Breast reductions are done for a myriad reasons, both health and aesthetic-related. To get the full picture, we talked to both a plastic surgeon and someone who recently had the procedure done. If you’re considering opting for the surgery, be sure to keep these little-known tidbits in mind.
“Insurance companies do pay for breast reduction surgery as long as the patient meets the criteria of the individual insurance company,” she said.
However, Samantha, 23, had a different experience:
“Insurance was supposed to cover about half of the cost of surgery,” she said. “I went to physical therapy for a few months beforehand to prove that the size of my breasts was affecting my life and causing back pain. There were issues with in/out of network coverage deductibles, so they ultimately did not cover anything which we did not find out until after the fact.”
Additionally, aesthetics are only one of the many reasons someone might choose to get a breast reduction.
According to Dr. Choi, many of the patients she sees suffer from “severe pain in the back, shoulders, neck, and rashes under the breasts. "
Many also have difficulty exercising, running, playing sports, sleeping, and buying clothes.
She also revealed that the pain from the liposuction was actually worse than the pain from her breast reduction.
According to Dr. Choi, the procedure is three hours and you can go home the same day. Samantha’s procedure took about four hours.
Samantha had her surgery right before Christmas, and used her high school break (she was 16 at the time of the procedure) to recover. While she wasn’t allowed to wear a backpack or carry heavy books, she described her recovery process as “great,” though she had some minor discomfort.
“It took a month or so before I was fully comfortable raising my arms above my head,” she clarified. “I received hugs on Christmas day and was fine. That being said, my breasts were so swollen and hard I couldn’t feel too much. I had some type of reaction to the stitches used, so I had a rash on my breasts for about two months.”
“I guess giving scars fun names makes the whole process more fun,” Samantha said.
Pro tip? Samantha suggested looking for surgeons who are also artists in their free time.
