Breast reduction surgery – thoughts/experiences?

I’ve been seriously mulling over getting a breast reduction for a while now. I could really use some insight on everything—the pros, the risks, what the actual recovery looks like, and even just a ballpark idea of what the price tag looks like here in the States... if anyone has any recommendations or advice, please, help a girl out.

steeltinker11 said:I’ve been thinking about getting a breast reduction for quite some time now. Any advice regarding the pros, the cons, the costs here in the States... or surgeon recommendations... I could really use some guidance.

To put it bluntly, here are the downsides:
significant scarring —this is much more substantial than what you see with augmentations. You’re usually looking at a circle around the nipple (which gets repositioned higher up), then a vertical cut from the nipple down to the base of the breast, followed by a semi-circle underneath. Honestly, it can look pretty rough.
infection risk—it’s low, but it's there.
anesthesia risk—again, low, but you'll be under general anesthesia.
potential nipple hypersensitivity or numbness—since they have to cut and move the nipples to a new spot, there's a real chance of nerve damage. You might end up with very little sensation, or conversely, your nipples could become hyper-sensitive.

Do yourself a favor and search for "breast reduction" images online. You need to go into this fully aware that the scars are unavoidable; there is simply no way to perform this surgery without leaving significant, permanent scarring behind.

The benefits:
relief from back pain—assuming that pain is actually being caused by heavy breasts.
improved aesthetic appearance—once you get rid of large, sagging tissue, you can achieve a smaller, firmer, and more shaped look based on your preference.

It is vital that you learn the facts, weigh everything carefully, and then decide. Otherwise, you're almost guaranteed to be disappointed. You should probably reach out to a local plastic surgeon to get some professional information.
For instance, check out http://www.estetskikirurg.com/smanje...kih-grudi.html
Just stay realistic about the scarring. If you look at the photo in that link, you'll notice the woman had large areolas before the procedure, and after the surgery, there’s a very harsh transition between the skin and the areola—it looks unnatural, and there’s a dark scar visible right on the edge. Those lines drawn on the "before" photo represent the incisions; every single one of those marks will remain for the rest of your life.

As for the cost, it obviously depends on which doctor you choose, but I'd expect it to run somewhere between $1,000 and $3,000.

Honestly, I’ve made my peace with the scars because I’m not really the type to rock big cleavage anyway, so they wouldn't even bother me in my day-to-day life... but my issue is actually way more about function than aesthetics at this point. The constant back pain is just brutal, and even though I love staying active and working out, the sheer weight of my breasts is making it harder and harder to just move around normally. That's the only reason I'm actually giving surgery some serious thought. I just can't seem to pull the trigger on making the call one way or the other, so I'm reaching out to see if you guys have any insights, wisdom, or personal experiences to share... thanks Alexander Lewis for being so incredibly direct with your response...

Look, let's be real for a second... just tell me what you actually think we should all do so we can move on, happy and satisfied😍

Joe Biden is cooking something up, though I haven't a clue what it is, but good luck to us all regardless

I’ve already got a few ladies lined up... 😉

Grab a referral for plastic surgery (I’d suggest looking into Springfield) and just go in for a consultation. Once you're actually sitting there talking to the surgeon, you'll get all the real answers you're looking for. Who knows? If you have the right medical indications for the procedure, you might even dodge the bill entirely. Good luck.👍

Sweet!! So basically I just hit up my primary care doc and ask for a referral to a plastic surgeon... yeah, that’s pretty much what I was thinking too... once I get back from my beach trip... I know I'll need about two weeks to recover... so I only took a week of vacation this time... ah... rip my bank account... 😉

steeltinker11 said:That sounds wonderful!! So, my plan—if this works out—is to just head down to my local GP and ask for a referral to a plastic surgeon... which is pretty much what I was thinking all along... once I get back from my beach vacation, that is. I know there’s usually about a two-week recovery period involved... so, naturally, I only took a single week of vacation time... oh, dear... I really am my own worst enemy sometimes... 😉

I wouldn't recommend Springfield...
If I recall correctly, you actually have a thread about that over on IBM...

So you're saying you wouldn't recommend it based on your own experience? What's the deal? Sadly, I'm still a newbie around here, so I haven't a clue what IBM is even about... 😢

A close friend of mine went through the procedure with Dr. Stanec over in Springfield, and honestly, she feels like a whole new person now!
Sure, the recovery process was pretty painful at first, but that discomfort faded fast, and today she’s just absolutely thrilled with the results.
She spent ages researching this, and we all did our homework right along with her... the consensus among the specialists was clear: it’s either Dr. Stanec or nobody else.

Keeping my fingers crossed for you. 😘

Just a heads up, this sub is the Women's Corner. 🙂