The only way is down: breast reduction can be the best solution

Struggling with the weight of large breasts is a struggle that often goes unnoticed,impacting confidence and physicality but through two individuals, the procedure reclaims comfort and happiness.

With big breasts, women know desire but with desire comes hardship.

For Milinda Alaniz, 24, a stay-at-home mother and lash technician in Chicago, big breasts were not what they were made out to be.

Growing up, she had a smaller chest and breast surgery had not crossed her mind despite her mother having one, too. When she was a freshman, she was a B cup and by her senior year, she was a DD. “It had come out of nowhere. I became insecure because I looked disproportionate.”

Her dysmorphia over her own body had only amplified after she had given birth to her son two years ago, with her breasts enlarging as a result of the pregnancy.

“At that point, I just looked like a 22-year-old grandma with saggy breasts,” Milinda says.

She had developed rashes under her chest with Aquafor never quite easing the chafing – a simple fix was not happening and her own body had become tiring for Milinda.

“I just remember looking at myself in the mirror and crying. I hated the way my body looked so I immediately started finding surgeons.”

A surprisingly easy task, she notes, that meant she did not take time to prepare herself for the change. She travelled for two hours to avoid the waitlist and undergo the procedure.

Milinda had faced no opposition from her loved ones about her decision – only her boyfriend’s mother making comments about women in Miami wanting larger breasts but even that was said with no ill intention. “My family knew my self-image was affected.”

The after of the reduction was where comments and opinions on her body had changed – but not by her family. With a digital presence recounting her breast reduction story, many users had taken it upon themselves to give their opinions on her change.

“Women were and are mostly supportive of the difference, wanting to get the surgery done, too and complimenting me but some people – usually men – made remarks.

“They told me that I ruined my body, that I had gone from a ten to a two, were enraged and feeling sorry for my boyfriend – who still wanted my body every day, by the way,” Milinda says.

Growing up with brothers, however, had made her tougher and less affected by the comments. “Opinions are like assholes – everyone has them. I think I look okay though and that’s what counts.”

Milinda is not the only person to undergo any type of altering surgery, for comfort, and face distaste online. Amaya Corrine, 18, a student in New York also underwent breast reduction surgery for a multitude of reasons.

“Partially, it was because of the back pain. I’m a classical violinist so the posture and everything was just so uncomfortable.

“My pronouns are she/they – I didn’t feel super feminine and I had complex views of myself so if I got the surgery, I thought I’d be able to portray myself more truthfully,” Amaya says.

Growing up, they had wanted to be busty and as what Amaya describes as, “Being a woman to me was having that figure and being grown up. My ideas of what a woman was had changed though.”

Before the option of breast surgery existed, something she had wanted since her early teens, Amaya had lived in a state of sadness surrounding their body.

Even though Amaya had not faced lots of stigma, it was still surprising when it happened. “I was surprised people would act like that with me in real life. Even though it was more so people asking why I would want that surgery, stigma still existed. I mean, my dad was also initially weird about me getting the surgery but he knew how much this meant to me so he quickly accepted it.

“Obviously, I got most comments on my body from men.”

Many women had taken to Amaya’s posts about their surgery wishing for her ‘before’. “It’s the grass is always greener type of thing, I guess.”

The two women had differing thoughts with the actual surgery, with Milinda worrying about the surgeon not having lots of reviews and Amaya being less affected.

“I would be wondering whether I would be nipple-ness as it is a possibility that the nipple would die and fall off or it could end up botched,” Milinda expressed.

The recovery, however, had gone smoothly for the two of them, with both women expressing delight in their new bodies.

“I was nervous initially after the surgery,” Amaya says, “like it was sore for me but never painful. It’s like if you’re on your period but your boobs are the most sore they’ve ever been.

“The recovery was easy, though – like after a week or two, I was all good.”

For Milinda, she had suffered from nausea as a result of the anaesthesia but he scars had healed and faded with ease and no pain.

The girls’ perceptions of themselves after surgery were one of the key memories of the entire thing, from the decisions to the actual surgery.

“My perception post-surgery is kind of the same, honestly,” Amaya says. People had thought that she would dress differently but they actually started dressing more masculine: “You know how boys’ sweaters just hang right off? That’s exactly what I wanted and what I got after the surgery. I was in control of my life and how I perceived myself.”

Milinda hadn’t expected to love her body the way she does now, noting how it was all a surreal experience and in the face of negative comments, loved herself. “For a long time, I never thought I could love myself the way I wanted to.

“It’s my body and I’ll do what I want with it,” she says.

For both Milinda and Amaya, they both encourage decisions that benefit people for the sake of themselves despite what other people would say – much like they did.

Amaya says, “I personally think that if you’re considering it, go for it. Whether it’s because of pain, do it because it’s beneficial or if it’s because it’s your body, also go for it.

“I had large breasts from a young age and eyes were always on me but now people can see me for me: they can see the big violin on my back and not the big breasts.”

For Milinda, she also agrees that people should make the decisions based on personal preference: “If women want to get reductions, they should and if they don’t, they shouldn’t. No matter what you do, there will always be people who disagree or not like you.”

Now, after having their surgeries, both Amaya and Milinda have full control and content with their bodies, recounting the surgery as one of their best decisions.

They live in comfort and love within themselves – something breast reduction surgery has allowed them to feel.

“It’s kind of taboo in a way because you won’t always hear about it but it was a good thing. Now, I can finally wear cute tops when I go out, too!” Amaya says.

Despite new comments, hundreds and thousands of them, everyday, Milinda regrets nothing: “I love when a woman compliments me rather than a man – my own boyfriend loves my breasts and it is for women, not male validation.”