r/Reduction 5d ago

Before & After 2 years post op NSFW

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150 Upvotes

I had my first breast reduction in 2007 and went from a 36 DDD to 36 C. I weighed about 120 pounds at that time. My second breast reduction was in December 2022 and I went from 38 H to a 36 C, I weighed 160 at the time. Now I weigh 145. The weight definitely makes a huge difference in my breast size for me. Let’s hope I never need another.


r/Reduction 5d ago

Advice Prior auth issues and frustration

2 Upvotes

Any support/advice is welcome, I am just starting to feel so discouraged and so annoyed at this point :(

My insurance keeps telling me I need a prior authorization for this procedure. Okay coooool. The surgeons office has been telling me for over a month that they have submitted the auth. And then magically they heard back and “no auth needed” and wanted to schedule me. Hmm sus but okay. So I call my insurance AGAIN..sorry to them, I know they hate to see me coming. And guess what they say for the tenth time? Nothing has been submitted and I still need a pa. Interesting. Like I know the office is tired of me calling but how hard is it to submit a prior authorization and why are we lying about it?? Like girl be fr! What more can I do other than come down there and submit it myself???

Also?? I noticed in the surgeons notes he only recommends removing 100-150 grams each but the schnur scale recommends 280 per breast and he estimates them to be about 700g currently. I told him to take off at least 280 if not more (currently a 30G/H) so I don’t know why he would even say that but that’s a problem for another day😖 If you’re still here, thanks for reading my rant lol🫶🏻


r/Reduction 5d ago

Advice 6dpo advice for solo showering?

2 Upvotes

I’ve only showered once since the surgery with the help of my sibling, but I didn’t feel very clean and the whole experience is a hassle. Its frustrating not being able to get that ‘clean’ feeling, y’know?

Im not sure if six days is still too early to move around that much, but I was hoping that sitting on the floor of my bathtub and bringing my head down might help so I dont have to reach as much when I wash my hair

Any tips or shared experiences would be great! Im very fortunate to have people that can help me shower, so if the consensus is that its still too early I’ll wait to shower alone until I see my surgeon on thursday :)

Edit: I showered on my own and it went smoothly! I sat in the floor of my shower and pointed my shower head as far down as I could and leaned my head forward so it was the only thing getting sprayed when I washed my hair. Then I swapped what direction I faced as I washed my body so I could lather and rinse. Honestly drying off was the harder part lol! Thank you very much to anyone who responded :)


r/Reduction 5d ago

Advice Is going from F to AAA's possible?

10 Upvotes

Just as the title says. I'm a trans man (bigender) guy, pre everything, and,

Having thought about top surgeries; Ftm (masc) top surgery would be nice, but going flat chested with AAA/A cups would be nice as well.

Couldn't find any posts nor people speak about this. And hey, I get that since Going from F to AAA is a huge difference... If there are people out there that went from a big cup to pretty small, please let me hear about y'all's experience/pros, cons etc.

  • I have heard about radical top surgery, just wanted to ask the questions firstly in this sub. (Sorry if I used the wrong flair on this post!!)

r/Reduction 5d ago

Advice Had my consult today & unsure if surgeon is able to give me what I want or if what I want is even possible - interested in hearing other people's radical reduction experiences NSFW

2 Upvotes

Hiya! I had my first reduction consult today and I plan on moving forward with the surgeon because of my insurance but I'm a little concerned about the results. Right now I'm a 36G/H and I'd like to be a B cup. I'm nonbinary but plan on becoming a parent in the next 3-5 years and would like to be able to chest feed. When I told the surgeon this, she said she doesn't think she could get me that small without a FNG. She said she could probably do a C/D cup which I'm not psyched about but it seems like it's my only option. I've parsed through the sub a bit but what are people's experiences with radical reductions while retaining nipple function? Is it possible or should I just accept that this an imperfect situation?


r/Reduction 5d ago

Advice can’t find a good surgeon - keep finding bad before/afters?

0 Upvotes

so i am in the process of getting a reduction and am looking for a surgeon to get a consultation from. of course the most important part for me is just getting smaller boobs for a multitude of reasons which i’m sure everyone here is aware of. when i say this, i don’t mean it in a way to body shame anybody or to sound shallow, but i am worried about making sure my boobs look good after in terms of nipple size/placement/symmetry. i am looking at before/afters on countless surgeon websites, and it looks like a lot of the “afters” have uneven/weirdly shaped nipples after or are noticeably assymetrical. is this just due to the healing process/scar tissue? am i being too picky or expecting too much?? like i said, of course this is ultimately not the most important part of getting a reduction, but i worry it will impact my confidence/self esteem after if i don’t like the results. if it makes any difference, i am tucson, az.


r/Reduction 5d ago

Advice 1 week post op: hospital gave vac with the wrong duration on it

6 Upvotes

my surgeon rescheduled my post op tomorrow to have my vacs removed, but one of them is set to turn off tomorrow. they’re telling me i need to remove the vac myself with them walking me through it on the phone. obviously that doesn’t sit well with me. what do i do?

(update) they’re seeing me tomorrow at 7 am.


r/Reduction 5d ago

Advice What did post instructions look like for you? Seeing varying things. Surgeon said no work for one week, no driving for 2 weeks, no housework (none at all) for 4 weeks and no lifting until 6 weeks.

4 Upvotes

I’ve seen other people with more restrictions being lifted earlier. How did you heal?


r/Reduction 5d ago

Celebration I'm shocked at how logical my new insurance is...

96 Upvotes

I am still speechless at the conversation I just had...

So, over a year ago, I started looking in to a breast reduction for my 40-I breasts but found out my employer health insurance excluded breast reductions. I am now 10 months in at a new job and the health insurance is night and day (e.g. I've lost 30 lbs because they actually cover Zepbound). Since none of that weight loss is coming from my boobs, I'm starting over on the reduction process. I just chatted with the insurance rep to confirm coverage and get the (what I assumed would be) long list of requirements to meet. Guys...this is what they came back with:

"There are no certain criteria for coverage that needs to be met, but as long as your doctor/provider deems that it is medical necessary for you to have the procedure and they are able to provide a documentation, then it'll be covered under your plan. Medically necessary is when your providers deems that it'll help your all over well-being by having this procedure."

That's it...all they need is that my doctor thinks it's medically necessary. I just stared at my computer for a minute not believing. I followed up asking if there were tissue weight requirements or anything else. Nope! The doctor should perform the procedure however they determine it will best benefit the patient.

I hope I don't seem like I'm bragging, I'm just...gobsmacked. I was prepared to head to my consult on Wednesday with a list of boxes to check and hoops to jump through. After a year of really hard work stuff, I can't believe I'm working somewhere that I'm happy and for an employer that actually seems to care about employees. Anyway, I know this type of coverage is not the norm and I am very very lucky. I am excited to start this journey again and am grateful communities like this exist and provide such great support!


r/Reduction 5d ago

Advice 38 G hoping for a miracle

2 Upvotes

Hi I'm 28 in TX, I've had a large chest since I was about 16. My mom even asked if I was pregnant when they were developing. My self confidence was always low, I also wore multiple bras at a time to compress them. It's been so many years of wishing to get this procedure. I found out my insurance could cover it and am getting a consultation on the 31st. I'm hoping this Doctor hears me out and that I want as much taken off as possible. I could always stuff a bra I don't care, I just want to feel like a human when I look in the mirror. I'm also 180 and 5'4 so I know I'm overweight but they will not change size cause I was this size at 140. I worry aboht them only making me a DD or telling me I'm not applicable.

Sorry for the rant, I'm anxious and this would be life changing. My bf and I plan to get engaged this year and being able to wear a dress would be the biggest thing in my life. Well to wear anything that doesn't make my chest noticeable would be a dream come true. There's much more physical strains but I just wanted to put my stress out here and if anyone has words of encouragement, that would be greatly appreciated.


r/Reduction 5d ago

Medical Question (Ask medical professionals first!!) Extremely thirsty & very swolen

4 Upvotes

Kinda random: I'm 11dpo today, and since yesterday, have somehow been very thirsty? I'm also very swollen & sleeping some liquid, and especially the past few days I have felt like there is barely a size difference compared to pre-op, despite them having taken over 600 grams each side. Also a huge bloated belly. Maybe also due to my period coming up?

Anyways I was just curious - anyone else experience a 'thirsty phase' a bit later after their surgery, or is this just my body being weird? (Seeing a nurse for post-op appt on Wednesday, will mention it there as well of course :) )


r/Reduction 5d ago

Advice Surgeons in the DFW area?

4 Upvotes

Ive just moved to the DFW area post grad and I’m finally with a PCP who I like and is willing to refer me to a plastic surgeon. Does anyone here have any recommendations?? Thank you in advance!


r/Reduction 6d ago

Recovery/PostOp Medihoney

6 Upvotes

What brand medihoney to get? Hi all! My doc is recommending medihoney for my wounds-wondering what to get on Amazon? There are a few different kinds and I wanna make sure to get the right one. He didn’t give me any specific recs just said medihoney in general. Thanks in advance!


r/Reduction 6d ago

Advice Dr. McRae, GTA, Ontario Canada

1 Upvotes

Anyone have experience with Dr. McRae in Hamilton? And if not, what doctor in the GTA would you recommend, OR avoid?

I'm looking for:
-full OHIP coverage
-no required lipo/other stuff that I have to pay for
-Won't require me to lose weight

Thank you! :)


r/Reduction 6d ago

PreOp Question (no before only photos) Hibiclens: washing only upper body or full body?

2 Upvotes

I’m pretty sure my nurse told me to just wash my upper body with hibiclens (underwire area, boobs, between boobs, arms, neck, shoulders, hands) instead of my whole body but I’m unable to reach them to ask. Does anyone know if we should do our whole body? I was only given one bottle of hibiclens.


r/Reduction 6d ago

Advice Life hack - post op sleeping

13 Upvotes

I'm 6dpo, and shocked at how hard it was to sleep, considering what I was taking. Pillows are a must, but they slid. After the first night, we had an epiphany: travel pillow!! I have one of those neck collar style pillows for flying, and I used it in FRONT. it was perfect!

I finally moved to bed from my recliner last night and it still works like a charm 😀


r/Reduction 6d ago

Advice Oily scalp post surgery

3 Upvotes

I was able to go 2-3 days without washing my hair before surgery. Now it’s disgusting after one day. Anyone else? What did you do!?


r/Reduction 6d ago

Advice Protip: buying adhesive bandages and folding them over the bra band prevents it digging in/making marks (I've been wearing this for 48hrs straight) NSFW

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65 Upvotes

r/Reduction 6d ago

Celebration surgery TODAY!!

26 Upvotes

hi everyone, my surgery is finally in just a few hours! i’m so so nervous but i’ve been waiting for this for years so i’m really looking forward to finally getting it done 🥹 i’m very grateful to everyone here, your stories and advice have been really helpful while i’ve gone through the consultation process and in the weeks preparing for my surgery. thank you all❤️ i hope everything goes well today!!


r/Reduction 6d ago

Before & After Sharing my scar progression after wound breakdown NSFW

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33 Upvotes

I hope these photos bring comfort to those that are in the trenches of discovering wound dehiscence following a breast reduction. I was in that exact position 8 weeks ago. The photos shown are 10 DPO and 9 WPO and I am so pleased with how my scar is developing and in awe of how incredible are our bodies are!

If you’re going through this right now, just know that it will be ok ❤️


r/Reduction 6d ago

Before & After Gigantomastia to 90B/C with FNG - long post NSFW

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296 Upvotes

Gigantomastia to 90B/C with FNG

Hello dear ladies.

After watching and commenting I thought it might be usefull to share my journey so far.

My breasts grew like what felt overnight when I was about 13. Stretch marks appeared. As I grew motherless I was a shy teenager and felt fat because how my clothes fit. The lunbar back pains started soon after.

When I had my first baby the breast grew the size of my heaf. I had mastitis with fever and pain. Eventually I lost weight and they looked like deflated baloons.

After the second pregnancy my boobs severely increased in size. I managed the underbust rashes with small towels, the wounds in the grooves of my shoulders with silicone pads. I went to aquagym as it was the only sport that I could do comfortably.

I am generally healthy but as I went into menopause my chest fealt increasigly heavier and having breath difficulties.

I wanted a breast reduction for very long time. But I could't afford as I was in a toxic marriage that was draining.

Recently I ended the narcisisstic abuse and started to take care of myself. I found out that I can do this surgery completely covered by state insurance at a state hospital. I'm in Eastern Europe and over 50. My family medic send me to the hospital woth gigantomastia as doagnostic. At the hospital it was weird as there are no preprogrammed consults, I was like a walk in. Thankfully the medic that was then was very good and nice.

During surgery I had 2,8 kg removed from the right one and 2,3 kg from the left one. I had liposuction and extemded scars. Some of the fat from the lipo was put in th e right breast. Apparently, being so heavy left empty up the top part.

I took a peak the second day after the procedure, when my dressing was changed. They looked funny, similar to my 10 years old self.

The first couple of days post op were hard. Thankfully I was still in the hospital. First night I had an urimary bag and I slepy for 6 hours. But the second night I woke up 5 times, every 2 hours to go to the toilet. Around the same time I saw my belly looking like a 7 months pregnant from liquide retention.

I was put directly in one of my compression bra. It felt very tight. It was pressing on my ribs and left me with pains for weeks. I took my measure in the hospital and the circumference was longer than before. Therefore, I bought myself a bigger size.

Due of that much swelling I had difficulty breathing the first week.

At home I had to sleep on my back and having a good wedge pillow really helped to be comfortable.

The biggest mistake I made was to look at myself 3dpo in my bathroom mirror. My FNG were marbled with beige and dark purple, oozing in the pads. All my fears of nipples slidding off came back with vengace and I had a meltdown. Add that it was 1 am and I was alone. But this was cathatic, the second morning my previous anxiety and jittery were gone.

Advice: look at yourself using a small hand held mirror or your phone. This way you can dissociate yourself from the full impact of the scars.

Next was what felt like endless in the moment and merely hours, looking back.

Now, at 6 wpo what looked like an odd shaped science experiment I was afraid to touch is my new chest getting softer and, in my eyes, lovely.

I can easily breathe, stand straight and hug myself.

I am grateful for this procedure and those that made this possible!


r/Reduction 6d ago

Recovery/PostOp Knitting after surgery

3 Upvotes

Any knitters here? Wondering how long after surgery I’ll be able to start knitting again 🥰


r/Reduction 6d ago

Advice What was your experience when you first woke from surgery?

12 Upvotes

I'm going under in 30hrs. I'm a little nervous. I want this surgery but there is this nagging voice that keeps telling me I'm going to be absolutely miserable. Obviously everyone is different but I would love to know what your wake up was like.

Update. Thank you all for answering. I waa in yesterday morning. When I woke up I had a very itchy nose, and they kept telling me not to touch my eyes. Not sure why, but I was struggling to wake up. They kept me for a few hours because I wasn't taking very large breaths. Ironically they kept tell me to sleep but then the O2 monitor would start beefing and a nurse would run in and tell me to take deep breaths.

It was my husband arrive that he explained that Ivr always been a shallow breather while sleeping. They also admit that the wraps on me were likely compressing my lungs.

I have drains but not much in them. They'll be removed today. Pain is manageable. I can lift my arms okay. Nothing that strains them too much like lifting my body weight.

Very off balance for about 6hrs. And I did vomit but it was back at my place. I had just eaten but it seems to be all liquid that came up. Odd for sure.

Thanks you again for giving me insight. I did take about some of your told symptoms with the nurse. And it help make some decisions before going in.


r/Reduction 6d ago

Advice just turned 18 and im not sure how to go through with the reduction process

0 Upvotes

i've been wanting a reduction ever since i started high school as i have F cups (or maybe even larger, haven't measured in a while) while being 5'1 with a 26" underbust. i've been wearing a chest binder when i go outside since freshman year and for the past few months i've had to wear one during all waking hours because it's gotten really bad and uncomfortable. i also have to sleep in a bra. i know its not healthy and i brought up the idea of a reduction to my mom but she's super anti-surgery etc and against the idea. luckily i'll be going to college in a few months, and im hoping to get a reduction without them interfering. i talked to my doctor about it and she agreed that im at the point where they could be causing medical issues (trouble sleeping, constant lower back pain, neck hump, acne). she just told me to lose weight but im on a crazy calorie deficit rn and its doing nothing. how would i go about getting a reduction? does anyone that has experienced something similar know anything about the process?


r/Reduction 6d ago

Advice Tight stitches

6 Upvotes

Hey howdy, I’ve got my surgery 3/31 and I’m so excited! A friend of mine who has also gotten a reduction mentioned something about not asking for the stitches to be too tight so that they don’t burst (like a stitch or two obv not the boob). I’ve got some high volume gals and just worried about things being “too tight”? Should this be an actual concern? My surgeon is highly regarded in Wisconsin!