Breast Reduction advice.. help!

Hi ladies, I know most of you are going up in size, but I'm starting the process of getting rid of my 32 KK's! Ideally I want to be about a 32G...

Does anyone have any advice/recommendations on surgeons? (I'm in NW London) Or any advice/tips you wish you'd known before you got started?

Things I'm nervous about:

Getting pregnant/feeding a baby after the op. How long after is it normal to get preg etc?
Looking after my 2yo after the op. How long will I be in bed? How much pain etc?
Nipple sensation. I heard that a lot of people have no feeling in their nipples after the op... Not to be crude but I'm not sure how my hubby would feel about that!
Worried generally they wont look right, ideally I want them to be able to stay up on their own, which is something Ive never ever had! Obviously dont want to end up with dif sizes or weird nipples, or arm fat which I've also heard about..

Advice or reassurance would be great!

Elizabeth.

ElizabethSok wrote:Hi ladies, I know most of you are going up in size, but I'm starting the process of getting rid of my 32 KK's! Ideally I want to be about a 32G...

Hello and welcome to BJSF Elizabeth

Does anyone have any advice/recommendations on surgeons? (I'm in NW London) Or any advice/tips you wish you'd known before you got started?

The best advice I can give you sweetie is to RESEARCH! It's so important Elizabeth Take your time to research surgeons in your area, you can request a list of surgeons from any clinics you're interested in and then check their qualifications on the GMC register along with BAAPS/BAPRAS if it's a BAAPS reg surgeon you're specifically interested in.

You can find a link to look for clinics in your area in this thread [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].

You may also like to take a read through our Breast Augmentation Information' section of the forum hun, you'll find a consultation notebook in there which you can print off and take to you consultations if you's like to as well as a whole tone of info to help you get the look for your boobs that you want.

Things I'm nervous about:

Getting pregnant/feeding a baby after the op. How long after is it normal to get preg etc?
Looking after my 2yo after the op. How long will I be in bed? How much pain etc?

I had a full anchor uplift so a similar procedure to a reduction, I wouldn't call the feeling when you wake up from surgery as 'pain' it's more like a heavy feeling on your chest at first, as you've already had a child, the feeling is likened to that of when your milk comes into your breasts after having the baby and they're swollen and engorged. As you sit upright, you feel a rush of what feels like the milk coming to the breast and they're 'uncomfortable' not painful babe and nothing at all that you'll be unable to cope with. You'll be in bed whilst in hospital, which will be one, possibly 2 nights and then you'll sent home and encouraged to move about, the sooner you are up on your feet and getting yourself out for walks the better. Your boobs will need time to recover though and although you'll be able to return to work after a week, maybe 2 depending on how you heal (we're all different) you'll be on light duties for a 6 week period, no heavy lifting, excercise, or exerting your upper body at all, that goes for at home too, no hoovering or ironing or anything that will put stress on your upper body whilst you're healing.

You're going to need help full time at least for the first week with your 2 yr old, if you can get help for week 2 aswell, that's going to help you all the more, if not, having a 2 yr old will be manageable if you prepare for being alone with your little one, for example ensuring you have all you need at hand because you'll be unable to lift your arms, preparing meals in advance and freezing them so you don't have to do any cooking because you're going to feel quite tired for a while. You'll also be unable to lift your little one for 6 weeks. A lot of women find this part the most difficult of their recovery, but you can compensate for that by bending down for cuddles or sitting on the sofa together, things like that..

If you haven't finished your family yet, it may be worth giving some thought into whether this is the right time to have the surgery? Pregnancy can have an impact on the aesthetic look of your new boobs, so it would be best to discuss this indepth with your surgeon about whether or not it might be worth waiting till you've had your family to gain the best look for you and to give you the best chance of maintaining that look for as long as possible.

Breast feeding after a reduction: There are risks attached to this procedure and this is one of them, although it is a small one if you choose a skilled surgeon, the nipple and areola are never detached at any time during the procedure, so with skill breast feeding should be OK... but you have to understand that you take that risk of losing that ability if you do go ahead with the surgery.

Nipple sensation. I heard that a lot of people have no feeling in their
nipples after the op... Not to be crude but I'm not sure how my hubby
would feel about that!

This is another risk you take when having this surgery Elizabeth. Very few do lose sensation, infact in all the time I've been on this forum (3 years) I know of only 3 women to have lost nipple sensation. (that's BA's and Uplifts though, although a full lift is very similar to your procedure)

I'd suggest you talk further about this with your hubby though because it is a risk that could affect you both, maybe take your hubby to your consultation with you too so he can discuss it with the surgeon too so you both know exactly what all of the risks are before making any decisions.

If you smoke Elizabeth, it would also be to your benefit to stop before your surgery. Its actually proven that you heal faster, have a better recovery and lessen the risk of infection.

Worried generally they wont look right, ideally I want them to be able
to stay up on their own, which is something Ive never ever had!
Obviously dont want to end up with dif sizes or weird nipples, or arm
fat which I've also heard about..

This is why research is so important lovely. I know it might sound like a lot of hard work your end to find the right surgeon for yourself, but it's really worth the effort to get the better results and to have confidence in your surgeon... Having a couple or more consultations is a good idea too so you then have a couple of surgery plans to compare with and surgeons to see who you felt the most comfortable with and who's surgery plan made you feel the most confident... also check out after care too Elizabeth. This is also very important. Like we've discussed there are risks attached to cosmetic surgery so having the comfort of having after care should you be unlucky is something we all should have lovely.

I hope you enjoy the forum and if you'd like to we have a 'Say Hello' section of the forum were you can tell us all a little about yourself and all the girls here get to give you a nice warm Breast Buddies welcome!

Enjoy the forum Elizabeth! xx

Hi and welcome xx

Loads of great stuff there from Cookie xx :thumbs: I just wanted to say hi and welcome you xx

Oh wow! Thank you so much for all that info! It seems the most important thing is to find the right surgeon. I will def check out that link. Can I ask you then, what am I looking for?! Obviously I want someone I feel comfortable with, but which letters after the name are the ones to look out for, and what kind of credentials should I expect in a top-notch surgeon? is there a particular surgery that is known for being 'the best' even if it is more expensive for example?

I sent an initial query to Rajan Uppal at the Harley St clinic... have you heard of him?

Thanks so much again for taking the time to go through my questions, I am so excited, but also want to make sure I make all the right choices not just for me but for the family!

Your surgeon is most important Elizabeth, Yes

If you're wanting 'the best' then you'll be looking for a surgeon who is a member of BAAPS or BAPRAS. I'm sure there are links on both of those websites to help you find a member if that's what you want.

In saying that, just because a surgeon has these letters attached to their name it doesn't instantly mean they're the right surgeon for you, so after checking to see if a surgeon is a member of either of those associations, it's then best to spend some time online looking for comments from previous patients... hopefully the comments will be positive ones, but they're not always which is why researching yourself before seeing a surgeon is so important.

I just looked up Rajan Uppal, using the GMC register.

It seems he is a surgeon on a specialist register for plastic surgery which is good...but, personally speaking, when having a procedure such as an Uplift or reduction which does require a bit more skill than a general BA, I'd personally rather have a surgeon who specialised in reconstruction too.

You can check on the BAAPs/BAPRAS sites if you wish to see if Mr Uppal is a member of either of those associations too if you wish. xxxxx

Youve been amazing- thank you!

Just wanted to say hello and welcome, good luck with your journey xx

No problem Elizabeth. We're here if you need us xx

Make sure you do LOADDDDDSSSSSSS of research and only part with your money when you are 110% happy xx :thumbs: