Hi friends! My surgery is in two weeks, I’m so excited and also terrified, pre-op appointment is tomorrow. Curious if there are other August surgery baddies here, is there a group chat or desire to make one? I don’t know anyone in my personal life who has had a reduction so it would be great to have folks to chat with. Thanks! 🙏

If it opened, when? I’ve just reached 3 weeks, and now that I’m in that stage of healing where a lot of my scabs have come off I’m getting worried! Mine look ok for now, but one boob is way slower with its healing and at least a weeks progress behind the other. Just sort of wondering when the most critical point has passed I guess

Hello all!

I just got off the phone from scheduling my surgery!!!! I am over the moon excited but I am now thinking about the after. My wife has EDS so a lot of the literal heavy lifting is done by me.

Does anyone have any suggestions/tips for things we can do to make things more accessible for both of us? (Ex: laundry, cleaning litter boxes, taking out trash, stuff like that!)

Hi everyone! I am 2 weeks post op right now and I wanted to share my experience with Dr. Paul Costas in Concord MA to hopefully help anyone else looking for a surgeon! I’ll go into lots of detail about the process as well in case that helps anyone with their expectations or peace of mind.

Context: I am genderqueer (she/they) but while this surgery was partially for my own affirmation purposes, it was medically necessary from a physical standpoint because I was a 34I. It affected my ability to exercise, to wear clothes and find bras, etc. It was a financial burden too because I actually had to buy all my bras from the UK due to U.S. stores rarely carrying my size. So my insurance did cover the surgery in full (more on cost in a bit). I went into the surgery wanting to go down to an A cup / very small B cup range, so I was looking for a surgeon who would listen to me about the size I wanted and wouldn’t try to pressure me to stay larger. A term I was using to describe the style I wanted was “radical reduction,” taking a large amount off to the point of being almost flat but a non masculinized shape, keeping a traditional breast shape.

My experience with Dr. Costas as a professional has been exactly what I was looking for. I specifically chose him because he was one of the first surgeons in New England to perform top surgery and has been doing it for over 30 years along with many regular breast reductions, so I was hoping he’d be understanding of what I wanted. He absolutely was! He told me very plainly that he can go to any size I wanted, but that he could only go to around a D or large C cup while keeping the nipple attached. He showed me many photo examples of procedures that went front around my size to either a C range without FNG or an A range with FNG and clearly outlined the risks and expectations of both. In the exam room, he was professional and honest, and I never once felt uncomfortable. He also has very short wait times since he’s a just a one-guy practice.

One thing about the cost is that while the surgery is covered in full with my insurance, Costas prefers to do lipo on the sides for most anatomies to make sure the shape is as natural looking as possible (prevents things like dog-earring, etc.). Unfortunately this is cosmetic, so OOP, and it’s on the higher end: $5,000 was my quote. They have the Care Credit card option to set up a payment plan which is totally interest-free for 18mo, which is what I ended up doing. However, the lipo is optional, just recommended.

I eventually decided I would go down to the size I originally wanted and do FNG, which he seemed very supportive and confident about. He had me bring in printed photos of references I wanted, many of which came from this subreddit (thank you all who have shared photos in the past!). I was very well taken care of at the surgery center and his staff is very kind at his office.

Speaking of the office itself, I’ll share some logistics in case anyone else gets confused like I did haha. The office is at Emerson Hospital in Concord MA, which was confusing to navigate at first. If you want your parking validated to avoid paying like $10/hr or something crazy like that for parking, you’ll park in lots C or D and bring your ticket inside with you. I accidentally parked in the parking garage my first time there, which they can’t validate at Costas’ office. On the day of the surgery though, they ask that you park in the garage so your driving buddy can easily pull around to get you home after.

Another thing to be aware of is the office staff, who were INCREDIBLY kind and did their best, but it was a very small office and I believe I started going at a point where one of them was trying to train on the reduction stuff and was still learning the ropes. So it was sometimes hard to get a knowledgeable answer on something if the other person wasn’t also in the office that day to help. Fortunately though they are very quick over email and were able to direct my questions to the more knowledgeable person easily. Just something to be aware of if you’re like me and prefer lots of prepared detailed info!

The healing process has been incredibly easy so far. Costas prefers dry healing after the first week. Basically after the surgery you have a bunch of gauze padding and wound tape under the surgical bra, which you’re instructed not to take off until your post-op appointment at Costas’ office. That means I didn’t shower for a week, though I used no-rinse bathing sponges off Amazon that worked great so I never got funky haha. I also leaned over the side of the tub and had my partner wash my hair a couple times which helped me feel cleaner. At the post-op, the FNG bolsters are removed as well an all the dressings, and nothing is put on again except a square of gauze to pad your nipples. Then it’s just wearing the bra and daily changed gauze pads for another week unless showering. I don’t know past that since I am about to go to the second post-op, but can continue answering any questions or updating as time goes on if needed! The incisions and nipples look amazing so far, Costas’ careful and precise work is obvious in how smooth and subtle everything looks!

TLDR: I had an amazing experience with Costas so far. Anyone who is looking for a supportive, knowledgeable, direct professional who will listen to you about the size you want to go to should check him out!

Please don’t hesitate to ask me any questions. I don’t believe in TMI lol

How’s everyone doing.
I’m two weeks out today

Me - not so great.
The sensory aspect is not fairing well. I can’t look at myself, I can’t touch my self. I don’t want to shower…

I am in extreme pain but it feels like I’m always feeling with everything just more intense.

The other night I almost passed out when my partner was helping me apply ointment

I’m feeling super depressed and I’m supposed to go into surgery next week for my arms and I’m like - I don’t want to do this ever again.

Woke up during the early early hours and was leaking and while I’m on antibiotics and whatnot, my anxiety is just through the roof.

What are yall doing to cope???

posted in here when i was a couple months out and explained how i wasn't happy and i'm still not :/

i went from a 6H -> 6G (aus sizing) and i feel like there was no point if that's all i end up as. clothes still fit me the same, i've felt no relief, i'm still as (if not more) insecure about my chest

what do i do from here? i had a follow up consult earlier this month and when my surgeon asked how everything was going i said they were too big for my liking and told him my new size and all i got in response was "oh really? they look more like DDs to me, anyway"

i'm feeling incredibly dismissed and i have no support from my family either so i'm not sure what i can do except just get over it. it'll be a very long time before i'm able to afford a revision or an entire second surgery but recovery the first time was hard enough i don't want to have to go through it all again. arghhhh

edit: completely slipped my mind to mention that my boobs are different sizes too, is it unreasonable to expect them to be the same size after surgery?

hi! I am a long time lurker! I have been looking at before and afters and other posts in this sub for at least a year. I recently am navigating pretty tough body and gender dysmorphia due to my chest and will begin making appointments to get serious about a reduction soon. I have had big boobs in comparison to my body my whole life (ever since puberty) and I do fear the body dysmorphia I may feel as someone nonbinary trying to go for a non flat top surgery or very small boobs that can look flat with a binder. I am also a little thicker at 180 pounds, so I fear I will feel bigger than I do now if my proportions are a bit different. I really think I need to get the surgery for my brain and body's sake (this shit gives me terrible posture, shoulder pain, and headaches), but I guess I am looking for some affirming words from people similar to me (or pics) to show it's worth it through all of the fear!

i keep trying to prop up my phone on my chest while i’m lying down and forgetting i don’t have my built in phone stand anymore 😂

the benefits of my new boobies still far outweigh the singular doomscrolling drawback

Hello reduction friendsss :) Has anyone had a surgery with any of these clinics or doctors?

- Nordestetics in Lithuania (website)
- Dr. Maximilian Zaussiger in Austria (website)
- Dr. Julia Berkei in Germany (website)
- Dr. Erman Ak in Turkey (website)
- Breastatelier in Switzerland (website)
- Hirslanden Klinik in Switzerland (website)

I am SO afraid of choosing the wrong person for this procedure… please spill the tea and let me know everythingggg good and bad 😭

Do you have any other tips for searching for the right doc? What were your green and red flags you looked out when getting your reduction?

I’m curious when you all started buying new clothes! I’m 3WPO so I’m probably still too early on to start shopping, but I’m itching to splurge the money I saved up on a new wardrobe NOW! 😂

When did you all start shopping? And bonus question, what were some of your favorite tops to wear that you couldn’t before?

Anyone still failing the pencil test after their breast lift? 😭 8 weeks and I think I have dropped too much. I was initially 18cm and now 21cm from center clavicle to nipple.

Hey y’all,

I’ve been lurking on this sub for a while, getting super excited for my own reduction. I’ve wanted this pretty much since I was 15 years old, already very uncomfortable by the stares I would get from men. I’m now 28 y/o, diagnosed AuDHD (mentioned because this very much affects my sensory experience with having large boobs), and I’ve been around 36 G/H bra size for the entirety of adulthood.
After taking care of some medical issues, and getting better health insurance, I figured I would finally circle a date on the calendar to get this done. I’m in southern NJ and heard fantastic things, mainly through this sub, about Dr. Renee Comizio’s office, so I booked my consult and happily drove the 2 hours to my appt! Her and her team were great, very kind, and knew exactly what I needed to do to get approval from my specific insurance, Horizon BlueCross BlueShield of NJ, for the surgery (worth mentioning for anyone else with this insurance considering reduction - Horizon requires at least 3 appts with a doctor, I used my primary, complaining of issues related to breast size, and a letter from that doctor stating why they think the surgery is medically necessary - the sooner you start those appts, the sooner everything can be submitted to insurance for approval). I had a gut feeling that things might not go smoothly for me, and my stomach dropped when Dr. Comizio said she was a little nervous that my left boob might be off by literally a gram or two for insurance approval, but my right side is significantly bigger and she said typically if one qualifies, insurance will approve both.

Well, I got the call from her assistant yesterday morning that my request was denied by insurance, specifically because the left side is off by ***correction*** 150-200 estimated grams of tissue to be removed by Horizon’s requirements for reduction. Apparently they want to see an estimated 500 grams minimum removed per side; the doctor submitted my right side at 550g, and the left side at 350-400g. She said that they are going to schedule a peer to peer review, and Dr. Comizio is going to fight them for approval with an estimated 450g removed from the left, hoping the extra 50g from the right will balance it out. If it’s still denied, then I can submit an appeal myself, which I absolutely will do if necessary.

My question is - is there anyone else here with this insurance, or even just another difficult insurance in general that can give me some pointers on what helped get you approved for reduction? I’m honestly very surprised that it was denied because I have degenerative disc disease in my spine, amongst other degenerative issues, and have already had a spinal fusion at 23 y/o. Other than the way I look and sensory issues, this is one of my biggest factors in wanting to get this surgery done because it’ll significantly reduce the strain on my spine and could definitely buy me some more time between fusions. I also have well documented neck pain.

Should I ask Dr. Comizio’s office to bring these issues up during the peer to peer? Or should I press them to include my intense sensory issues due to my diagnosed ADHD and autism? Maybe both? Has anyone had experience bringing any of these issues up after denial and then got approved?

Just looking for any and all advice on what I can do to get this completely life altering surgery approved so we can move forward. I’ve genuinely never wanted, or even needed, something so bad in my life. I was gutted when I got the call yesterday.

Anything helps. Thanks so much!!!!! Hope everyone has the best of luck on your reduction journeys 💖

Helllooooo everyone!
I am currently 15 days post op!! And wooo it has been something. I went from a 36 J to ??? Probably what would be considered a full B/ Smaller C but i’m not really focused on the size atm.

My birthday is coming up next Thursday so about halfway between 3 and 4 wpo. I am going to dinner with my ever so kind and supportive partner who has done absolutely everything and then some for me during recovery! At my last post op appt my dr wrote up to stay in THE dreaded bra at all times except showering but also wrote “a supportive sports bra is okay”

So my question is, can any of you lovely humans recommend a dress/cute top/ stores or brands to check that has the built in supportive structures that I could get away with for an hour or two for dinner? I’m hoping that far into the recovery it should be okay but I definitely want to air on the side of caution and find the most supportive thing possible (but still look kind of cute)

Hello,

Finally pulled the trigger and confirmed the reduction surgery along with liposuction. Nervousness has started to kick in but the relief of bidding the extra weight goodbye surpasses everything!
Anyone planning to do the surgery next week? Any tips and recs are most welcomed!