Breast-Reduction Surgery: A Firsthand Perspective on a Personal Choice

I Hesitated for Years Before Finally Taking the Plunge, & Now I'm Glad I Did

If you're considering breast reduction surgery, you may be filled with questions and doubts about whether the procedure is right for you. I admit, I was skeptical about having the procedure, although I often considered it during my 20s and 30s.

Since breast reduction surgery, or reduction mammaplasty, is considered elective surgery in most cases, the choice didn't come easily for me. After giving birth to my two children, I often wondered if breast reduction surgery was right for my top-heavy figure, a generous 34 DDD. On my 5' 3", 138 pound frame, my chest dominated my petite body frame. I routinely wore clothes several sizes larger on top than on the bottom ~ size 6 or 8 pants versus size 10-12 shirts. The biggest impact of my top-heavy frame was the way I routinely bound my chest with tight exercise bras. I wore very constrictive bras, not only to keep my chest from bouncing during the day, but also to minimize my profile. The bras made me look slimmer, but also gave me an unnatural profile, as if I had a symmetrical tube wrapped around my chest.

Over the years, I would hear positive stories of other womens' experiences with breast reductions. It seemed like everyone I knew advised me to "Go for it!" and not look back. And, I was assured by friends that the surgery would "change my life" and other glowing predictions. Now, I'm fairly ambivalent about cosmetic surgery and I'm not particularly vain. The idea that breast reduction surgery could change my life was hard for me to swallow. I still don't believe surgery will change your life, but it might make life more enjoyable. Many times, however, while I wrestled on one of my anchoring bras, I briefly considered the procedure, but then I berated myself for being vain or ungrateful for my "endowment".