Reasons for Downsizing Breast Implants

When you think of breast implants, you might picture noticeably large breasts, such as Pamela Anderson’s famous double-Ds. But not so fast: the dramatically-large look that was once so popular may be going out of style, with more starlets reducing their breast implant size.

In recent years, celebrities who may have downsized include Denise Richards, Victoria Beckham, and Drew Barrymore. Together they signify a trend toward smaller, more manageable breast implants.

Everyday women who are tired of having extremely large breast implants may be choosing a revision surgeryto reduce size, according to CBS News health reporter Stephanie Stahl.

Why patients reduce implant size

• Too much attention to bust size
• Desire for a more proportional (natural) appearance
• Very large breasts can make exercise or physical activities more difficult
• Back or neck pain (symptoms that indicate breast reduction)

While surgery to reduce implant size involves simply exchanging one implant for another, there’s usually some reconstruction required, since the pocket housing the implant needs to be modified. Risks of the surgery are similar to regular augmentation surgery, but the recovery time is typically shorter.

Harriet Bleiman, a breast implant reduction patient who spoke with CBS, loves her reduced bust size. “I just feel like this is the right proportion for me… I liked them at the beginning, and after a couple of years they felt like two large, standing out, almost cantaloupes, and that made me very uncomfortable.”

Now, Harriet says, it actually feels as if having a smaller breast size has helped everything from her self-confidence to her golf game.

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