Large-breasted women face many hurdles, dealing with physical pain and frustration caused by their oversized busts. Breast reduction provides a more proportionate breast size that balances your figure, but how do you know if you’re ready for such a big decision? Charles S. Lee, MD at Enhance® Medical Center in Beverly Hills, offers breast reduction and can help you decide if it’s time to decrease your breast size and improve your quality of life. Here he discusses three signs that you may be ready for this procedure.
1. Your Breast Size Impacts Your Everyday Life
Women with overly large breasts, or macromastia, must adjust many aspects of their daily life to accommodate their imbalanced body shape. You may avoid exercises because the weight of your breasts causes pain or discomfort. Some women have to alter their clothing or wear tops or dresses one or more sizes too big to avoid stretching out the chest area. If your breast size impacts your quality of life and limits your daily activities, you could benefit from breast reduction.
2. Your Breasts Affect Your Physical and/or Psychological Well-Being
When your breasts overpower your figure, you may experience chronic back, neck, and shoulder pain. The extra chest weight can impact your posture, making it hard to stand up straight. Large breasts can cause skin chafing and infections from the tissues rubbing together. Macromastia may also cause psychological problems, with some women being embarrassed or ashamed of their figure and suffering from depression or anxiety. Breast reduction can address these symptoms and improve your mental health.
3. You Wonder What Life Would Be Like with Smaller Breasts
Breast reduction has a high patient satisfaction rate, and many women wish they would have had the procedure sooner. You can buy shirts, dresses, and swimsuits in the size that fits your body and your breasts and no longer worry about painful symptoms or embarrassment from overly large breasts. This literal weight off your chest opens up opportunities for activities, such as running or playing sports, and allows you to stand taller.
When Should You Have Breast Reduction Surgery?
The right timing for breast reduction surgery is different for every woman with large breasts. Some may wish to wait until they’ve reached their ideal weight because weight loss often affects breast size. Other women may choose to have children first because they want to breastfeed, and breast reduction can make breastfeeding more challenging. (Some surgical techniques can increase the chances of breastfeeding success after breast reduction.)
There is no age limit for breast reduction as long as the breasts are done developing. Teenagers may choose breast reduction to avoid additional years of pain and self-esteem issues, while others don’t struggle until they’re older and their breast size has changed due to childbearing. However, women must be nonsmokers in good overall health to qualify for breast reduction. If you desire smaller breasts, contact our board-certified plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, California, to discuss your breast reduction options. Contact Charles S. Lee, MD, at Enhance® Plastic Surgery® at (310) 271-5954.
