Q&A: Breast Reduction and Lift

I am 4 months post-op and want to answer the rest of your questions about my reduction, lift, and implants since there were so many. I was truly shocked by the number of you who are thinking about this surgery. If your question wasn’t answered here, that’s because I likely covered it in this blog post about the procedure and recovery.

And to be completely upfront, I was not given any sort of discount and there isn’t a referral program. I waited until I was post-op and happy to share my doctor’s name, and had to share because he’s amazing.

Most of the answers will be available for everyone, but I’m saving a few personal and financial questions for paid subscribers below.

How did you find your doctor and how many doctors did you meet with?
I met with one other doctor early in my pregnancy with Kate. At that point, I was only planning on two kids and wanted a plan for after she was born. Then I heard from someone who’s friend saw that doctor and wasn’t happy. And life got turned upside down in 2020 and I decided I’d be having another baby. So I hit pause.

So long story short, Dr. Rammos came highly recommended to my friend as the best in IL. I waited until she was post-op and happy, and scheduled a consultation. His work spoke for itself, and it was so worth the 3 hour drive to Peoria, IL. Some might disagree with not getting a second quote, but I knew he was the one, and he was.


How long did it take to schedule from consult to procedure?
I reached out to Dr. Rammos at the end of June and we set up a virtual consult for the second week of August. I was given a quote within 24 hours (maybe even the same day) and moved forward right away. The initial wait time for surgery was 6 months, so this spring. But – an earlier date came up. I wouldn’t have been able to see him until 6 months postpartum, and he happened to have a date almost 6 months to the day.

I’m scared to do it. Did you worry that you wouldn’t like them and you’d regret it?
Surgery is a big deal, so I get that. But no part of me was afraid for anything other than not being able to pick my kids up. I had complete confidence in my doctor. His work is just incredible – the man is an artist.

My before was really bad. They were so large and saggy. Even though I was confident Dr. Rammos would do a great job, I did not think they’d be as good as they are.

Lots of questions about scarring.
I do have an anchor scar, but this wasn’t my first surgery, so I already had that scar and it wasn’t that bad. The scars should lighten in the next two years, and are still pretty red, but they don’t compare to the before. At some point, I might consider microneedling or something else, but for now, am sort of using this tape (sometimes).

When did you feel back to normal?
The recovery wasn’t bad AT ALL. I was in a decent amount of pain post-op (just the first day) and this is not medical advice but I just took an extra pain pill every few hours (every 3 hours instead of 4 to 6) the first day and that did the trick for me. You should obviously not do that. I am completely non-reactive to anesthesia and pain pills never bother my stomach so I had zero issues but again I would never ever suggest that anyone do that. It’s just what worked for me for the first day or so.

I was a lot better day 2, and was off pain meds within a few days. Lots of ice and rest. Taking it easy and sitting still is not the thing I’m best at, so I dove into holiday gift guides. Working and spending time with my kids (in my bed) helped me feel normal-ish.

I drove a week post-op and felt pretty good by then, but would say that I didn’t feel normal for a month because I couldn’t lift Jack and wasn’t doing much. I was cleared to work out about 6-8 weeks out but haven’t gotten back into that yet. We had the holidays, traveled to LA, work has been crazy. There’s always an excuse so I need to figure that out and just do it. I’ll feel so much better.

How long did you have to wait before lifting the girls?
I was told about a month before lifting Jack. It’s rare I pick Margot up – we snuggle a lot but she doesn’t need to be carried). I do pick Kate up a lot, but it was just easier to have Kate climb in my lap. I did pick her up at one point 4 weeks out and it didn’t feel great, so I waited a while longer. Not being able to lift Jack was so hard. I missed carrying him around and putting him to bed. It felt like forever, but I knew it would be worth it, and it was.

I was able to sit with him and hold him immediately. This pillow helped make that possible.

You limit toxins in your life as do I – were you worried about the implants?
I didn’t really have a choice since I had zero tissue on top and needed the implants for shape. The irony of needing implants when I was so big…I would rather not have them in my body but this was the only way. Due to their strength, gummy bear implants (which is what I have) are less likely to rupture and leak compared with other silicone gel and saline forms. I will stay on top of check-ups and I don’t ski or do anything high-impact. If I ever fall or get in an accident, I’ll make sure we check them out.

How has it felt lying down on your stomach?
So much better than with saline implants, although these are almost so good that I’ve accidentally slept on my stomach and don’t want to do that. My old implants were such a pain – I hated how they felt. They moved if I laid on them and were really uncomfortable, and they weren’t even giving me shape anymore – they had fallen. The doctor used an internal bra (explained more in this blog post), so these should stay in place.

I read that you have to sleep in a sports bra for ages. Is this true?
I did for the first 6 weeks or so, and at that point was cleared to sleep without a bra. I am only wearing bralettes right now – no underwires.

What bras are you wearing?
You know…I should probably go get fitted and look at real bras. I’ve just been wearing bralettes. This gap one is great and this one is pretty similar and so comfortable. Thank you for the reminder to get a bra or two.

And a few more questions that were a little personal or about the cost and insurance.