Having breast reduction surgery is a two-part journey. One part physical. One part emotional.
Once your surgery is complete, you begin to heal physically. At the same time, you will
likely begin to heal the emotional scars, created over the years as you have suffered with
large breasts.
Our old attitudes and beliefs don’t change overnight, but you
have taken a step that will produce dramatic changes in your life. You
will feel some of the changes immediately. Others may come about
more gradually. Give yourself credit for taking steps that help
ou lead a fuller, more active life. And most importantly, enjoy
the journey.
What to Say to Others
You may or may not be self-conscious about discussing your
breast surgery with others. You may wish to ponder what you’re
comfortable telling people when they comment on a change in your
appearance. A lot of people will notice that you appear different
somehow, but will not be able to put their finger on what exactly has
been altered. If you’ve had a breast reduction or lift, many people will probably tell you that you appear thinner and ask what your weight
loss secret is. You’ll need to decide if you will inform them of your
procedure or refer them to the latest diet plan.
Your decision probably will be based on how well you know
someone and whether they need to know. For example, you will
probably want to inform your employer of your procedure because
you will need to miss some work. But whether you speak to him or her
in general or specific terms about your procedure is your decision.
What to say to friends and family will also be at your discretion.
Really, it depends on your comfort level and what feels right to you.
Meet Your New Body
Your transformation will likely be most apparent first on the
physical level. If you’ve had a breast reduction performed, once you’ve
healed you will feel lighter, move more freely, and find yourself standing
taller. If you suffered from back, neck and shoulder pain due to your
breast size in the past, it should disappear the moment the extra
weight is removed. Many women are surprised at how immediately
their symptoms are relieved.
New Clothes
Women who have undergone breast surgery will soon realize that
clothes now fit them very differently than they used to. These women
should feel much more proportional than they did before, and mixing
and matching clothing sizes to find an outfit that fits should be a
frustration of the past. The shopping you will need to do as a result of
your new breast size and shape will be fun! And you’ll be looking for
more than just new bras. You will find that many of your old clothes just don’t fit quite right—they are loose across your chest or maybe
the cut seems off.
You’ll want to ask yourself what different types of clothing you’d
like to explore now that you’ve acquired a new shape. Which
garments did you avoid, even when they caught your eye across
department store aisles, because you didn’t have the confidence that
you could wear them? A dress with spaghetti straps maybe? A new
swim suit perhaps? No, breast surgery won’t change your entire body,
but if you’re like most women, you will be pleased your new look.
| As I look back, I suffered psychologically more than I realized about my big breasts, especially when I was in school. Boys teased me. I feel like a new person after breast reduction. My breasts fit my body. |
| — Sarah, 35 |
Meet Your New Sense of Self
That self-assured woman within you finally is able to show you
how fun life can be. She’s ready to go on that date now. She’s signing
up for a tap class. She even thinks she may want to give aerobics a try.
Maybe she’ll even go for a jog tomorrow! Sometimes it’s hard to
remember what got in the way of this active lifestyle before. But, really,
it is difficult to completely forget the past and all of the obstacles
you’ve overcome to reach this point.
Healing from a Painful Past
Chances are that you, like many other women who are uncomfortable
with their breasts, avoided activities that others enjoy. Maybe
you even hid under your clothing, wearing more than one bra or
multiple layers of shirts. Perhaps you learned to sit with rounded
shoulders to minimize the size of your breasts.
Because you’ve actually followed through with a breast surgery
procedure, various motivating factors must have contributed to your
decision. Some of these motivators may be rooted in deep, emotional
scars from years of being the subject of your peers’ taunting and teasing. You may have even had a few humiliating experiences with
significant others over the issue of your breasts. Or, maybe for you it
was more subtle—that sinking feeling of dissatisfaction when you
looked at yourself in the mirror.
| I bought a new coat recently. I couldn’t believe I could easily find one that would fit. Prior to breast reduction, clothes that would fit across my chest would be way too big in the waist. |
| — Rebecca, 34 |
Moving toward a Brighter Future
Hopefully, you’ll find that these layers of self-consciousness
surrounding your breasts that took many years to build are slowly
beginning to dissolve now that you’ve completed your procedure. It
takes awhile, though, and it’s normal to still have some of the old pain
of the past rear its head from time to time. Although a major source
of those insecurities has been removed from your life, don’t be
surprised if many of its emotional effects remain for awhile. You’ve
been through a lot over the years, and may have a lot of hurt to work
through still. That’s okay. It’s a process, not an event. You may
consider finding a good therapist to help you process some of your
painful memories and support you through this transition of adjusting
to your new body.
You do not have to hide anymore. In reality, you never truly did.
You are valuable and attractive whatever your breast size or shape
because who you are is much more important than how you look. The
hope is that your breast surgery helps you discover this fact.
Empowerment
Another hope is that you will find the confidence to work toward
and achieve goals for yourself that you had not thought possible
before. Changing your breast size and shape can feel really empowering
because you’ve noticed something you are dissatisfied with, created a
plan to improve it, and now are reaping the rewards of your efforts.
Let your breast procedure be the first step in generalizing this practice
to the rest of your life. What else in your life do you wish were different?
How do you wish that situation looked instead? What steps would
you need to take in order for your wishes to become a reality?
Now, take the first step…and then the second….Once you realize
the personal power you have to create a life worth living, the easier it
will be for you to map out your goals and take steps to make them
happen.
Table of Contents
Previous: Chapter 7 Follow-up Care
Next: Resources
About the Author: Dr. Edwin Williams
Dr. Edwin Williams is a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon who founded The Williams Center in 1993. He has performed over 10,000 facial plastic surgery procedures and has pioneered the deep plane facelift. He served on the Board of Directors for the American Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery for over a decade, and served as President from 2015-2016. In 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, Dr. Williams earned the Castle Connelly Top Doctors award in New York Facial Plastic Surgery.
Dr. Edwin F. Williams III attended Cornell University in Ithaca, New York where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1982. He began medical school at the State University of Buffalo School of Medicine and received his Doctor of Medicine in 1986.
Dr. Williams is actively involved in teaching facial plastic and reconstruction surgery to the residents of the Albany Medical Center and is former Chief of the Section of Facial and Plastic Reconstruction Surgery at Albany Medical Center where he received an academic appointment of Clinical Professor, Department of Surgery.