I Wish I Had Done This Years Ago: Breast Reduction at 52 Years Old

“I am a 52-year-old woman who has had large breasts since the age of 12. I never felt like I had an advantage or that I was blessed. It was more like I was cursed. Nothing ever fit right, bathing suit shopping was always a dreaded event, and men rarely looked me in the eye. I had chronic back, shoulder, and neck pain. I lost 30 pounds but not one inch off my breasts.

At the age of 42, I went through menopause and my breasts just kept growing at a time when I thought they would begin to shrink. I finally saw Dr. Fodero in 2002 and began my battle with the insurance companies to cover my breast reduction. I kept getting denied and for three years I fought. I finally felt that I couldn’t take it anymore – no bra fit properly, every button-down shirt pulled. Dr. Fodero showed me some before and after pictures of the work he has done and I knew then I wanted him to help me.

Not only is Dr. Fodero a scientist who carefully measured every point of my breasts to make sure they would be even, the same size, and proportionate to my body, he is also an artist who, I would say, actually sculpted my breast to fit me. In no way was this cosmetic surgery for the sake of looking younger or having “perky boobs.” It was, for me, a necessary surgery to get rid of the pain and the deep grooves in my shoulders. When the surgery was over all that pain was instantly gone. Three pounds were removed from each side and I could finally throw my shoulders back.

Throughout the pre-surgery sessions, the hospital (day of surgery), and the after care, Dr. Fodero was a caring, gentle physician, who always maintained his professionalism, and truly seemed concerned about wanting to help me. A few days of discomfort after the surgery (easily handled by painkillers—I was off them by the third day) was more than worth it for the overall benefits. People who didn’t know I had the surgery thought I lost weight—in other words, it was not so obvious. Dr. Fodero performed an effective but subtle reduction. And two months later, the scars were barely visible. I felt completely back to normal within a few weeks of the surgery. I had heard horror stories of not being able to lift your arms and needing physical therapy. None of that was true in my case. The recovery was simple. I wish I had done this years ago.

I have every confidence in Dr. Fodero’s abilities as a surgeon. He embodies what all doctors should be. Yes, he is knowledgeable and skilled, but he is considerate of each patient and will treat you as an individual. He will go out of his way to make the surgery possible, especially for those of us who really need it as opposed to those who merely want it.”