Helen is an assistant director/production assistant in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. Working on both movies and television shows is quite an experience for a young woman in her mid-twenties, and Helen loves it. “It’s great!” she said.
Until recently, one of Helen’s attributes commanded too much of the limelight – her breast size. “I was big in high school,” she related, “which was hard because I played basketball.” But by the time she reached full adulthood and began her career, Helen was buying bras with size G cups. Like many women with very large breasts, Helen dreamed about breast reduction surgery for years. “Having huge breasts in high school is horrible,” she said. “It was awful for my self esteem. I felt people looked at my chest when they talked to me instead of at my face, and many of them actually did.” Helen also said her breasts impacted the way she felt about interacting with guys during those years. “I didn’t date at all,” she said, “I sort of avoided that whole thing.”
As she started work in the entertainment field, oftentimes Helen still felt uncomfortable with others, believing that her breasts played too big a role in her identity. “I always thought that was the first thing people noticed about me.” Her breast size also affected her physically. She experienced back pain, and her physical activities were limited. “There was no way you’d see me jogging,” she said. Large breasts are a trait in Helen’s family, and she first started getting serious about surgery when her aunt had breast reduction in Southern California with Dr. Stevens. “My aunt raved about it, she said it was the best thing she had ever done. I saw her start to lose weight as she was able to be more physical.” Helen explained that her aunt was honest with her, telling her that breast reduction is real surgery with some discomfort and a bit of recovery time. “But she said her results were great and it was well worth it. She really encouraged me.”
Another aunt went with Helen to see Dr. Stevens. “He made me feel very comfortable; he was sensitive and understanding. He said ‘let’s take care of this for you.'” Having made the decision to move forward, Helen was apprehensive. Though her fears were very common, she admits they weren’t the most rational. Part of her worried that she wouldn’t wake up from the anesthesia, another part worried she might wake up too early. “The anesthesiologist was very good. He reassured me that the surgery was routine. He explained exactly what he would be doing, then he went ahead with it right away. He didn’t give me time to dwell on it.” Like many patients at Marina Plastic Surgery, Helen stayed at the Serenity Center for the first night of recovery. As a single person, another concern she had was being alone after the procedure. “The nurses at the Serenity Center were great,” Helen said. “They let me get my rest, which was what I needed, but they were nearby too.
I felt at ease there.” Helen experienced some bruising and moderate discomfort for a few days after surgery. She took pain killers for two days then, because she’s sensitive to pain medication, she chose to discontinue taking the prescription. She switched to over-the-counter pain relievers and found she could handle the discomfort that way. Helen ended up taking about a month away from her job. “When I went back, I was ready to do everything except heavy lifting.” She was more than ready for the changes she experienced. “I have so much more confidence now,” she said. And she enjoys the fact that she can find bras that actually fit her and has her choice of tops to wear. “I would do it all over again, without a doubt,” Helen says of her surgery, now almost a year behind her. And if anyone asked her advice about having breast reduction in the Los Angeles area, she said “I would absolutely recommend surgery with Dr. Stevens.”
