Breast Reduction Bristol, UK

30 years old, Vertical breast reduction with Lisa Sacks, H cup to D/DD - 2.2kg removed! I’ve always been self conscious about my breasts since I was 16 and due to this and various other experiences I’ve had very low self-confidence all of my adult life. The back, neck and should pain I experienced could be debilitating. I was always hunched from the weight and tried to slouch to hide them. I never liked myself in clothes, would normally return 90% if what I bought and anything I wore I was always covered up. The worst was someone talking about my breasts, being sexually objectified, being stared at or yelled at in the street. I hated that having big breasts was my identity and it affected every part of my life. Breast reduction surgery is something I heard about 5/6 years ago and researched at the time however due to cost I put to the back of mind to hopefully to be able to fund one day but was just so unhappy. Fast forward to a year ago I was finally able to fund this operation. I met with Lisa in February 2023 (via zoom) for an initial consultation for a vertical breast reduction. I had found Lisa when I was living in Somerset as a local surgeon in Bristol and was very interested in the fact she only performed vertical breast reductions when the anchor method was the only one I’d seen. Since I’ve had issues with keloid scarring I decided to put her on my list of surgeons I wanted to meet with. I also met with another surgeon who did the anchor scaring but decided Lisa was the surgeon for me. I liked Lisa anyway but due to the fact if I did have keloid scaring then at least it would be less than the anchor - I always said I would definitely have the operation even if I was told I would be guaranteed keloid scaring due to the affect my breasts were having on my life. I’d seen reviews from other clients and also searched for experiences on a Facebook group for breast reductions, I didn’t read a bad thing about Lisa from my research. After considering my options I booked in my operation with Lisa for August 2023 - around 6 months in advance. Lisa put me into contact with 2 patients, I was most interested to hear why they decided to go for the vertical. It was also nice to talk to someone who had the same experiences as I did. Like always bumping into things with their breasts and wearing bras with broken wires to avoid bra shopping. The morning of my operation Lisa came in to draw on me and then I was second in the theatre. I’ve had operations before and I always found walking to the theatre and waiting to be put asleep the worst bit of the operation. However Lisa and her team made me feel very at ease and I wasn’t anxious at all waiting to go asleep. As soon as I woke up I was so desperate to see myself! I could barely keep my eyes open in the recovery room and I kept saying to the nurse how small I felt I was! When I got back to my room I was very insistent on putting on my top to see how small I was. I don’t think I’d ever been happier/more relieved in my life that this was now how I looked and cried happy tears! Lisa saw me later that afternoon and then the next day. She fitted my post surgery bra on (I cried again!) before I went home and I’ve never been more comfortable in a bra since in my entire life. Lisa gave me a detailed list of what I could and couldn’t do for the next 2/6 weeks and then 3/6 months. The Nuffield is a wonderful hospital to stay in. The food was amazing and the staff and nurses were great. I felt very well taken care of during my time there. When I went home I only took the pain medication for the first couple of days after the surgery and due to stomach cramps I decided to not take the pain meds one night and thought I’d see how I went, after that I only felt discomfort when I pushed my self too much from putting on my stockings for example due to the swelling underneath my breasts. I actually found this better so I could listen to my body and didn’t have any pain in general. Even when I came out of surgery I didn’t really feel much pain. I had full movement of my arms which I was surprised as when you have the anchor you can’t lift you arms up for couple of weeks. I went out for short slow walks a couple of times a day and felt this helped, it was nice to move around and obviously helps to prevent blood clots. My family said after a few days when I started trying on my clothes, not only how much smaller I was but how much taller I looked. The hardest part of this surgery was the first 2 weeks of recovery. I’m an independent person, I have 2 dogs and was used to walking 2-3 hours a day. So having to rely on someone to do everything and not being able to walk my dogs I struggled with. Once I hit the 2 week mark I was so glad to be able to get out more with my dogs even if I was limited, and then once again when I hit the 6 week mark it felt good to be able to walk further and be back to normal with my routine. The first walk I did once I hit the 6 week mark was partly up a steep hill. When I did this pre surgery I was in so much pain afterwards - my back, shoulders and neck hurt. When I did this after my surgery, I didn’t have any of that pain! It felt so good to do simple exercise and to not be in pain. I’ve had post op appointments with Lisa at 2 weeks in person to change my dressings (this was painless which was surprisingly). However my breasts were sore for a few days after which I think was just from my breasts being secure in the bandage to just now being in the tape and adjusting. My next appointments were by zoom at 6 weeks and 3 months. We reviewed the photos I took and I couldn’t believe the difference when Lisa compared the photos. I have a scar on my stomach that my old bra band used to sit at - now my bra band probably sits 10 cm above that! Lisa is very happy with how I’m recovering and I am very happy I’m done this operation. I’ve had no complications and my wounds healed quickly. I would say the main pros of the vertical (from reading other people’s experiences) compared to the anchor is the lack of pain, and the movement of my arms immediately post op. Plus with less incisions there is less scarring - I’d seen so many people have complications with healing after the anchor. The cons of the vertical is that the breast shape is more pointed/triangular initially however this changes quickly, and once you have your bra and clothes on, no one could tell anyway. There is also swelling underneath the breast that is sore, but again this goes down dramatically in the first 2 weeks. I took 2 weeks off work (I told my work I may take 3 as Lisa offers to sign you off for that long). I have a desk job and work from home mostly. I could have gone back to work earlier if I really needed to however decided to take the time to ensure I was ready and healed. How has this operation changed my life? I feel like I can finally live my life without my lack of confidence holding me back. I’ve said to Lisa I feel now this is how my body should have always been proportion-wise. My breasts are no longer an issue, I don’t think about them anymore. I don’t think people are staring at me, my breasts are not my identity anymore. Pre-surgery feels like a former life. I’m forever grateful for Lisa for doing this operation and changing my life for the better. You can tell Lisa really cares not only about her work, but her patients too.

After researching abdominoplasty for 11 years since having my first child I finally decided that this was the right time to take the plunge. I’d finished having children and was at a stable bodyweight that I was happy with, other than my saggy apron belly. I chose Anthony Macquillan because his chosen speciality was nerve trauma. This told me that he would take extra care. I wasn’t wrong. From the initial call to his secretary Amanda to meeting Anthony and his nurse Michelle I felt at ease, all my questions were answered fully and I was excited to proceed with the surgery. I had a full abdominoplasty with diastasis recti repair. I am now 8 weeks post op and my results are fantastic. Anthony is a magician. I look like I did in my teens. I’m thrilled with my results. I can’t recommend Anthony and his team enough! I have already given his details to all of my friends.

Excellent treatment throughout from Mr Pleat and all the team, superb follow-up service from nurses for dressing changes and regular reviews with Mr Pleat. Would highly recommend them.