FAQ's

The FAQ section has been taken from Questions and Answers in our Forum. Therefore, these relate to our members' personal experiences and we hope to keep adding to this section as more questions are asked and experiences shared. Please email FAQ@busty.co.nz if you'd like to add a question/answer to this section

What will my nipple sensation be like after a breast reduction?

And this from Annie on our forum "I had no sensation pre op but now have full sensation both sides. I found for about 6 months they appeared to have a mind of their own and would be either one at a time or both at the most inappropiate times. Discovered wearing a slightly padded bra disguised the fact that I had absolutely no control"

Other members, like Carol, Kazza, FD and Eug have all found they have increased sensation after the BR, though Dinana reported that she did not.

What other sensations do I have to look forward to?

Itchiness!!! This is all simply part of the body healing itself :o) Kazza says "I am finding it is starting to itch at the under arm end of the scar" and Jbrown50 said "My only complaint today is extreme itchiness, particularly around the nipple, and yes, particularly around the LEFT nipple!! " For some bizarre reason, quite a few of us discovered that our left nipples ended up being more sensitive than our right nipples after the operation! We are still to get a scientific explanation for this one!

This from Trace: "The itches for me were around the nipples and it didn't last for long, just short bursts. I am trying to recall, perhaps the second week it started."

None of us have tried and tested this, but a certain BR website recommends taking Benadryl 25mg one tablet every 4-6 hours as needed. I am not certain whether this is available in NZ, but if anyone can let us know, that'll be great!

Can I breastfeed after a Breast Reduction?

With the modern techniques used these days, there is a great chance that you can. In fact, most surgeons will tell you the statistics are a 50% chance. A lot of women with large breasts could not really breastfeed anyway, as once the breasts filled up with milk, they were so large and uncomfortable that baby had a hard time latching on.

This from Jo T: "I couldnt feed Olivia because I needed both hands to hold one breast off her poor wee face. The lovely lactation consultant at ChCh Womens was so patient, but I failed miserably. They were just so incredibly huge and engorged even if I lay her on the bed and hung them over her, which I did try often, she still couldnt get her precious wee mouth around my enormous nipples. It was so painful even trying to sit forward to feed her - I expressed every feed for her for a total of six weeks, and then onto the formula she went. "

And this from Vicki: "I fed my second son for 8 months in 2000, but needed to supplement feed because I didn't have enough milk even though I'm a size 18J. I also had shooting pains and a consistent dull ache in both my hands starting from the thumb and travelling down the side of my hands to my wrists. It took me a while to realise that the pain came from me holding the baby with one hand, and supporting my breast with the other hand to keep it from falling out of baby's mouth. It was probably some sort of repetitive strain injury! The pain stopped immediately I stopped breastfeeding"

And Carol says: "I breastfed with my large watermelons my 2 daughters but it was awkward and embarressing for me, I had to hold the baby to my breast and also hold my boob up, while recovering from a C section."

There are other similar stories from amber and kazza who also found it difficult and embaressing, breast feeding with large breasts. So it would seem that having a breast reduction may actually make it easier to breastfeed in some cases!

Christine, however, have a breast reduction, and breastfed afterwards: "I had a reduction when I was16 (had the op in time to be out for Xmas and the stitches out before my 17th birthday and New Year). At 31 I had a son who was born by general anesthetic C section, I'm also a smoker. As for feeding him, I had the quantity there but not the quality. I don't know if it was the anesthetic, the smoking, the reduction or a combination of all or any. On reflection, even allowing for not being able to feed properly, I still think the op was one of the best things I ever did."

Will my Insurance Company pay for a BR?

Southern Cross is the only Health Insurance company in New Zealand who openly fund BR's. They will contribute 50% or $3 500 (whichever is less) towards a BR. There are other Health Insurers who have similar policies, so DO ASK!

Can I go on the public waiting list?

Apparently the waiting lists in the South Island are much shorter, says adkel: "The waiting lists in Dunedin are pretty good. I went to the doctors a couple of days after seeing Top Heavy. Two weeks later I had my appointment card for the 7th Feb 03. So that was 3mths for your first meeting and then they reckon about 6mths after that for the op. The lady at the hospital told me there was only 3 referrals for BR's. "

What procedures are used for a BR?

Otherwise, it might be that you fall in the grey area. That is, your breasts are large enough to be troublesome, but not that large that you would seriously consider a breast reduction. Your surgeon might recommend that liposuction is used in a case such as this, leaving you with minimal scarring.

Some surgeons prefer to use a combination of the above 2 procedures, depending on the excess amount of breast tissue.

Another interesting procedure was done on a friend of Carol's. She ONLY had a vertical incision from the areola to the bottom of the breast.

Which surgeon should I contact for a BR?

It would seem that EVERYONE thinks their surgeon is the best! The following surgeons have been used by our members: (PS - If your doctor is not on the list, PLEASE let us know!) Also, this is obviously not a complete list of surgeons in NZ, but this is for other members who would like to get in contact with those who have had surgery from the surgeon they are interested in.

Dr Guy Hingston - callie, Trace S
Dr Roger Gilbert - eug
Dr Allessandra Canal - kazza
Dr Belinda Scott - jbrown50
Dr Julian Lofts - jbrown50
Dr Peter Walker - Dinana
Dr Martin Rees - Lou

How have women's partners reacted after they had a BR?

The fact of the matter is, if you're considering a BR, you should do it for yourself and not worry about anyone else. Realistically though, it sure helps having the support and encouragement of our partners! Most guys are happy as long as they have at least something to play with, whereas others are definitely big boob men, and others still are small boob men. No one on our website has had a negative response from a partner yet, and let's hope it stays that way. Sure the guys miss their playmates a bit afterwards, but the new, confident, happy you will more than make up for it!

Carol says: "He stood by me through it all , all the publicity I have done on TV and womans mags etc. yes I have visible scars for now... but he is still here with me because he loves me... for who I am not for the massive boobs I once had"

This from kazza: "One thing my partner has noticed is my increased self-confidence. I hold myself so much better now, standing with my shoulders back instead of hunching forward . He is now training me to walk with my arms straight down by my side instead of out to the side like a sumo wrestler."

And Leonie says: "My husband is very supportive and told me last night that we would find a way of paying for the operation."'

Wenzy: "Well, all I can say is, that if he is that shallow, that he wont love you after having a few scares, then is he worth it? And if he doesn't like scars then I would suggest you don't have children either, as there is always the risk of a c section, and the list goes on. Even though men are visual most of them seem to go with the flow no matter what happens to body shape, size or scars. Have never heard of a grown man use put downs or say nasty comments about scars in all my life. So I have assumed they take it in there stride. "

Lou: "My husband thinks I look great and he is going to shout me heaps of sexy bra's when I am ready."

How much does it cost to have a breast reduction done?

Pretty much anywhere between $7 000 and $14 000, depending on where in the country you are. In seems that on average, Auckland surgeons charge more than surgeons in other parts of the country.

Eug's operation in Tauranga (Dr Gilbert) was $7K, whereas Dinana's was double that, though this included 2 operations: "I had my surgery done in Christchurch by Mr. Peter Walker, at Southern Cross Hospital two years ago. I had to have two operations due to the weight, one to reposition the nipples and the other the actual reduction. These were done 21 days apart. The two procedures made the cost a little more than were described in the documentary ( $14,000 ), but this included my air fares to and from Christchurch. Pre-op & post-op consultations took place in Queenstown (much closer, and I was able to drive). Obviously this operation is less expensive for those living in main centres. Aetna paid $3000.00 in total towards this cost, after much consideration.

What age do women have BR's at?

Carol: 44 ("G Hingston said in the doco he has done BR's on women as young as 18 and up to 81. He did say the common age was around 40 ish. Theodora was in the doco aged 65, shes the 2nd women I know thats had it done at that age. "
Eug: 23
Kazza: 33
Lou: 45
K: 23
Wenzy: 39
Dinana: 54
C honnor: 39
BustyNoLonger: 26
Yol: 26
Fd: 45 ("My surgeon, when telling me of his experience etc in doing this procedure, said the oldest lady was in her eighties. She had had breast cancer in one breast and had a radical masectomy. The breast he reduced, he said hung down below her waist and this was the only nipple he has ever lost. He said he has done about 700 procedures in his career. Bowen Hospital in Wellington seems to do a lot of these. He does about 50 a year.)

How long should I take leave from work?

It depends what type of work you do. If you have a desk job, you can expect to return to work anything form 1-2 weeks and a bit more if you have a more physical job. The anaesthetic takes quite a while to work off, so you may feel fine the one day, then drowsy the next, so best to take it easy on yourself, get plenty of sleep and take your time before heading back off to work.

When can I start being active again?

Eug: "Well well well!!! Who would've thought I'd be snowboarding on Whakapapa on 2 and 3 January 2003! I had the time of my life and I'm only 5 weeks post op! Yeeeeehaaaaaaaaa! It was amazing not having to carry that extra weight around on my chest and the snow rocked!!!"

K discovered the same:
"I couldn't not share my latest of excitement..... if anyone out there is considering getting a BR and has trouble playing sports, I played my first game of (full-contact) Indoor netball last night -- just over 5 weeks post-op!!!! Finally time to take the girls for a little test-drive, and yep, i sure was a little nervous about how they would go...but road-worthy? You bet! it did take a little while to get used to not having the "after-bounce" after shocks that go along with the extra boobs after running....but it's cool, and sooo lite!"

And Kazza agrees (just over 5 weeks post-op):
"I went back to the gym this week and it did feel good. Although I did try jogging on the treadmill and was not completely comfortable with that so has a brisk walk instead. As far as the weight training, I did all my normal upper body and arm exercises and that felt fine."

How long do I leave the steri-strips on for?

The longer you leave the steri-stips on for, the better chance you have of the scars healing nice and flat. Some surgeons vary on opinion regarding steri-strips and will tell you not to get them wet at all for the first week or so. Other surgeons will tell you it's fine to shower and get them wet after day 3 when the bandages usually come off. Either way, the average length for keeping the steri-strips on for is about 3 weeks. They fall off themselves once the scars are healed. They are waterproof.

When can I wear an underwire bra?

The only thing that stays the same, no matter what surgeon you use, is that they ALL give different advice! Some recommend 6 weeks, others 3 months. I think the main concern is that you give yourself sufficient time to heal and wear non-wires or crop tops for as long as possible to prevent prevent pressure on the scars.

How long do the bandages stay on for?

You will most probably leave the clinic/hospital with your chest nicely bandaged up. This stays on for about 3 days and you can remove this yourself, though some doctors might prefer taking it off themselves.

What if I get an infection?

Infections seem to be rather common. Dr Gilbert is one of the few surgeons (if not only) that do not use drains after surgery, as he believes this can be a cause for infection. Once again, ALL surgeons are different, so it's not a bad thing if your surgeon prefers to use drains for the excess blood. Other than that, infections can be caused by a range of different things, eg. the "hospital bug," as in Carol's case: "I got an infection, the bug I got was the hospital bug, the medication (ciprofloxacin) is expensive - is used to treat Anthrax.

Also, once you're over the first couple of weeks after a BR, it does not mean there's no more chance for an infection…as Leonie discovered: "I went to the doctors today as last night I noticed my right breast was alittle red. Along the suture line along the bottom there is a small patch about the size of a five cent piece that is alittle tender. He put me on antibiotics so hopefully that will clear everything up. It doesn't hurt at all but I'm glad I went to my doctor to get it checked out. I'm 9 weeks post op today and this is the first problem I've had since I had my BR, I have been very lucky."

And Kazza had her infection at 3 weeks:
"As you know I went to the doc on Monday and was put on antibiotics due to an infection. I got the results of the swabs back yesterday and found out I have 2 bugs floating around. "

Lessbreast:
"I managed to acquire an infection that took 5 weeks to shake and my right boob is ever so lumpy, but do I care it's SMALL "

What was the general anaesthetic like?

Fd:
"I must admit I DID NOT enjoy the anaesthetic at all and the first 3 days were horrid but it is getting better now. "

Olwyn:
"You are really dopy coming out of an anaesthethic, and while it may hurt you will most likely be too dopy to make a fool of yourself."

Amazon:
"The stupidest thing I did on coming to, was to keep asking my partner "what's the time?", as I fought my way out of the dopiness. It must have been my way of trying to re-orient. Apparently I was asking every minute or so."

Carol:
"You are groggy when you wake up and fall back asleep, you will be just fine"

Lorraine:
"For sure, everyone has their own response to pain. So groggy and sleepy immediately post-op that nothing matters. Pain later for me was of the constant high tingly variety rather than deep seated overwhelming"

Leonie:
"The anesthetic was fine. I don't remember going to sleep at all. They didn't tell me I was going out, they just put the mask on and said I was getting some oxygen and I just felt slightly woosy. I woke up after and just remember the nurses talking. I was trying to focus my eyes but I couldn't. I didn't feel sick at all, only very tired. I spent most of the day just dozing off. I had real trouble keeping my eyes open."

What bra should I wear after the operation?

Kazza:
"My surgeon (Alassandra Canal) was more than happy for me to take the wires out of my old bras and wear them until the swelling goes down. I'm still wear them a week after sugery and they are fine. I have a soft cup bra ($12.99 @ The Warehouse) which I will wear when all the leaking stops."

Jbrown50:
"Need to buy the bras to wear afterwards - have just been told to get a soft cup seamless sports bra"

Trace:
"I got a crop top from the Warehouse for $12 and still wear them. They are great support, I would not have been keen to wear a bra as many do after the op. "

C Honnor:
"I have worn the surgical bra which is a cotton soft bra with a wide elastic band supporting my boobs. I've bought a soft cup sports bra from Warehouse but am going to go for a proper fitting at a good lingerie shop we have here when I'm more healed"

How much weight will be removed during the operation?

This will obviously depend on what size you choose to go for, and what size you were to start off with. Here's what our members had to say:

Carol: "I had 3.2 kilos removed off mine..... that's a 7lb baby or 7lbs of butter....whew !! I've been preggy in my chest for 24 years so it seems LOL"
Fd: "I think he said he took out 1.6 kgs"
Eug: "removed 1.2kg in total"
K: "I (only) had 500g off one and 480g off the other boob, but it is incredible!!!"
Kazza: "Apparently they took 800g off EACH side. Amazing.'
Leonie: "He took 1.9kg off each breast, almost 4kg all up, wow!"
Jbrown50: "Op went well, had 1.125kg removed from right breast, and 700gms from left - TALK ABOUT LOPSIDED, HUH?!"
Lou:" Also I could not believe it when she read the surgeons report to me, in total I had 4.5kg of fat and skin removed."

What products can I use on the scars?

Annie:
Vit E is supposed to aid healing but when I asked about it I was told there is no medical evidence to support that in BR's. I used nothing intially then once I had no open areas just used a moisturiser for very dry skin. I was taped with mefix tape and was meant to continue using it for 6 weeks but developed an allergy to the tape. The idea was that the tape kept the scars flat while healing.

Carol:
"I am using Rose Hip Oil - expensive but nice. I also have Arnica tablets from homeopath shop."

Amazon:
"I used aloe vera, straight off the plant, split the leaves and gently rub gel onto scar. I also used aloe vera for radiotherapy burns."

Lessbreast:
"Hi there, I had my op in May, I took VitE orally for 2 months before got wonderful skin."

Ruth:
"I asked my surgeon's nurse about Arnica, and she said it wasn't recommended bec of the other drugs used. I use Bepanthen from the chemist - antiseptic cream with almond oil and vitamin B5. Works well for all skin damage. "

Trace:
"I bought some Rosehip Oil from Healthy Living, 10ml for $15.95 and an Aloe Vera Plant for $7.99. I am also told to keep on taking Vitamin C. Apparently, a drop of Lavender rubbed around the scars has a great effect too."

Will my nipple stay the same size pre and post-op?

Your surgeon will often resize your areola in a shape that will be proportionate to your new, smaller breast. Carol's surgeon used a milk bottle top to draw the size of her new, smaller areola. Eug's surgeon was much more professional though, he used a washer to make hers smaller!!! :o)

Dinana:
"mine were just replaced at the original size. I have no idea what "normal size" is, but I feel mine can't have been too big, as re-sizing wasn't discussed pre-op

How long will I stay in hospital?

This is totally dependant on your surgeon, as well as how smooth the operation went. Some of our members (like Eug) left the surgery 3 hours after the operation, while others (like Kazza, Annie and Carol) stayed in hospital for 2 days.

Carol:
"Mine was done in a private Hospital in Masterton I was the only patient, I got the star treatment I stayed 2 nights but then I was a bit unwell and had a blood transfusion.... not the norm ... dont worry no on else has had to have one. "

Kazza:
"My op was at midday and was done publicly. I stayed in hospital for 2 nights although they said I could have gone home after 1 if I'd wanted to. I figured I might as well stay and keep my feet up for another night although looking back,I would have got a better nights sleep if I'd gone home. I had a room to myself but the hospital wards are very noisey at night so I didn't sleep very well."

Annie:
"I was meant to stay only one night thru public system but reacted to the anesthetic and stayed two nites. If I hadn't been throwing up I'd have been fine with one night."

Leonie:
"My BR was done privately at Southern Cross Hospital in Wellington. I stayed there for just the one night."

What questions should I ask my surgeon during the initial consultation?

Carol Hayes compiled all these questions on the forum, and we have included them in the FAQ for easy reference. Let us know if you can think of any other important questions to ask your surgeon :o)

What size will I be afterwards ?
How long will I be off work ?
What technique do you use on me?
How long will my op take ?
What will you give me for pain relief?
Can I get infections ?
Will you use a catheter?
How long will I be in hospital?
Do I see you afterwards for check ups ?
When can i wear a bra again ?
When I can i shower again ? Can I get my dressings wet ?
Can I remove my dressings ?
Ask about nipple resizing ?
Can you estimate how much breast tissue you will remove ?
How long will I have to wait for my surgery date ?
Will it be painful ?
Cam I breastfeed after a BR ?
What are the risks ?
What will the scarring be like?
What products should I use to minimise scarring?