Beverley Francis | Breast Reduction
When Beverley received the all-clear from her five-year check following ovarian cancer, she felt it was time to address the problems caused by her H-cup breasts.
Beverley, 62, said: “A breast reduction was something I always wanted done, but it was not a priority for me, there were other more important things happening. But once I got the all-clear, I felt it was the right time to do something for myself.
“I have always had heavy breasts that hang. I felt like I always had to wear a bra, even at home, but the underwire from my bra would dig into my skin and I was always left with a dent in my shoulder from the bra straps."
“I was constantly adjusting my breasts and would suffer from neck, back and shoulder ache. I was generally left feeling very uncomfortable. I was also uncomfortable at night in bed and would have to readjust as my breasts got in the way when lying on my side.”
Beverley Francis
A friend of Beverley’s had already undergone surgery at The McIndoe Centre, so she decided to enquire about breast reduction surgery. From there, she was advised to research the consultants who carried out the procedure to see who she would like to have a consultation with.
Beverley decided to log into a Zoom webinar by Miss Alexandra Molina, Consultant Plastic Surgeon, where she could get to know the surgeon and see before and after surgery photos. Beverley decided to book a consultation with Miss Molina where they went through the options available to her.
Following the first consultation, Miss Molina advised Beverley to carefully consider all the information she had received and to ask her any questions that may arise during the decision-making process. The second consultation confirmed Beverley’s wishes and a date for breast reduction surgery was soon booked in to take her from a H-cup to an E-cup.
The procedure lasted around three hours and roughly 500g of fat, tissue and skin was removed from each breast. Beverley spent one night at The McIndoe Centre before returning home to recover.
She explained: “The drains on either side of me when I woke up in recovery were uncomfortable and the area was tender when they were removed the next day.
“You have to be prepared for scarring, but it was all pretty much pain-free and healed really quickly. There was very little dressing, I just had to leave the tape on for a week. After a few days, I could shower and could dab the tape dry with a towel.”
The surgical tape was in place for six weeks, which Beverley changed once a week at home after the first dressing change in an outpatient appointment. Following six weeks of wearing a post-operative bra, Beverley was soon able to purchase new, smaller bras and enjoy her newfound confidence.
She adds: “I’m very happy I had them done. I feel I now have some shape. This is part of my well-being and body image and having a breast reduction has given me such confidence.”
"Breast reduction is one of my favourite operations to do, as patients are generally very pleased with their lighter, uplifted breasts. In addition to younger patients, I have operated on quite a few ladies in their sixties for breast reduction recently - most of them say they wished they had done it years ago! But it is important to choose the right time in life for you to have the surgery."
Miss Alexandra Molina
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