breast reduction

Hi Hannah

you might be on the wrong forum - this one is for inflammatory arthritis - although there may be someone on here with relevant experience.

Hi Hannah, I haven't tried breast reduction, but I've thought about it many times - I'm also a G cup. For me personally, it seems a step too far (not least because my mum had partial mastectomies with breast cancer... ) But I have lots of sympathy for the practical problems it causes and for the self-consciousness it can make you feel. Popular culture tells us big boobs are great, but they're not at all as great as they're made out to be!

Whatever you decide, meanwhile you might find it useful to know about a chain called Bravissimo - they sell larger size bras and swimming costumes, and have a much, much better range than high street stores... They start at DD and go up through G and GG, H, HH, JJ, etc all the way to LL, so you won't feel exceptionally big at all by comparison! Also, you won't encounter the shock and other horrible attitudes you can meet on the high street (I once had an assistant in M&S tell me "You won't be able to run for a bus with THOSE!"!! )

They've got a website so you can browse online too... You will definitely be able to go swimming again!

Not had a reduction, but have had a left side mastectomy. Although my remaining breast is only a D, it is very uncomfortable as wearing a prosthesis on my left side can be a real pain, so I don't tend to bother with bras. My daughter is a FF, but as she isn't as slender as you, her doctor wouldn't refer her for a reduction on the NHS. Have you approached your GP with this problem? It might be worth a try, but I should discuss it with a professional first, so you understand everything that a reduction involves both physically and psychologically. All the best. xx

I think you may have stumbled upon the wrong site Hannah, this is the NRAS (National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society) forum. That said I can pass on a little knowledge, albeit second hand. My niece had a breast reduction aged 16 as she was slight & was having real problems with her back, if I remember correctly was a 32G. All was fine after the op, though I must say it's nowhere near as "easy" as an enhancement, it left her with many scars & it did take a while for them to heal but it was too soon. Her op was performed on the NHS but I must say that unfortunately as she was only 16 when she had the reduction she continued to grow which has caused issues with the scarring left from the reduction. She had problems when she had her first child & is pregnant again though only just into her second trimester.

You don't give your age but if you still have some growing to do so to speak do seek proper help, even a second opinion. Even though my niece had her reduction she now believes she was ill advised & should have waited a good few years before considering it.

I wish you luck whatever you decide to do, it's not something I'll ever need to consider thankfully but I do appreciate it can be a real concern!

Hi There Hannah,

I,m actually a member on here as I suffer with rheumatoid arthritis but as it happens I know quite a bit about breast reduction as my sister who is 2 years older than me(46) had a breast reduction about 2 yrs ago now.She says it's the best thing she has ever done and wishes she had done it years ago as it has improved her life so much.She has always been slim,size 8-10 and 5ft8inches tall with a size 34GG bust.She is quite a sporty person and it got to the point of it hurting her when she was playing sports.She was suffering with backache more and more.Finding bras to fit her was a complete nightmare.She was having to have them made as a special order which cost a fortune.I suggested to her to see her GP about about having a reduction on NHS as had heard in certain circumstances this could be done.Think a lot of it can depend on your actual GP but if you can show them how much it is affecting your life both practically and emotional they can refer you on NHS.In my sisters case she didn't have to try and convince her GP.He agreed straight away with her that her bust size was a problem and referred her immediately.Whilst waiting for an appointment my sister realised that she had some private medical cover via her partners job.She decided to enquire if she may be able to have the reduction done this way as it would cut her waiting time down.To her delight she was able to and it wasn't long before she was going in for her surgery.Everything went well for her and my sister said it was uncomfortable for a couple of weeks and things took a while to settle down such as swelling ect but she felt it was very worth it and was pleased with the end result.She is now a 34B bust which has improved her life no end.Had she had to pay for the surgery herself it would have cost £12,000!I beleive it can be done a lot cheaper than that but my sister had her surgery in London as she lives in the south and without mentioning names her surgery was performed by a top London surgeon at a very plush clinic.My sister knows she was very lucky to receive this treatment.However she would have had the surgery either way but would have just taken a bit longer via NHS.I would go see your GP and explain how you feel and see what they say.Hopefully they will agree with you and refer you for treatment.Good luck with it.Vanessa.x

Not sure if you are on the right forum here, but in answer to your question about where to start - you have to start with your GP really, as they are the gateway to any other medical services.

Hi Hannah

I had a breast reduction in 1974 when I was 21 and it was the best thing I ever did. It was done on the NHS because I was able to show how my breasts were causing me problems both physically and emotionally. There are drawbacks as it is a big operation which leaves a lot of scaring, all undertake breasts and around the nipple. I also had a loss of sensitivity in my nipples as they had to be moved up. However, I went on to successfully breast feed 3 children ( it hadn't occurred to me that this might be an issue until much later)

In the 70's it was impossible to get bras that fit if you were big- I remember bulging out of the ones I had, which were always ugly 'old lady' styles. Al least nowadays it is possible to get the right size bra, at a cost.

I hope you are able to get some help. Good luck.

Sue