaps a bit better in the after.

Most people actually agreed with it. I'm only 18, and don't have a boyfriend, so that wasn't holding me back. A few girls I knew though were telling me I "wasn't that big" and "didn't need it" and that, "I should be happy to have big boobs."

Thank you!

Oh, also, I was advised not to do heavy lifting for two weeks, and I was told not to swim for awhile, but after a few weeks she said I was fine to swim. And I have swam a lot.