When breasts are painful

Last summer, actress Ariel Winter, star of the hit comedy Modern Family, announced that she was going to have a breast reduction. The news came as a shock to some – why would anyone, especially a celebrity, want to reduce their breast size? For Winter, the choice was obvious. In a recent article, she noted how her former size 32F breasts made her hurt—both physically and mentally. Winter explained that she was receiving more attention for her appearances than her acting —and dealing with inappropriate comments from fans.

“The conversation became about my looks instead of my talent and work—everything that I didn’t want,” Winter said in the interview. “I was 13, 14 years old, and I looked 19. Suddenly, people didn’t want to talk about my job — they just wanted to talk about my cleavage.”

Additionally, Winter noted how painful it was to have that extra weight on her just over five-foot frame. “It’s really difficult to be such a small girl and have so much weight on your chest,” Winter wrote. “You physically hurt. You can’t find clothes that fit right. I couldn’t find a cute bathing suit. Everything looked like I was trying to be ‘sexy.’ It didn’t help that I didn’t look like any of my friends my age.”

Winter is not alone, and the situation is not just happening in Hollywood. We regularly see women in the New York area who are uncomfortable—emotionally and physically—with their large bust size. Like Winter, they are often interested in breast reduction procedures.

As with all of our surgeries, a breast reduction is done with great care and only after consulting with a patient about any needs or concerns, as well as the expected outcome. The surgery is pretty straight-forward: we remove excess fat, tissue and skin, creating the new and desired size. Even with post-operative swelling, the change is quickly noticeable and patients are pleased as they leave our facility. After a procedure, it is normal to have some pain as the body heals and adjusts to the new breast size, but most of our patients return to work and moderate regular routines after two weeks.

It’s also important to note that breast reductions aren’t just an option for women. Nearly half of all men experience gynecomastia, a condition that creates localized fat and/or glandular tissue in the breasts. While its cause is not known, its effects are distinct. Many men with gynecomastia are embarrassed and see a male breast reduction as an opportunity to get a smooth and contoured chest.

The procedure is similar to female breast reduction surgery: we enter the chest and perform either liposuction or excision surgery to remove excess fat and tissue. If the patient maintains a stable weight, the results should last for many years.

You deserve to feel happy with your body. If the size of your chest is making you uncomfortable or otherwise creating a negativity in your life, talk to us about breast reduction options.