Bigger not always better: Why breast reduction surgery is so popular
Having large breasts is common in N.L., and so is the surgery to reduce them
"If I had a dollar for every time I said, 'Ow, my tits," laughs Becky Fulford.
"Just driving alone in my car ... the roads are just horrible here right now."
Fulford is recovering from breast reduction surgery and feels pain whenever her car hits a pothole.
The 30-year-old had mammoplasty this winter and, four weeks after the operation, told CBC the short-term pain is well worth the relief.
I've had guys straight up think that for some reason I don't have a brain ... like it exists in my boobs or something.- Becky Fulford
The St. John's hair stylist says she first thought about breast reduction when she was 16. With a bra size that fluctuated from 30 FF to 34 GG, finding one to fit was always a challenge.
"I think the first time I found a bra to fit me I was in my early to mid 20s, that actually fit. Something that didn't need to be altered in some way or tightened in or tied."
Buying a properly fitting bra was only one of the issues she had to deal with. The bra itself caused problems.
"I still have a line going behind both my shoulders from where there was an indentation. There's discolouration where my bra cut in. That's probably not going to go away for a couple of years," she says.
Exercising at the gym was also difficult.
"I just felt really uncomfortable all the time."
Plastic surgeon helps take the load off
These concerns are all too familiar to Dr. Joy Cluett, a plastic surgeon in St. John's.
Cluett says women with overly large breasts suffer from chronic back, neck and shoulder pain and many other problems.
"People get rashes underneath their breasts, and with time they can get permanent grooves in their shoulders." Cluett says some women have told her that having large breasts even makes breathing difficult.
Cluett says for most people the surgery is covered by MCP, Newfoundland and Labrador's medical care plan, though medicare does not cover a breast lift or surgery for cosmetic reasons.
She says in order to be covered, the breast tissue has to be a certain weight, and the woman must be experiencing health problems.
According to the province's Department of Health and Community Services, 580 women had the procedure in 2017, up from 527 the previous year.
Big breasts run in families
Cluett says having large breasts is common in Newfoundland and Labrador, and seems to run in families, so there is a genetic component.
She says being overweight can also be a factor.
"Sometimes big people have big breasts."
Cluett says women of all ages have had the surgery, but she encourages younger women to wait until their breasts are fully developed before going through with it.
Fulford says being so "developed" from a young age caused lots of unwanted attention.
"I've had guys straight up think that for some reason I don't have a brain ... like it exists in my boobs or something."
She says the negative attention wasn't just from men, it came from women as well.
"Girls just getting threatened by you. People feeling for some reason that because you are well-endowed that you are going to go after their boyfriend."
Fulford, who's hoping to have children, says one of the reasons she waited so long before having mammoplasty was concern about breastfeeding.
Cluett says many women are able to breastfeed normally after surgery, but there's no guarantee, so it is something to consider before going ahead with the procedure.
Reduced cancer risk
Cluett says there are many health benefits to having breast reduction — even a reduced risk of breast cancer.
She says studies have shown there are several reasons for this. Having less breast tissue makes breast examination and mammography easier.
Sometimes cancer is detected during the reduction surgery.
"On occasion we do find cancer in the specimens and I've found quite a few myself. So patients are lucky in that respect, it's a bit of a godsend to them."
Meanwhile, Fulford is healing and heading back to her job. She'll be going bra shopping soon.
She is down to a 34DD and says when the swelling is finally gone in a few months she'll be a 32D.
"Overall I feel more comfortable. It's worth it already."
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