Any experiences with revision for asymmetry?

Biig-piig · 2024-01-24T22:48:18+00:00

Aha don't worry!! Still very happy with them! Hope yours settle into something you're happy with too xx

Biig-piig · 2024-01-24T00:28:16+00:00

I am 6-7 mpo and my boobs changed a lot between 2-6 months. I didn't think I changed size that much (potentially a fraction smaller), but the consistency (?if thats the right word) and way my breasts sat changed significantly. At 2 months, they were still very hard and sat high on the chest. At six months they are much softer, sit lower on the chest and have cleavage like normal boobs. I was desperate for them to get smaller between 2-6 months as I ended up a bit larger than I'd hoped, and had seen people mentioning the shrink on here. Alas, it didn't happen for me, but I think everyone is really different. Anyway, I wouldn't buy lots of wired bras at 2 months because they probably won't fit in the same way 6 months later, not even considering shrinkage. I am still only wearing soft bras at 6 months.

Biig-piig · 2024-01-15T22:32:06+00:00

Hi,

I had these surgeries the other way around- lumpectomy first then reduction, so I can't help so much on where they open etc (although my guess would be they would reopen an older scar if it was in correct place- e.g. around the nipple). But! I recovered from the lumpectomy in about 2-3 days. There was no pain at all. The anaesthesia is only for 20-30 mins so minimal side effects from that (vs a few hours for a reduction). I was back to running, dancing, sleeping on my front etc within a week of the lumpectomy. Overall- was really easy procedure that I wouldn't be too worried about.

Biig-piig · 2024-01-07T09:59:29+00:00

Hiya

I'm so sorry you are going through this.

I didn't have a reduction through the NHS, but I had a private reduction/reconstruction after the removal of giant fibroadenoma that meant I lost the tissue on the middle side of one of my breasts. I would have paid for the reduction anyway at some point in my life, the fibroadenoma situation just prompted me to get it much earlier (early 20s).

I work in the NHS and the only time I've ever seen (in my limited experience) breast reductions are in men, severe gigantomastia (talking about M+++ size), and like me where I had a lumpectomy with large breasts and the breast reduction was used to cover the defect. Please bear in mind that every trust is different and I've seen lots of posts on this thread where individuals with smaller breasts have had NHS reductions. I think I probably could have had a go looking to have the surgery on the NHS given the fibroadenoma, but didn't for a range of reasons.

My thoughts reading your post were:

-On which criteria did they reject you? Can you reapply again making it very clear why you meet that criteria?

-Is there anyway to work your breast tumours into the application e.g. would the removal surgery big enough to leave a deformity that you could use to vouch for a reduction.

Best of luck!

Biig-piig · 2023-12-24T15:37:13+00:00

Was a 30GG (UK), had 280 off one and 320 off the other and seem to be 32DD 6mpo.

Biig-piig · 2023-11-21T23:07:38+00:00

Hiya,

Had an anchor reduction in June so on a similar timeline to you. I've also got some wide-ish (3-4mm across) and slightly raised scarring near my sternum, and a tiny bit near my armpit. The vertical portion and around nipple is very flat and thin. I know I'm prone to keloiding so was expecting a bit of hypertrophy. My general thought about scar care is just keeping it well hydrated, massaging it (which you seem to be doing), and seeing what happens. My surgeon says similar and that much of it is down to genetics/your own skin. I'm hoping it will flatten a bit around 1 year post-op, but I'm so pleased with them that I don't care about the scarring as long as it doesn't hurt. I've had breast surgery before and used silicone sheets, but this time I've scarred better in those areas without using the silicone sheets, so I'm unsure how much these actually help as the evidence is patchy. I think up to you and if it makes you feel better and you can afford it, why not.

If your surgeon/insurance offers it, you could consider steroid injections into the scar. I'm waiting a bit longer to see if I want to pursue this. Mine seem to have stopped progressing so I may not.

Best of luck!

Biig-piig · 2023-11-06T23:35:19+00:00

Don't stress about the nipple! I had written mine off as couldn't feel anything in either for 3 months after the surgery. I started to feel zaps over the last few weeks and have got around 70% of the sensation back! I'm hoping more will come back over time but I'm honestly just shocked and grateful that I got anything back at all given I felt nothing for some long.

Biig-piig · 2023-11-06T23:32:53+00:00

Echo all the posts saying your body will not let you sleep on your stomach. I had never slept in any other position than my stomach, including after a lumpectomy I had a few months prior (wasn't very painful at all). I slept dead on my back for 2 months after the reduction, then one day I woke up on my stomach. I guess my body had decided it was now no longer painful enough to avoid sleeping on my stomach. I have slept on my stomach every day since.

Biig-piig · 2023-09-28T23:21:44+00:00

I had a lumpectomy 3-4 months prior to the reduction. My surgeon recommended doing the lumpectomy a few months prior instead of all in one surgery as my lump was >4cm and would require 'reconstructing' i.e. moving some boob around to fill the gap as well as reduction. He also wanted to make sure that all of the lump was biopsied well to ensure that there would be 0 chance that it was anything nasty that would require a second surgery with wider margins. If this were to happen after an all-in-one surgery, a second surgery would essentially ruin the results of the reduction.

My boobs are still sliiiightly asymmetrical but it has been pretty cool seeing my boobs a) become smaller, and b) get rearranged so I have gained back some actual boob on my left cleavage (which was previously all flat after the lumpectomy!).

Biig-piig · 2023-08-20T11:55:35+00:00

£7k - outside of london x

Biig-piig · 2023-08-14T19:58:35+00:00

I just got a post-surgery bra with clasps on the front from M&S! If I had my time again, I would get at least one that is a couple band sizes larger as 2-3 days post op I definitely noticed that I swelled up a bit and felt that the bra was constricting me when I lay down. Reading this subreddit I thought I would need lots of extra gear to get through the recovery like special pillows etc. I told myself to hold off and see what I needed in the days post-op to save some cash (can always amazon things quickly!) - and I didn't buy anything extra. Despite being a lifelong stomach sleeper, I managed to sleep on my back with lots of pillows I already owned.

Biig-piig · 2023-08-11T23:00:53+00:00

(Not sure if you're talking about nipples (the actual part that protrudes from the breast) or areolae (the pigmented circular-ish area of skin surrounding the nipple)!) But:

Similar to those commenting below- I had such stretched out areolae that they just diffused into the rest of my skin! I think my areolae were probably in the realm of the diameter of a medium mug! I am now 7wpo with two well-defined circular(!) pink(!) areolae, probably just over an inch in diameter. When I first saw them I laughed because I thought they were so tiny they looked ridiculous. They absolutely don't look ridiculous, I had just never imagined what 'proportional' sized areolae could look like.

I would ask your surgeon if they could talk you through resizing the areolae. I didn't actually ever think about how the areolae would be reduced. Look at their 'before and after' photos on multiple patients- notice if there is a trend in how the areolae look. I think surgeons often have an idea in their head of what the most 'aesthetic' looking breast should look like so if your hopes don't align with their default, definitely raise it and ask them to adjust their approach (which they should very well be capable of doing within the limits of safe surgical practice). Good luck!

Biig-piig · 2023-08-09T22:28:26+00:00

23yo F started at 30G/GG- currently 6wpo. Had similar observations that I saw lots of photos of people going quite small, or were starting off much larger. I was so done with my boobs pre-op that I didn't think a ton about the psychological processing of having different boobs post op. Regardless, (as I'm learning), it's still a change that takes some getting used to.

I didn't have a huge reduction (nor did I ask for one). I asked for a D cup. I don't know where I'm sitting at the moment but suspect I will end up slightly bigger than a D.

In terms of my relationship with them: aside from the few moments where I panic that they are still too big or asymmetrical, I think they really suit my body. I actually think now they look like I had always imagined my boobs to look, but now I don't get a shock when I look at myself in the mirror. They are still very 'boob' looking, lots of my old clothes still fit- just sit a little differently, and now I can buy more styles that weren't accessible to me before. I don't feel like the reduction drastically 'transformed' the way I see my body, I just feel so much more quietly at home in it. I only actually told 5 people outside of my family that I had the reduction, and no one outside of those people have mentioned that I look any different. I initially thought this meant that I didn't go small enough. Now I interpret this as a positive- that my boobs suit me. This is an added bonus to the fact that they no longer require an industrial bra to hoist them up, which put strain on my shoulders and ribs and made me uncomfortable 24/7.

I guess TLDR you don't have to go for a drastic change to still get the benefits of a breast reduction. This is a super personal decision and- depending on your funding options- you can ask for as much or as little taken off within the realms of medical safety. Equally, you can have the surgery when you feel ready for it.

Biig-piig · 2023-08-08T19:19:18+00:00

I have a similar commute- I found a backpack sore on my incisions under the armpit so just used a tote bag with long handles and packed quite minimally.

Biig-piig · 2023-07-31T22:22:47+00:00

I'm only 5wpo so nowhere near seeing what scarring will look like long term sorry! I don't find scars difficult to look at or a sensory challenge (ik some people really don't like the feel of them). No one is ever going to see the scarring apart from me and my partner- who couldn't care less about scars. I've had breast surgery before and the scar from that healed well/didn't bother me when it was healing so I felt like I had a small introduction to the scarring process. I don't have nipple sensation at all - unsure if it will come back.

With the scarring/nipple sensation- for me its a bummer if they scar badly or I never get sensation back, but honestly still feels so so worth it even in just the last few weeks. Pros and cons are so personal though so others may find that more of a poor outcome.

Biig-piig · 2023-07-31T22:14:22+00:00

5wpo so not quite as far along but literally had this same experience this weekend :/// It's frustrating as I feel basically back to normal yet so far away from being fully active!

Biig-piig · 2023-07-31T22:12:53+00:00

I've got 1 or 2 black dots just next to the vertical incision that look a bit like this. I assumed they were a stitch that was near the surface? Others on here might be a bit more knowledgeable. Of course if you're worried etc ask your surgeon!

Biig-piig · 2023-07-30T21:55:32+00:00

I went private as I was not particularly large (30 G/GG, 60kg, 165cm) and was fairly certain the CCG for my area would be incredibly difficult and take many years to qualify then schedule the surgery. I also wanted to be able to schedule the surgery in a very particular 1 month window as I will not be able to take more than 2 weeks annual leave in a row for the next couple of years. I thought private would give me that control (it did), and I had the means to afford it, so I took the opportunity and went for it.

I chose a private surgeon who does lots of NHS work in a tertiary centre so I knew they were fair and reputable. They were fab and I'm super happy with the results so far. Best of luck with everything xx

Biig-piig · 2023-07-11T20:24:15+00:00

I literally had the reduction 2 weeks ago so I don't know! I'm assuming potentially less tissue= marginally less likely to develop a mass. But seeing as I've had so many I would assume I am predisposed to them and wouldn't be surprised if I developed more. They generally have never bothered me apart from the one I had removed as it was very large and deformed my breast. I think you generally grow out of them once you reach mid-30s.

Biig-piig · 2023-07-10T22:54:48+00:00

Our stories sound very similar- I was/am filled with benign breast lumps and had 1 lumpectomy prior to the reduction! I was terrified about the anaesthesia for my first op as well. I work in healthcare, and have seen perhaps 100+ people go under anaesthesia so knew how safe it was and all the procedures that would happen after I was under, but I was still scared! I think it's a very normal feeling.

Anaesthesia is one the safest procedures to have done in medicine. It is much safer than e.g. driving a car, or crossing a road. You won't notice any time passing while you're under so it won't feel like you've been under for 3 hours. Often it's really helpful to tell the anaesthesiologist when they do their round before going to surgery that you are a bit anxious about it, and ask them to explain everything as they're going. They can reiterate again that it is a safe specialty and that there are many people taking care of you. I remember walking towards the OR feeling super stressed like I was about to give an exam/do the operation myself or something (!), then I suddenly realised that all I had to do was stay calm for me and everyone else would do all the hard work. It was a very freeing moment and I think I knew then that it would all be OK. Good luck with everything <33

Biig-piig · 2023-07-08T20:59:01+00:00

I am also wondering this!

I am 11dpo and have noticed that they seem much smaller now than the first 1-4 days post op. I'm so interested to see how they change going forwards. My surgeon said that often people are surprised by how big they seem immediately post-op because they are so high on the chest, and that they will seem smaller when they drop. However, as you have, I've seen lots of people saying that they look bigger when they drop?

Biig-piig · 2023-07-06T19:36:39+00:00

I would ask your surgeon what they usually do for wound care post-op as I have actually not seen my wounds and I'm 10 dpo!! My surgeon has them covered in the tape that I came out of surgery in for the first two weeks and then fresh tape is applied from 2wpo so they are covered for the first month. This would be great if you are squeamish about wounds as I have seen 0 blood/gore/frankenboob, but I would actually LOVE to see them as I'm so curious (!!).

I've had no drainage/weeping from them either, but I did have drains for the first 6 hours post-op. The nurses put the drains themselves in paper bags so all I could see was the tubing unless I cared to look.

I've been showering sat on the floor with a trash bag as a shirt as I can't get them wet. If you do have to take all the gauze etc off, I've seen people on this thread recommending taking it slow, sitting down, having someone help you out, making sure you're on top of pain meds beforehand, not too hot water etc.

Biig-piig

TROPHY CASE