Video
Narrator V/O:
Allison Mitchell spent more than half her life weighed down with the burdon of unusually big breasts.
Allison:
It changed my life a long time ago. I became a a, well a lonely person, very lonely. I had quite a painful life. I have very bad back pain. I have had surgery on my spine, em, purely because of carrying the extra weight on my chest. It’s been very difficult.
Narrator V/O:
After 25 years, Allison’s breasts are really getting her down.
Allison:
If I could have my breasts reduced, I think it would give me back the life that I should’ve had. I think it just will give me back the opportunities to do the things that I’ve missed out on over the last 25 years.
Narrator V/O:
Can Dr Harper find a way to reduce Alliosn’s burdon?
Dr Harper:
Do you mind me asking what size you are?
Allison:
They’re a 36 double J. That sounds awful, ‘they’, doesn’t it? I’ve detached them completely from myself.
dr Harper:
Is that how you feel?
Allison:
Mm hum.
Dr Harper:
And what size would you like to be? I mean, if you could wave a magic wand.
Allison:
If I could wave a magic wand, I would say have none, have none, yeah.
Dr Harper:
Really
Allison:
Yeah. But, er, I guess, in the ideal world I’d be looking at a C or a D. But, I mean, yeah, something like that would be a dream come true. I just want them gone. I, you know, enough’s enough. I want my life back and they need to go.
Narrator V/O:
It’s no wonder Allison has back problems. At 5 kilos, her breasts weigh 10 times the national average – that’s like having a large baby permanently strapped to your chest.
Dr Harper:
I mean the breast tissue feels completely normal. Totally healthy. There’s just a bit too much of it.
Allison: Yeah, yeah.
Dr Harper:
And I think that you are a perfect candidate for a breast reduction. You’ve put up with it for an awful long time so I’m sure that the surgeons are going to be keen to do something for you, whether or not they’ll achieve the C/D cup. I’m not sure how much they’ll be able to reduce it, but it will definitely make both of them significantly smaller, em, and I think we should just get their opinion.
Allison:
Yeah, yeah, that’s fantastic thank you.
Dr Harper:
Grand. OK, pop your things back on.
Narrator V/O:
Double J breasts have weighed Allison Mitchell down for 25 years, but now she and her husband have come to the West London clinic, to see if there’s any hope of reducing them. Leading breast surgeon, Adam Topping, needs to decide whether it’s safe to proceed. He’s seen more breasts than a page 3 snapper, but even he’s blown away by her copious cleavege.
Dr Adam Topping:
Now, em, I have to be honest with you, er, they are the largest breasts that I have seen. OK. It’s going to be quite an interesting challenge, that’s for sure, you know, but-
Allison:
I always knew I was exceptional.
Narrator V/O:
The sheer scale of the tissue to be reduced means that for Mr Topping, this will be his most ambitious operation yet.
Dr Topping:
They are the biggest breasts that I have seen before and this is why we’re having to, I’m having to, adapt to the procedure to cope with the situation.
Narrator V/O:
To bring Allison down to a D cup, over a kilo and a half of tissue has to be removed from each breast. As well as repositioning the nipple higher up, the remaining breast has to be reformed into a natural shape.
Dr Topping:
I think the operation was very successful, er, it was always going to be difficult to actually create a breast that was going to have quite a degree of projection on it, em, but by putting a stitch in to move the, er, the breat towards the midline, I think we’ve managed to achieve that to a degree. All in all: very happy.
Narrator V/O:
He’s happy, but will Allison be?
Few people have undergone bigger changes than Allison, whose double J breasts have been ruining her life for over 20 years. After an ambitious 3 and a half hour operation, she’s come back to see Dr Harper. She’s half the woman she once was; has this made her twice as happy?
Dr Harper:
Allison, nice to see you. I have been so looking forward to seeing you. I can’t believe that.
Allison:
I know, it’s incredible, isn’t it?
Dr Harper:
Look at you!
Allison:
I know!
Dr Harper:
You look like the cat that got the cream.
Allison:
Well I have, haven’t I? I feel fantastic. I think it’s because I haven’t got that pain. I had that pain all the time my whole life. I couldn’t remember not being in pain because of them, and, you know, the weight’s gone. It’s, you know, given me back my life.
There you go.
Dr Harper:
Goodness me.
Allison:
What do you think of that?
Dr Harper:
Well, you’re half the woman you were, aren’t you?
Narrator V/O:
Last time Allison met Dawn, the 36 double J breasts meant she was 3 kilos heavier.
Dr Harper:
And you can probably put your bra on sitting down, can you?
Allison:
I can. I don’t have to get up and stand up and nope, don’t have to do any of that any more. I can, you know, just sit and do it.
Dr Harper:
I’m utterly amazed that, you know. That is a phenominal job. Amazing.
Allison:
Yep. They’re fabulous, aren’t they.
Dr Harper:
When those dressings come off, you should rub vitamin E cream into that. It’ll really make a difference to the scar tissue, actually. It’ll be, I mean that’s just amazing.
Allison:
I think so. [laughs]
I feel I could take on anything, do anything that I want to do, and, I guess my only regret is that I didn’t do it much, much sooner. Em, but it’s it is phenominal. It it’s like being a whole new person.
Dr Harper:
Amazing. Amazing. Do you wanna pop your bra back on – sitting down?!
Allison: Mm hm, yeah.
Consultation: Breast Reduction
A patient comes to see Dr Harper with enormous 36JJ Breasts that are in need of a reduction.
Yes
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I have just recently turned 15 and have always had large boobs. I'm currently a 32/34 GG, however I have a narrow back so it's very difficult for me to find a bra that fits perfectly. Not to mention the amount of grief that comes with it; not being able to find clothes that fit, feeling too uncomfortable to exercise or wear certain pieces of clothes and spending loads of money on bra's. Its awful, and I'm gutted at the fact I wouldn't be able to get a reduction as I'm under 18!
im nearly 43, iv always had a big bust but i was on waitin list at my old doctors for 5 years then they decided 2 tell me i cant get 1 on nhs,i moved and went 2 c my new doctors who told me they dont have the money 4 it, i was a size 38g in jan now i am a 36k i would love 2 have a breast reduction as it would help with my confidance
I am 19 and have just recently seen a NHS plastic surgeon and have been put on the waiting list for a reduction. I have wanted this for so long and stressed for it, however when faced by all the information about the operation and results I am worried. I am currently 32H and have had big breasts from the age of 13 however when faced with the fact that I will be a size C or a D if I am lucky, is a big shock. This surgery is due to me being in pain and so unhappy but I am so used to being so big that the thought of being this small is a shock. I understand this sounds like I am only wanting it for cosmetic reasons but I am just worried that down the line I will be effected with such a change. Anyone who has been through this operation please let me know what the results are like.
Hi i am 16 years old 17 shortly and am a tiny size of a size 6. My boobs are a 30 F and they are so heavy for me i think they are inherited from my nan! but my posture is appuling and everytime i try to stand up straight my back hurts so much i am just wondering when im older if i could get a reduction on the nhs. thanks
I am 26 and am now a 36G (36H according to the measurer in La Senza which doesn't actually stock that size so had to walk out empty handed not to mention really embarrassed!) The fashion side of it does bring me down but it's the thought of having a lifetime of back pain, becoming a hunchback having bad posture, not being able to run and generally getting more and more saggy from trying to stand in a way that 'hides' them so that men don't stare. I have spoken to my GP and she has said we can make an application for funding for a breast reduction. I'm just praying I get it!
Hi I am 43 years old and had a breast reduction on the NHS 11 years ago. At the time I was wearing a double F bra. The operation was very painfull and the scarring and recovery were really bad though the end result was at the time worth all of the discomfort. However, I am sorry to say that although when I recovered from the surgery I was a C/D cup, my breast have now gone up to a GG cup. I have put on about a stone in weight since I had the op but this still doesn't account for the increase in size. Just want you all to be aware that this can happen, I know of one other person who has had the same thing happen as me. Am currently agonising whether or not to get advice from my GP regarding my daughter. She is 15 and is currently a 32JJ, and still growing!! It is absolutely heartbreaking when she is in tears as she feels like a 'freak' compared to her normal skinny friends. A lot of people call her 'fat' because she has to buy such outsize tops to get her boobs in the last blouse I bought was a size 18, (she is a 12-14 on the bottom) and the buttons were still straining)
Hi I suffered from the same thing. I was a HH and had a reduction on the NHS and my breast went down to a D cup. Within about 6 months my breast started to grow again. I am now a FF. However I am still happy that I have had it done because I do not have as much pain and I am still smaller than my original size. I, strangely enough did not suffer any pain or discomfort during or after my surgery. I should known that it was too good to be true. With regards to your daughter I would strongly recommend taking her to see the Doctor. Having done a bit more research after the surgery I have found that there are thing that can be done to stop growth. I'm not sure exactly how it works but there is something in your breasts that make them grown. So when having the surgery they can remove that and hopefully the breasts would stop growing.
Didnt think this was so common! My friend and I were chatting about it the other day! I have all the same symptoms, backache and a constant burning sensation across my back, shoulder and neck pain, aswell as headaches, why should people have to suffer this? Im a 30h, 5'2 10 stone my bottom half is a size 12 and top well try hetting something to fit i usually ned to take a 16 or 18 top! which make me look fat! Sick of people staring and the final straw was some random man who i did not know grab them.
im 18 and i am a size 10 in clothes. my breasts are large for my size. they are 32f and cause me really bad upper back pain that speads across my shoulder blades.i cant stand straight and i always have people staring at them which is getting me really down now can anyone tell me if i can get them reduced on the nhs?
I totally get where you're coming from, get yourself to your gp and state your case, im going next week and wont stop until i get what i want, im a fortune on bras, massage for my back and not to mention painkillers ive had enough! Let me know how you get on x
I suffer the same problem and possibly like you unable to pay for a private opperation so what i did is i spoke to my doctor explained why i wanted something doing and it was taken from there my information was sent to a board and they decide if you're suitable for the opperation hope this helps and good luck
I am a 30FF, but too me they feel bigger, I got measured at debenhams, and I can only wear a particular bra because its so uncomfortable, don't know if this is because its new bra or not? I am a size 10 in clothes, and the strap of my bra feels they they are digging in, and I have had a rash under my arm that is only just recovering. I feel embarressed about my size, they dont feel right for my frame and I actually hate my body. Please can anyone help?
im a 34 J cup size and when i was pregnant and breast feeding i got too big for the largest bra on the market. i was always large bust wize i went from nothing to a d cup in a couple of weeks in my early teens and was emensely bullied at school for it. at the age of 18 i was quite ill and went from a size 16 to a size 10 and yet my cup size went from J to G, not a vast reduction and i looked a freak! im in the process of trying to convince my doctor that 12 years later ive had enough of the constant back ache, neck ache and ridicule for the hunchback im developing trying to hide them. i desperatly want to be normal and the vidio really did strike a chord with me. im so lonely and depressed at being so large chested. if i could cut them off myself then i would!
