I’ve been thinking about getting a breast reduction. I am cumbersomely large, approximately 42 I or so, and I’m tired of it. I’d like to for my shoulders to not ache, be able to lie on my stomach, see my shoes, and not ruin Every. Single. Blouse with a stain right smack in the middle of the boobage. I think some Dopers have had breast reductions, care to share your experiences? Would you do it again? Anything you would do differently? Any loss of sensation? What about scarring? Anything else I should be thinking about?
My cousin did it a few years ago. She said it was very painful and the scars, which she showed me, were daunting. I too am quite well-endowed, but I wouldn’t want to go through that. YMMV, of course, depending on how much you are suffering with this.
I had one. It WAS a good decision - I went from a DDD cup to a large B/small C cup. I could finally wear form-fitting clothes and shop at Victoria’s Secret. The surgery was about ten years ago, so I know it’s greatly improved since then, but I didn’t think it was too terribly bad - the surgery wasn’t bad, it took a few weeks to heal, and the worst part of the pain was from the tubes they had inserted in my breasts for drainage - removing those hurt like a B*TCH.
I have some sensation in my nipples, and underneath my breasts, where my scars are, I have no sensation, but it’s not like that’s a very sexual area. The scarring is minimal, and would have been even more minimal if they hadn’t had to do a full nipple graft (which they no longer even do).
If I knew then what I know now, I would have waited, but only because I wanted to wait until after I was done having children. I breastfed my son for three months, but had an extremely low supply due to the reduction. When I asked about breastfeeding before the surgery (I knew at 19 I wanted kids and I wanted to breastfeed), my doctor basically lied to me and told me that large-breasted women had trouble breastfeeding anyway (which I’ve since learned is NOT the case). So if children aren’t in your future, or you’re done, or you know you won’t want to breastfeed anyway, this part won’t matter to you. If you do plan to have children and want to breastfeed, you will still be able to do so, but probably not exclusively.
The surgery has VASTLY improved since I had it done ten years ago. I highly recommend it - the issues with my back (from both the chest and a car accident) were resolved almost immediately.
E.
My cousin also got one and it was the best thing she’s ever done. She could wear normal clothes again, and she was no longer in pain and hunched over.
The process itself wasn’t too bad. She was sore for a while, but regained sensation after she healed and she looks terrific now. You can’t even see the scars.
If you can do it, you definitely should!
I had a breast reduction a little over two years ago, and it’s one of the best things I ever did. My breasts were large and saggy (without my bra they hung to my navel, with the nipples pointing down), and had tons of stretch marks. I got them reduced from an F to a C/D ish. Definitely helped my upper back pain, neck strain, headaches, etc. They do have scars (you can’t see the ones underneath unless you actually lift them up), and still some slight visible scars around the nipples. The scars have faded a lot. But they are a HELLUVA lot better looking than what I had before. That’s what people ask me “what about the scarring??” I describe what my breasts looked like before…vast improvement!! Screw the scars. I have perky tits now 
I have some loss of sensation on the lower part of my breasts (the fullest part past the nipples). No loss of sensation in my right nipple, and for about 9-10 months I had full loss of sensation from my left nipple. Then I slowly got some sensation back to the left one. It’s about 50% now. May not get any better, but I don’t care.
It wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be. I expected to be laid up for a couple of weeks. For 2-3 days I needed pain pills several times a day, but after that it was just maybe at bedtime. Could not sleep on my stomach for several months. My doctor did not want me raising my upper arms above shoulder level for four weeks. Minor inconvenience. I loved shopping for new bras, better fitting clothes. And I TOTALLY get what you’re saying about the stains on the front of your shirt. None of that now 
Definitely definitely worth it in my opinion. Here’s a website that might help you with your decision: breasthealthonline.com .
I did not have drains after my surgery, so I’m glad I didn’t have to go through that. Getting the stitches out smarted a little, but I don’t even remember the sensation now.
I wonder if they’ve updated the surgery so that these aren’t needed any longer? I just remember having them taken out, and having to do Lamaze breathing because it hurt so badly (my nurse asked if I’d had a baby before because I was really good at it 
- I said, no, I’m just doing this because this f-cking hurts!).
Let’s put it this way - when you get to buy your first bra at Victoria’s Secret, it’s all worth it 
.
E.
I had it done about eight years ago, and had no drains. Maybe that part depends on the surgeon?
I went from a D/DD (probably should have been DD but wouldn’t admit it) to a B. I’m only 4’2" so you can imagine how vastly out of proportion I was. It was possibly the best decision I’ve made about anything in my adult life. I do have scars, but they’ve faded a lot, and the bigger ones are on the underside where they aren’t really visible anyway.
Sensation-wise, it’s odd. I don’t have much at all on the undersides, and I didn’t have much in the nipples for the first months afterwards. And with those, one sort of came back first. It’s an odd sensation when you get cold and only acquire one headlight! Longer-term, I’d say there probably was a loss of sensitivity overall, but that’s not a problem for me. It’s vastly preferable to having them huge!
I was on the heavy-duty pain pills for about three or four days at the most, and even then I took less than I was allowed to because I hated what the drugs did to my head. It only took me a few weeks to get back to feeling normal.
I will never forget when I woke up enough to remember and looked down, and even with all the bandaging, there was still noticeably less there. Allllll riiiight!
Co-worker had it done. She didn’t regret it at all (this is like 15 years ago). She had such horrible back problems…her life was greatly improved.
Everyone I know that has had it done LOVES IT and doesn’t regret it for one second.
I had it done about 8 years ago and my only regret was that I waited so long to do it.
I was stuffed into DD bra (which was way too small, but there was no way I was going to buy a bigger bra) to a C/D now. (I’ve gained a bit of weight in 8 years, and so my breasts have gotten a bit bigger.) I had back and shoulder pain, as well as pain in my arms (where the underwire from my bras would poke the inner part of my upper arms), and neck pain that I didn’t realize I had until it was gone. I hated wearing a bra because it was so painful and uncomfortable and my breasts were horribly ugly, with stretch marks and hanging nearly to my belly button. At the time, I had little sensation in my breasts and almost none in my nipples.
Now, it’s a different story. Yes, I do have scaring underneath my breasts, but compared to the stretchmarks I had and the sagging, it’s nothing. (They’ve faded quite a bit.) My nipples are absolutely perfect in shape and the sensitivity in them is amazing. I have some numbness around the scars on the underside of my breasts though, but I can live with that. No more back, shoulder, neck or arm pain and my clothes actually fit. I still have enough of a cleavage that I can wear low cut blouses if I want, but not so much breast that I’m falling out of my bras.
In retrospect, I wish I would have gone another cup smaller (small C, large B), as I’d rather have the option of not wearing a bra at all if I wanted to do so, but for my body size and stature, I look fine.
(For the record, I had my done at a teaching hospital and was part of a research project–with my consent–about the benefit of drains versus no drains. I had a drain in one breast, and not in the other. The drain hurt for a bit coming out (my dr. was quick in removing it), but they both healed just fine and at the same rate. The worst part of it all was actually not being able to sleep on my stomach for about 4-6 weeks afterwards.)
All very good to know - I’ll be signing up as soon as I’m all through with my reproductive plans, myself.
My husband might pout a little, but DDD is really very cumbersome - even though I have a frame that largely supports it.
The two women that I knew who had it done were not pleased. They both felt too much had been taken off and it did not fully cure their back aches.
I do recommend having good posture and building your back muscles by weight training. Start very slow, and do lots of military presses, bench presses, curls and general arm and upper body stuff. Slowly work up to build strength. I did and my breasts, which were then a 38 F caused my back no more grief. They are much bigger now, and I still don’t have back trouble. Once you build the muscles, just moving around will help you keep the built up strength. It is worth a try, even if you eventually decide on a reduction.
LorieSmurf, thanks for the site. Everyone, thanks for your stories, I appreciate it. It’s something I’ve been thinking about off and on for years, and right now, I have the money and the time. I think I will talk to my doctor about it. Since I do have upper back problems because of it, I might be able to get it covered by insurance.
All I can say to everyone on this thread is: cite. Cite, cite, cite. leer
Joking aside, a good friend of mine had it done - took herself down from a 42F (sure about the measurement, ot the cup size) to a 36C. Unfortunately for her, two years and a child (her first) later, she was back to being bigger than she wanted to be, but didn’t want to go through the procedure again.
I had it done about eight years ago and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. I healed fast, the scars were and are minimal, and most importantly I don’t have those giant, useless sacks of tissue hanging there getting in the way of everything.
It supposedly has the highest satisfaction rate of any elective plastic surgery, and I can believe it!
I have to restrain myself from recommending it to strangers I see every day, trudging along behind their giant bosoms, bent over from the strain.