A woman whose chest size caused her ‘agony’ for almost two decades says her breast reduction has improved the quality of her life.
Victoria Marsh, 33, has had size 34H breasts since she was a teenager, but says that her chest caused her endless shoulder and back pain and she found it hard to pick up her children.
“I had to buy my wedding dress two sizes bigger to fit my boobs in,” Marsh explains. “I felt so self-conscious. I didn’t want to be really booby. It’s really hard to pick the children up. I just wanted to feel nice.
“I constantly had strained muscles in my neck and infections in the skin under my boobs. I was constantly putting talc under there.”
The mum-of-two from Nuneaton, East Midlands decided to pay for the surgery herself, using some money from the profits of the sale of her house and a £3,000 loan to pay for the £10,000 procedure.
“It’s been three weeks now and I feel great,” Marsh, who had her breasts reduced by five sizes to a 34C, says. “The procedure was so worth it and my quality of life has improved a thousand times over.”
Marsh says she knew she had to get the surgery done when she began to feel her breasts ‘push down’ on her ribs and had to get physio work on her shoulders which had grooves in them due to her bra straps.
Following the surgery, Marsh says her back no longer hurts and she wants to use it as an opportunity to have a ‘more active’ lifestyle.
“I love running but it’s been impossible. It’s too painful,” she says. “I can do a lot more with the children. I can wear the things I want to wear and not feel self-conscious.”
Experts say it can take between two to six weeks to fully recover from a breast reduction surgery.
What causes large breasts?
Breasts can grow to any shape and size and usually begin growing during puberty for women. Hormonal changes, genetics, pregnancy and breastfeeding can all contribute to the shape and size of someone’s breasts.
However, some people with a much larger than average chest size may have a rare condition called gigantomastia which causes breasts to become excessively large and can be treated with a breast reduction surgery.
Gigantomastia is defined by breasts that have an excess of at least 2.26kg of breast tissue or equal to more than 3% of your body weight. A similar condition called macromastia is defined by excess breast tissue that weighs up to 2.26kg.
While the right size breasts is different for everyone, if your chest size is causing you pain or discomfort, or limiting you from everyday activities, it could be worth considering a reduction.
