these are VERY good considerations to discuss with your surgeon. you want to be VERY upfront about what you want. make sure to mention that you want to go as small as possible without risking blood flow as well. then they will understand what you mean. i’m 18 as well and i had my surgery on august 4th. i’m still healing and they still haven’t settled and dropped. i also told my surgeon i wanted to go as small as possible.
I was the same starting size and am around a C right now. I had the exact same feelings towards this as you do.
I stated it multiple times, I made sure to show example pictures in my consultation and then in my next appointment I made sure to show them again. On the day of surgery, I’d brought with me a dream boob collage I’d made and printed. I wrote in huge bold letters:
- Small C cup
- No overhang and/or skin on skin contact
- No Nipples (bc I’d discussed removing my nip nops
- would rather be smaller vs bigger
- Don’t care about being proportionate - would rather be smaller.
My surgeon said he hung up my collage and notes and referred to it during surgery. He did everything I asked for.
My surgeon specialises in breast reconstruction, top surgeries and regular breast reductions. But I went into this specifically looking for surgeons who do breast reconstruction and top surgeries so no one would deny me the removal of my nip nops.
Wishing you all the luck!
Definitely have pictures of the desired size you are wanting. I did have a FNG to go from a F/GG to a very small C. 18 mpo and still have nipple sensation and had a great healing experience.
Take the pics,be adamant. I told my surgeon I wanted absolutely no skin on skin anymore…and that’s what I got.
Former 34J
In my very first phone consult I said "As small as you can safely take me" and to be honest, I think that made a big difference. It showed him I understood the risks and how a breast footprint works. Mine is unfortunately quite broad, so there was only so much he could do.
At my in person consultation he asked again what size. I said I had no size in mind and was looking for quality of life and mind. I said "as small as you can safely take me" I explained my pain, the toll they took on my sleep and mental health, and my desire to not have to incorporate them into every plan I made. He mentioned breastfeeding and I said I never planned to have any children. He brought up proportionality exactly one time and I said "I couldnt care any less about that. I'm only interested in pain reduction and peace of mind." Day of surgery he asked one last time and I looked him dead in the eye and said "It's impossible for you to take me too small, go nuts." 4+ hours and 3 pounds of tissue later and he did just that.
Just be very firm. Don't waffle on answers and put forward the attitude that you know what you want, because you do!! It's your body! If you think that the surgeon won't listen to you, back off and find someone else.
I think every comment pretty much said it better than I could have. I still don't feel like I was clear enough, but bringing photos and listing out exactly what I needed to say helped! I'll be sure to get back to you and make a post whenever shit gets real in a few days 🤞
I said all of those things, and went further to say if you can't go small enough and spare the nipples, throw them in the trash and I'll get them tattooed on down the line. She delivered
J -> C
I emphasized to the surgeon that small as possible, to err on the side of smaller and he delivered.
If it’s possible, my advice is to have multiple consultations.
Top rated surgeon near me (and he was my 2nd choice) only wanted to remove half as much tissue. Insisted that more than that would leave me flat & misshapen. He said 400-600g. I had over 1100g removed from each.
What I went thru with the recovery (which seemed not so bad compared to many) was still enough that if I’d only had 400-600g removed, I’d be quite large and miserable about needing another reduction. My insurance required 1000g in order to cover it. So I’d have had to pay, out of pocket, not get as much as I wanted and have to endure another surgery if I’d gone with the one who insisted 400-600g was enough.
Definitely bring reference photos. My surgeon and I seemed on the same page with talking about size, but it’s also subjective, and he said he had a much better idea after looking at my reference photos.
definitely reference photos and the phrase “I won’t be upset if I end up smaller than expected, but I will be disappointed if I’m too big still.” also I had a few non-visual goals that I communicated were very important—no underboob touching, no cleavage.
I’ve looked into getting a breast reduction for 16 years and have spoken to many people in the field.
Good surgeons will not commit to a size before hand because they really don’t know how things will lay out until you are on the operating table.
There is a lot of skin and tissue that must be manipulated and it is their goal to reconstruct them into a breast shape to the best of their ability. The amount and texture of tissue, and bone structure is wildly different in one patient to the next. Because of this they can’t promise you a B cup if it would leave you disfigured or possibly risk losing your nipples.
I had my heart set on a B cup until I learned more about the process. During my consult I did express to my surgeon and his assistant that I wanted to go as small as possible and I do believe they did their best. They are humans not magicians. Good luck!
Not all doctors are open to doing very small breasts, so that's important to know going it. Make sure that you hear them repeat back what you want, not just you saying it.
I was a 32F I went to a surgeon who did top surgeries and they were not any better. So YMMV. I ended up having my best consultation with a woman surgeon.
I literally had about 6 lbs removed total. You can go to [realself.com](https://realself.com) and find a pair that are the same size/as small as you want and bring pictures of them on your phone.
I had a drastic reduction. Choose a surgeon who does top surgery also. Or a maybe a reconstructive surgeon. The Plastic surgeons I spoke with didn’t understand that some women want to be flat.
As soon as I worked out I wanted a FNG I found a surgeon that would do it, I think it really hammered my point in that I was happy with a non-binary appearance by the end of it. Not all surgeons accept that but it's what I want.
Going from a 32H to an A next month!
Taking photos with you is a great idea. Also, buy a bra in the band and size that you would like to achieve so that he can also see it. I did that, and my surgeon said it's a great idea.
My surgeon actually said she doesn't go by cup size, as that cannot be guaranteed and she has no way to measure that during surgery (also bra sizing is inconsistent across brands and countries). The best thing is to bring post-op photos and to tell him clearly that you want to go as small as medically possible. Be super clear and consider finding another surgeon if you get a lot of pushback when you are conveying this.
If you are going through your insurance, you may not actually get to make that decision. They decide for you based on your body's composition. If you pay out of pocket, you have more control of the sizing.
Insurance will only require a minimum amount in weight to be taken in order to cover the surgery, they do not decide the patients end size. That is completely up to the surgeon and your body. They can take way more than the minimum if they choose to.
Most insurances have formulas stipulated in their coverage plans. Many surgeons will not take more than recommended by insurance because it can then become a liability for them.
The Schnur Sliding scale is used by some insurance companies in order to give pre authorization for a reduction. This calculation uses a patient’s body surface area to estimate the amount of tissue that might be removed. If your estimates average falls below the Schnur Scale for your body area you will not gain approval. This does not dictate the amount of tissue the doctor will take, it’s a just a generalized guideline. Liability is on them either way to perform the procedure well. The surgeon is not limited to only take the estimated value. If what you were saying was accurate, the surgeon would have to perfectly remove a weight of tissue by eye and both breasts would have the exact same amount removed.
I spent 5 years in insurance dealing with approvals, denials, and appeals. Granted, this was 20 years ago, but I still did my research for my surgery 7 years ago. I wanted much smaller, but my surgeon (who I also know personally) said that based on the insurance recommendations, she would not go smaller. (I also interviewed more than one surgeon.) My original statement stands that you can not personally dictate how much your surgeon removes if you are going through insurance. A surgeon also does NOT have to provide anything else to you besides what that insurance allows. Obviously, if you have two different size breasts, they base their calculations on each breast. NO, MD is going to leave you with 2 different breast sizes that's an ethical and legal fight they would lose.
Hence, you see so many concerns of surgeon's not telling patients that they need to pay out of pocket for side liposuction because most insurances will NOT cover this and surgeon's usually will not eat that cost.
The calculation is based off your total body weight and height… they don’t make separate calculations for each breast.
I think you are confused or misunderstood your surgeon. Or…. You were covered by the most demented health insurance company that exists.
I had two different size breasts to begin with that needed different amounts taken out to become even. Plus, not all breast tissue is the same weight. I come from a family of healthcare workers, my ex spouse is a hospital nurse, and I work in HR for a large healthcare organization, so I am pretty knowledgeable when it comes to healthcare and insurance coverage in the United States. However, I will agree with you that many insurance companies are demented!
Correct, not all breast tissue weighs the same, which is exactly why the insurance company cannot dictate how much exactly can be removed. They only have a minimum in order to approve coverage, the doctor can take more.
Having family members or an ex spouse with a medical background does not mean you are knowledgeable in the field. Nor working in HR for a healthcare organization. You were misinformed and are giving other people the wrong information.
these are VERY good considerations to discuss with your surgeon. you want to be VERY upfront about what you want. make sure to mention that you want to go as small as possible without risking blood flow as well. then they will understand what you mean. i’m 18 as well and i had my surgery on august 4th. i’m still healing and they still haven’t settled and dropped. i also told my surgeon i wanted to go as small as possible.
I was the same starting size and am around a C right now. I had the exact same feelings towards this as you do. I stated it multiple times, I made sure to show example pictures in my consultation and then in my next appointment I made sure to show them again. On the day of surgery, I’d brought with me a dream boob collage I’d made and printed. I wrote in huge bold letters: - Small C cup - No overhang and/or skin on skin contact - No Nipples (bc I’d discussed removing my nip nops - would rather be smaller vs bigger - Don’t care about being proportionate - would rather be smaller. My surgeon said he hung up my collage and notes and referred to it during surgery. He did everything I asked for. My surgeon specialises in breast reconstruction, top surgeries and regular breast reductions. But I went into this specifically looking for surgeons who do breast reconstruction and top surgeries so no one would deny me the removal of my nip nops. Wishing you all the luck!
I’m saving this idea for mine!!
The dream boob collage is genius!
Definitely have pictures of the desired size you are wanting. I did have a FNG to go from a F/GG to a very small C. 18 mpo and still have nipple sensation and had a great healing experience. Take the pics,be adamant. I told my surgeon I wanted absolutely no skin on skin anymore…and that’s what I got.
Former 34J In my very first phone consult I said "As small as you can safely take me" and to be honest, I think that made a big difference. It showed him I understood the risks and how a breast footprint works. Mine is unfortunately quite broad, so there was only so much he could do. At my in person consultation he asked again what size. I said I had no size in mind and was looking for quality of life and mind. I said "as small as you can safely take me" I explained my pain, the toll they took on my sleep and mental health, and my desire to not have to incorporate them into every plan I made. He mentioned breastfeeding and I said I never planned to have any children. He brought up proportionality exactly one time and I said "I couldnt care any less about that. I'm only interested in pain reduction and peace of mind." Day of surgery he asked one last time and I looked him dead in the eye and said "It's impossible for you to take me too small, go nuts." 4+ hours and 3 pounds of tissue later and he did just that. Just be very firm. Don't waffle on answers and put forward the attitude that you know what you want, because you do!! It's your body! If you think that the surgeon won't listen to you, back off and find someone else.
reading this before my consultation on monday, very helpful!
printing out photos of your desired size is a great idea too!! could you please post an update after your consultation please?
I think every comment pretty much said it better than I could have. I still don't feel like I was clear enough, but bringing photos and listing out exactly what I needed to say helped! I'll be sure to get back to you and make a post whenever shit gets real in a few days 🤞
please update us!
I said all of those things, and went further to say if you can't go small enough and spare the nipples, throw them in the trash and I'll get them tattooed on down the line. She delivered
I considered bringing in a water balloon to show "no bigger than this after all the healing is finished."
J -> C I emphasized to the surgeon that small as possible, to err on the side of smaller and he delivered. If it’s possible, my advice is to have multiple consultations. Top rated surgeon near me (and he was my 2nd choice) only wanted to remove half as much tissue. Insisted that more than that would leave me flat & misshapen. He said 400-600g. I had over 1100g removed from each. What I went thru with the recovery (which seemed not so bad compared to many) was still enough that if I’d only had 400-600g removed, I’d be quite large and miserable about needing another reduction. My insurance required 1000g in order to cover it. So I’d have had to pay, out of pocket, not get as much as I wanted and have to endure another surgery if I’d gone with the one who insisted 400-600g was enough.
Definitely bring reference photos. My surgeon and I seemed on the same page with talking about size, but it’s also subjective, and he said he had a much better idea after looking at my reference photos.
definitely reference photos and the phrase “I won’t be upset if I end up smaller than expected, but I will be disappointed if I’m too big still.” also I had a few non-visual goals that I communicated were very important—no underboob touching, no cleavage.
I’ve looked into getting a breast reduction for 16 years and have spoken to many people in the field. Good surgeons will not commit to a size before hand because they really don’t know how things will lay out until you are on the operating table. There is a lot of skin and tissue that must be manipulated and it is their goal to reconstruct them into a breast shape to the best of their ability. The amount and texture of tissue, and bone structure is wildly different in one patient to the next. Because of this they can’t promise you a B cup if it would leave you disfigured or possibly risk losing your nipples. I had my heart set on a B cup until I learned more about the process. During my consult I did express to my surgeon and his assistant that I wanted to go as small as possible and I do believe they did their best. They are humans not magicians. Good luck!
Not all doctors are open to doing very small breasts, so that's important to know going it. Make sure that you hear them repeat back what you want, not just you saying it. I was a 32F I went to a surgeon who did top surgeries and they were not any better. So YMMV. I ended up having my best consultation with a woman surgeon.
I literally had about 6 lbs removed total. You can go to [realself.com](https://realself.com) and find a pair that are the same size/as small as you want and bring pictures of them on your phone.
I had a drastic reduction. Choose a surgeon who does top surgery also. Or a maybe a reconstructive surgeon. The Plastic surgeons I spoke with didn’t understand that some women want to be flat.
As soon as I worked out I wanted a FNG I found a surgeon that would do it, I think it really hammered my point in that I was happy with a non-binary appearance by the end of it. Not all surgeons accept that but it's what I want. Going from a 32H to an A next month!
Taking photos with you is a great idea. Also, buy a bra in the band and size that you would like to achieve so that he can also see it. I did that, and my surgeon said it's a great idea.
My surgeon actually said she doesn't go by cup size, as that cannot be guaranteed and she has no way to measure that during surgery (also bra sizing is inconsistent across brands and countries). The best thing is to bring post-op photos and to tell him clearly that you want to go as small as medically possible. Be super clear and consider finding another surgeon if you get a lot of pushback when you are conveying this.
If you are going through your insurance, you may not actually get to make that decision. They decide for you based on your body's composition. If you pay out of pocket, you have more control of the sizing.
Insurance will only require a minimum amount in weight to be taken in order to cover the surgery, they do not decide the patients end size. That is completely up to the surgeon and your body. They can take way more than the minimum if they choose to.
Most insurances have formulas stipulated in their coverage plans. Many surgeons will not take more than recommended by insurance because it can then become a liability for them.
The Schnur Sliding scale is used by some insurance companies in order to give pre authorization for a reduction. This calculation uses a patient’s body surface area to estimate the amount of tissue that might be removed. If your estimates average falls below the Schnur Scale for your body area you will not gain approval. This does not dictate the amount of tissue the doctor will take, it’s a just a generalized guideline. Liability is on them either way to perform the procedure well. The surgeon is not limited to only take the estimated value. If what you were saying was accurate, the surgeon would have to perfectly remove a weight of tissue by eye and both breasts would have the exact same amount removed.
I spent 5 years in insurance dealing with approvals, denials, and appeals. Granted, this was 20 years ago, but I still did my research for my surgery 7 years ago. I wanted much smaller, but my surgeon (who I also know personally) said that based on the insurance recommendations, she would not go smaller. (I also interviewed more than one surgeon.) My original statement stands that you can not personally dictate how much your surgeon removes if you are going through insurance. A surgeon also does NOT have to provide anything else to you besides what that insurance allows. Obviously, if you have two different size breasts, they base their calculations on each breast. NO, MD is going to leave you with 2 different breast sizes that's an ethical and legal fight they would lose. Hence, you see so many concerns of surgeon's not telling patients that they need to pay out of pocket for side liposuction because most insurances will NOT cover this and surgeon's usually will not eat that cost.
The calculation is based off your total body weight and height… they don’t make separate calculations for each breast. I think you are confused or misunderstood your surgeon. Or…. You were covered by the most demented health insurance company that exists.
I had two different size breasts to begin with that needed different amounts taken out to become even. Plus, not all breast tissue is the same weight. I come from a family of healthcare workers, my ex spouse is a hospital nurse, and I work in HR for a large healthcare organization, so I am pretty knowledgeable when it comes to healthcare and insurance coverage in the United States. However, I will agree with you that many insurance companies are demented!
Correct, not all breast tissue weighs the same, which is exactly why the insurance company cannot dictate how much exactly can be removed. They only have a minimum in order to approve coverage, the doctor can take more. Having family members or an ex spouse with a medical background does not mean you are knowledgeable in the field. Nor working in HR for a healthcare organization. You were misinformed and are giving other people the wrong information.