In such an image driven society big breasts may be admired. For those that possess them however, it can be comfortably agreed that bigger is not always better. With the physical and emotional issues that come with women having large breasts – from difficulty sleeping, chronic pain and low self-esteem, breast reduction is the answer for many women suffering.
In the US, there is one reduction performed for every two augmentations. The surgery involves the removal of glandular tissue, fat and skin to reduce the size of the breasts. The actual reduction size is determined by the amount of breast tissue that can be safely removed, whilst still preserving blood flow to the nipple and areola area. The general aim is for the breast size to be in proportion with the rest of the women’s body.
Women with large breasts typically experience neck and back pain from the weight of the breasts. They can have poor posture, suffer from indentations from the bra straps or develop rashes and painful chafing under the breasts. We look into why bigger isn’t always better and the top reasons why women love their smaller breasts.
Pain Relief
Having extra weight strapped to the front of your chest is enough to cause anyone a great deal of pain. Larger breasts are renowned for cutting off the circulation in women’s arms, resulting in chronic neck pain, should pain, migraines and back pain.
The circulation issues from having oversized breasts can also cause numbness in the fingers and hands. As women get older or gain more weight, their shoulders naturally roll forward, which in terms puts compression in the thoracic outlet (around the shoulder blades and ribs). This rolling forward compresses nerve fibres enough to cause a significant amount of pain. Thus, the larger your breasts are, the more compression occurs and over time this leads to a lot of discomfort. Breast reduction surgery takes most of, if not all, this weight and compression off.
Diverts Unwanted Attention
Whilst it’s nice for anyone to feel attractive, carrying excessively huge breasts can make women feel uncomfortable due to the unwanted attention. Having breasts so large that it’s all anyone can focus on can have the opposite effect on your self-confidence and make many women want to find ways to draw attention away from them.
Whilst wearing the right tops and getting properly fitted for the correct bra size can help contribute to diverting attention, many women find the opposite sex has the wrong perception of them and can leave you feeling like you’re not being taken seriously or become an easy flirt target.
Reduces Respiratory Problems
Respiratory problems are extremely common in women with larger breasts. This is due to extra weight of the breasts pushing onto the chest, weight gain or skeletal deformities. Most women that experience breathing problems with larger breasts don’t actually realise the two are related, especially if Asthma or other breathing issues are common in the family.
Sleeping can be uncomfortable from the weight of the larger breasts and make breathing even more difficult when lying down. As this contributes to the pain caused by larger breasts, it gives women a valid reason to opt for breast reduction surgery.
Self Esteem
Women with larger breasts commonly report having low self-esteem and a poor body image. The heaviness of them can cause the skin to stretch, resulting in sagging and the enlargement of the areola area (coloured area around the nipple). This can leave women feeling very self-conscious about the size and appearance of their breasts.
Breast reduction surgery has been proven to boost the self-esteem of many women with the majority very satisfied with the end results. Whilst having scars on our bodies can contribute to the feeling of self-consciousness, all efforts are made to minimise them. Despite this however, research confirms that breast reduction surgery is still effective in boosting the self-esteem of many women.
Broader Wardrobe Options
Limited clothing choices due to the breast size can exacerbate women’s low self-esteem and poor body image. In most case before breast reduction surgery, the women’s body is out of proportion and so finding the right clothing styles can be extremely difficult and frustrating.
After undergoing the procedure, women agree that their wardrobe options are broadened. It allows women the freedom to choose from a variety of clothing styles rather than just the one and swimwear and bras also become easier to choose, with a wider selection available to wear. This also contributes to boosting self-esteem and body image.
Eliminates Sagging and Poor Posture
Naturally larger breasts will fight a losing battle with gravity, which is always going to result in sagging. Most women agree that this sagging makes them feel and look much older than they are, contributing in the self-esteem issues and poor body image.
Breast reduction surgery carefully shapes the breast to create a more youthful and lifted appearance, resulting in smaller and perkier breasts that fit better with your body type.
Better Participation in Sport and Daily Activities
The extra weight of oversized breasts makes sport and daily activities a struggle. Not only does it set the pain off, but it makes for a very awkward event for most women. Whilst the recovery time after breast reduction surgery normally only allows for light exercise initially, long term women will have more freedom to join in the sport they have been missing out on and find day-to-day activities much easier.
Find a surgeon specialising in breast reduction here.
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