From an F cup to a D cup with no scalpel or scars: Meet the first woman to undergo the pioneering surgery

Relief: Claire O'Keefe after her pioneering surgery

Breast reduction is possibly probably the most drastic procedures a lady can pick to endure.

Also called reduction mammoplasty, throughout the process, body fat, glandular tissue and skin are taken off the chest, that are then reformed and also the hard nips repositioned.

An over-all anaesthetic and a minimum of three nights in hospital are nearly always needed, with lots of women requiring six days to completely recover.

Major skin damage is really a given, and risks include uneven results, infection, thrombus and – possibly most pertinently for a lot of – lack of sensation and the opportunity to breast-feed.

The very fact greater than 4,200 British women chosen to possess such surgery this past year (an increase of two percent from the year before) is testimony as to the a blight heavy, and very large, breasts are.

1000's more, scared of the raft of publish-surgery complications, choose rather to suffer back pain, neck discomfort, breakouts and skin ailment (triggered by undergarments cutting in) as well as depression that include over-endowment.

However, an innovative new type of breast reduction which involves no cutting, minimal down time and discomfort and, remarkably, no skin damage may transform the lives of 1000's of ladies.

Reduction mammoplasty is frequently declined around the NHS because the ?6,000 operation is viewed as cosmetic. Advocates hope the brand new procedure, Microlipo, is going to be adopted by health care trusts. It's presently available only independently, for around ?5,000.

‘I’d spent years searching just like a childrens favourite with breasts which were huge compared to my size 12 figure.'

Claire O'Keefe

‘Large breasts may cause practical and physical problems for example poor posture and back discomfort, so it’s vital that people develop techniques like Microlipo to provide women options apart from major surgery to lessen them,’ states Dr Puneet Gupta from the Private Clinic in Manchester, who released the process within the United kingdom ten several weeks ago and also has carried out the operation on about 80 patients.

‘I’ve had recommendations from NHS rheumatologists with patients who're at serious chance of brittle bones from the spine because of the load of the breasts,’ he states.

Among the first women to profit is Claire O’Keefe, 30, a banking administrator from East London. The process shrank her F-cup breasts to some D-cup. More...

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‘I’d spent years searching just like a childrens favourite with breasts which were huge compared to my size 12 figure,’ she states. ‘I was flat-chested until I had been 14 after which overnight my breasts were enormous.

‘Suddenly everything I loved, for example dancing, swimming and trendy clothes, grew to become a nightmare since it was impossible to locate items to fit me.

Nights by helping cover their buddies were intolerable because my breasts attracted such a great deal of undesirable male attention.

‘I like to exercise but doing something that involved running or jumping was painful and that i needed to put on an ordinary bra plus two sports brazier to perform a workout during a workout session.

‘Sleeping on my small front would be a complete no-no and that i anticipated back problems when i got older because of the load of my breasts.’

Claire had considered a breast reduction numerous occasions but was discouraged by the possibilities of major surgery and extensive skin damage.

‘I know ladies who had traditional breast-reduction surgery and despite all of the problems their breasts had triggered formerly, they wound up wanting they’d endure them since the skin damage after the procedure is so bad,’ she states.

‘I also realize that I’d just like a family eventually and I’ll wish to breast-feed. Whenever a friend explained about Microlipo, it seemed too good to be real.’

The process is an adjustment of traditional liposuction, where a thin metal tube, referred to as a cannula, is placed in to the body fat layer under the skin layers using a small cut.

It has a combination: to interrupt up body fat cells and suck them out. Dr Gupta states: ‘It’s like the technique accustomed to remove so-known as moobs in males, where excess tissue ensures they have the symptoms of breasts. It’s a genuine option to traditional breast-reduction surgery.

‘During Microlipo, stomach is disinfected by having an iodine solution along with a millimetre-wide cannula placed at 8 to 10 different points around each breast by which an anaesthetic option would be injected.

The neighborhood anaesthetic remains to be satisfied with half an hour to numb the region and break lower and soften the body fat and tissue, that is then drawn out using another cannula.

Pre and post: Claire following the breast reduction, left, as well as on a evening out before

‘The skill is drawing the body fat and tissue to provide a level result. Normally, the process cuts down on the breast by 3 or 4 cup dimensions. It’s appropriate for ladies with breasts as much as an F or G-cup, although I've carried out it on women with K and J-cup breasts.’

The process is not appropriate for ladies who've lost lots of weight and also have loose skin or stretchmarks around the breasts, as reducing volume will exacerbate these complaints. Obese women might be urged to slim down before thinking about any kind of reduction, because this will reduce breast size.

Dr Gupta states: ‘I have operated on ladies who are overweight. In some instances, lowering the breasts means they could exercise and lose further weight. We take all patients on the situation-by-situation basis.’

The process might not be appropriate for ladies having a strong genealogy of cancer of the breast. ‘Anything that triggers skin damage within the breast, a needle, might trigger changes that make individuals who're already predisposed to cancer of the breast,’ states Dr Gupta.

‘We insist upon a mammogram [breast X-ray] prior to the procedure, as we must be sure there isn’t a tumor or perhaps a suspicious area within the breast growth. I additionally insist patients possess a second mammogram six several weeks after Microlipo so there's an accurate picture of methods the breast growth looked pre and publish-surgery for his or her medical records.’

The process is not appropriate for ladies who've lost lots of weight and also have loose skin or stretchmarks around the breasts, as reducing volume will exacerbate these complaints.

After treatment, the individual wears a compression outfit over her breasts for 3 days to lessen swelling and help with healing.

Claire went through the process last October. Despite self-confessed squeamishness, she'd no qualms about being awake. Within hrs from the operation, she was aware of only a small pain in her own chest – and breasts two cup dimensions more compact.

‘The operation was painless,’ she states. ‘I had a little of swelling later on, that we expected. It required six days to subside.

‘The worst part was putting on the compression bandages. These were so tight it had been hard to sleep. I needed to put on them for just 72 hours, though, that is nothing in comparison towards the days of recovery after traditional breast surgery, if you have extensive stitching, drains within the wounds and dressings.

‘The little puncture marks in which the cannula have been placed appeared as if small acne but disappeared following a couple of days.’

In a few days, Microlipo to delicate body areas – like the face and breast – is a hotly debated subject in the British Association of Aesthetic and

Cosmetic Surgeons annual conference in Birmingham. Here medics from around the globe discuss the most recent techniques.

One consultant cosmetic surgeon who definitely are having to pay particular attention is Patrick Malluci, who specialises in breast methods.

Pioneering: The brand new type of surgery will not need a knife and does not leave any scars

He states: ‘A large number of breast reduction is all about lifting, re-shaping and restructuring the breast included in the mass-reduction process.

The goal is to make a lighter, lifted and much more aesthetic breast, putting it well on the chest area wall where they belong instead of hanging low round the abdomen.

‘Liposuction cannot achieve these things. It really removes body fat – it can't reshape the breast or lift it to the significant degree. That's not saying it's no role.

Some people are pleased to simply accept the compromise of the lighter breast without needing to undergo standard surgery, however their anticipation should be set in a different level when it comes to so what can be accomplished and just what the likely outcome is going to be.

‘Traditional breast-reduction surgery isn't just a cosmetic operation, it's also about rebuilding functionality and enhancing people’s quality of existence.’

For Claire, though, Microlipo is a thought. ‘It’s amazing. The operation was worth it,’ she states. ‘I’m now a 34 D-cup. I'm able to exercise, sleep on my small front, clothes shopping is really a new experience and I’m no more cynical about male attention. It’s been existence-altering.

‘I hope more women will feel they no more have to experience huge breasts simply because they feel your best option is major surgery.’lwww.theprivateclinic.co.united kingdom