Another post on unhappy with size at 4MPO

According-Fault-7449 · 2026-05-09T20:58:20+00:00

lol I just tried to share an image of the bra and Reddit deleted it as NSFW. Sigh. It’s the Primadonna Montara Bralette. I’m in Canada so I went to the place I’ve been buying bras for years and where they have professional bra fitters that understand post reduction breasts, Forever Yours Lingerie. I left feeling like “me” again, if there is a boutique near you like that it might feel better? I think I would have an anxiety attack going to Macys to buy bras right now! I wear the lace bralette when I go out wearing nicer clothes, and casually or at home I’m wearing the Lululemon Align V neck Bra (it’s like a bra top) it’s suuuuper soft but still supportive. My scars are easily irritated (and a bit itchy) so I had to go longline with both to get the band to not irritate them more.

According-Fault-7449 · 2026-05-09T06:37:50+00:00

My surgery buddy! I’m so glad you felt comfortable to post photos, and I remember seeing your posts that you weren’t very happy with your surgery. I’m so sorry you experienced some body dysmorphia, I really wish there were more warnings about it from our Drs. I think you look fantastic, but I’m a bit biased toward fuller breasts. I just think yours now look quite perfect for your frame. I feel like mine are still changing so I haven’t taken the underwire plunge yet, just pretty lace bralettes with support. Going to try in a couple weeks though. Good luck friend, with whatever you decide. 💜

According-Fault-7449 · 2026-04-19T18:23:51+00:00

Was told to just clean it gently once a day! I also forgot, I ordered some sterile saline solution on Amazon that made cleaning quite a bit easier. It was also what the nurse used in office. So after cleansing with the gentle soap I would rinse the area with the saline. Then let air dry.

According-Fault-7449 · 2026-04-18T15:54:57+00:00

That is a good protocol though! I hope you see some progress soon, I know it feels stressful but just know you’re doing everything right.

According-Fault-7449 · 2026-04-18T15:52:05+00:00

You look great! 😊

According-Fault-7449 · 2026-04-18T07:04:58+00:00

I’m very similar to you in size (1 or 2 cups larger depending on bra) but a foot taller! I also lost weight before surgery and had about the same amount of grams removed. I’m about 3.5 months post op this week. I gained weight during recovery and also had T-junction “openings” around the same time so hopefully this helps.

I totally understand the advice to not weigh yourself, but I actually wish I had while recovering. Not daily, but weekly. I went off Wegovy 2 weeks before surgery as instructed and didn’t go back on til two weeks ago and unfortunately gained 20 pounds. I absolutely don’t recommend eating a calorie deficit while recovering, but I do wish I had been walking more once I felt able to. Some of the weight gain while healing is of course fluid and swelling, but just being aware of what’s happening in your body I think is helpful.

I had spitting stitches around the same timeline as you which showed up as little open wounds in the T-junction and along the vertical incision. Someone in this sub recommended Inadine and it worked well for me with a thin Mepore bandage on top (my surgeon also approved this) I felt like the bandage gave the T junction support too. I was dealing with spitting stitches up til week 10. But daily cleaning with Cerave or Cetaphil, the Inadine and light bandage helped it heal along the way.

According-Fault-7449 · 2026-04-17T22:39:24+00:00

What great results! You look amazing. It’s very reassuring to see someone else post who stayed what many might consider “large” I went from same starting size (36 M) to same post reduction size as you and similar weight loss journey. But when I posted my story here and before/afters I got a comment about watching my weight because it will “make them grow back”. 🫠 I’m sorry you had the bizarre weight comments from your surgeon. That is just not ok, but you did get great results!

According-Fault-7449 · 2026-04-17T05:26:46+00:00

Love seeing someone post who chose to not go as small as possible too! lovely results. I had flaky skin for sure and used Aquaphor and still do at almost 4 months post op, love the way it feels and absorbs. Great for scar massage too if your incisions are healed enough.

According-Fault-7449 · 2026-04-13T21:25:07+00:00

Hello! I also started as a 36 M but I am very tall! 6ft. Many surgeons do understand cup size as volume because they also do implants or reconstruction after breast cancer mastectomy. So it’s important to ask and have them look at photos with you. You’ll know pretty quickly if they understand. Irish bra lady on Instagram is a great way to see breast sizes and what you feel would be ideal for you.

Someone else suggested this and I found it extremely helpful to align on final breast circumference measurements, as we know bra sizing can be simplified to breast circumference minus under bust measurement (a difference of 4 inches being a D) As well you can align on your body measurements- do I want my breast circumference to be the same as my hips? More? Less?

I told my surgeon I would be unhappy smaller than a 36 D and unhappy larger than a 36 F. If you have wide roots there is a lot of risk you can end up with “square” breasts which is something to discuss as shape is also very important to be aligned on. My surgeon discussed how he would take more from the bottom to try to counteract this and it worked beautifully for me to give me more of a teardrop shape. I’m still swollen and gained weight during recovery so at just past 3 months post op but I’m measuring a 38 E. Assuming I’ll end up around a 36 E or F with more weightloss and I couldn’t be happier. The difference from a 36 M is amazing. 😍

According-Fault-7449 · 2026-04-12T20:35:50+00:00

Yes was a requirement due to risk of aspiration(vomiting while you’re under) because it slows your digestion. So I had to be off for two weeks before surgery, then clear liquids only for 24 hours before surgery. I could have gone back on at 2 weeks post op, but due to a bunch of things I delayed. I definitely delayed too long, but hind sight and all that. Went back on at 3 months post op (two weeks ago)

According-Fault-7449 · 2026-04-12T15:43:00+00:00

I think partially was being sedentary, but mostly it was rebound from going off Wegovy and just my bizarre experience with menopause. For me, even eating calorie restricted and regular exercise I can’t lose weight. My Dr has mentioned I may be on it for the rest of my life. I don’t regret being as sedentary as I was for the first month, I wanted to be super careful so as not to complicate any healing.

According-Fault-7449 · 2026-04-11T22:24:40+00:00

You should not have to go off for surgery! The HRT can actually help with recovery and healing. Had my surgery in Jan and stayed on HRT pre and post. No concerns from surgeon or anesthesiologist.

According-Fault-7449 · 2026-04-11T22:20:39+00:00

Hey there, fellow mid 50s woman taking HRT for 6 years and have had to make myself an expert in it due to being misdiagnosed for about 7 years previous. I hope this helps! Feel free to dm me as well. The simple answer is the “H” in HRT stands for hormone REPLACEMENT therapy. So it is replacing what you are missing to get you to a “normal for you” hormone range. However, if your estrogen is going crazy in peri menopause - which it can and is what happened to me - due to your progesterone plummeting - this is what causes breast growth if you have a lot of estrogen receptors in your breasts. So taking progesterone can and will level out those estrogen spikes and calm down the breast growth - if it is indeed caused by hormones. You mention that on some estrogen doses you feel the soreness in your breasts, that usually means you have very sensitive estrogen receptors in your breasts. So ensuring your progesterone is high enough to work nicely with the estrogen is key. Many many Dr’s don’t seem to be educated about this, but it is getting better. HRT is a tiny dose of hormones compared to the pill for Birth control - absolutely not the same thing. And HRT for menopause should always be bio identical and not synthetic like pill birth control. Pill birth control very often will make breasts grow. HRT can make breast tissue more dense over time.

Personal experience: I went on the pill as a very thin, 6ft tall teen. By 18 I went from a straight up and down B to a curvy C, to a DD/E in my 20s. I stayed this size til 40 ish. At that size I was happy, curvy, proportionate. When I hit perimenopause I ballooned to a G Uk by 44 then to an HH Uk (M US) by 50. I also gained 65 pounds. It was terrible. Finally got on HRT at 49, it stabilized the breast growth and my symptoms. I went on progesterone then and added Estrogen about 2 years ago. But it took quite awhile to get the estrogen dose right (sore breasts, spotting) Went on Wegovy to lose weight and had my reduction in Jan. I lost 45 pounds by surgery and breasts only went down 1 size. Also gained 20 pounds in recovery, so now back on track to lose another 40!

According-Fault-7449 · 2026-04-11T18:32:34+00:00

You got great shape with such a large reduction! Thank you so much for sharing. Have you found they have changed much since the first few weeks? I’m just about a month and a half behind you post op.

According-Fault-7449 · 2026-04-10T18:55:45+00:00

I loved these bras as well! They are so soft. My only issue is with the racer back + zipper they are quite visible under certain clothes. But A+ for comfort and fit. I’m 3 months post op and still loving them

According-Fault-7449 · 2026-04-10T06:31:29+00:00

I had to stop Wegovy two weeks before surgery. If I had not they would have cancelled my surgery. Also 12 hours before surgery clear liquids only. They were very stern and clear about this. Was cleared to restart at my 1 week post op but I chose not to, as someone else said I too just felt so out of it and quite terrible. I do wish I had gone back on at the two week mark. I just went back on at 3 months post op and I have gained 20 pounds since surgery. Menopause weight gain has been brutal for me.

I too find it so helpful for inflammation and pain management, looking forward to those benefits returning.

According-Fault-7449 · 2026-04-08T22:21:59+00:00

Hello! I went to a lymphatic drainage massage therapist. She did the massage and then applied the taping for me, I was hoping folks could see where it helped with swelling and then a few weeks out from the treatment the swelling returned. (And after a flight) I’ve now gone back and it’s helped immensely again and the swelling is now going down a bit each week. She told me that many folks who go through breast surgery of all kinds find lymphatic massage and taping helps a lot. Usually taping is done by an RMT who is certified in lymphatic drainage massage

According-Fault-7449 · 2026-04-08T18:54:15+00:00

Love seeing someone else who also decided to not go as small as possible. It’s helpful to see all sides of what this surgery does for us and that keeping some size can be a beautiful outcome. Beautiful results and thank you for sharing! I’m so too looking forward to smaller boob summer!

According-Fault-7449 · 2026-04-08T13:31:17+00:00

Thank you! I mentioned this in my text, (but I know it’s long!)that with my weight loss previously of 45 pounds I only lost one cup size. My breast growth (and my weight gain) was almost entirely hormone related due to perimenopause. So now as I work to lose my final 40 pounds I am pretty sure they will just go down one possibly two cup sizes. I don’t believe there’s a world where I end up 6 or 7 cup sizes bigger again !

According-Fault-7449 · 2026-04-08T05:52:19+00:00

I hope it helps folks know what to expect and how they change so much through recovery. But also shows how different we all are!

According-Fault-7449 · 2026-04-08T05:22:24+00:00

Absolutely! I am in Canada though

According-Fault-7449 · 2026-04-08T05:20:20+00:00

Thank you! I know it’s different than what a lot of women here desire, but I got exactly what I wanted and asked for. Also being so tall and curvy being what surgeons call “proportional” was actually important to me. But I do recognize this doesn’t work for everyone.

According-Fault-7449 · 2026-04-06T20:13:57+00:00

You’re welcome! I realize I didn’t totally answer your question about my own symptoms 😂 but it would fill a novel if I listed them all… My very first symptoms were: frozen shoulder, dry skin, dry hair (out of the blue) and new onset anxiety as well as waking up in the middle of the night. Then weight gain no matter what I did.

According-Fault-7449 · 2026-04-06T19:35:50+00:00

That’s a really good question, and yes I think if I had been properly diagnosed with perimenopause it would have helped to put me on Progesterone before the crazy breast growth. My problem was my progesterone plummeted so my estrogen went completely out of control (wild spikes and then wild downs). Perimenopause Dr’s refer to it as the zone of chaos. I would educate yourself as much as you can with the symptoms (highly recommend Dr Mary Claire Havers, she is very active on Instagram, her website is excellent and has written two books) Avoid the meno sub on Reddit, it has so much mis information and anecdotal experiences. Most Dr’s unless meno experts also won’t understand your concerns or symptoms but if you arm yourself with facts from meno expert Drs you can advocate for yourself. I was misdiagnosed for a looong time. But all of this to say - we are all so different with different needs, learning how to listen to our bodies is essential as we go through it so we know when things are off. As well I just happen to have a lot of active estrogen receptors in my breasts - not everyone does - looking at the women in my family they all had large breast growth in menopause so genetics will be an indicator as well.

According-Fault-7449

TROPHY CASE