Amber Rose Says She Wants Breast Reduction Surgery. Here’s How It Works

Amber Rose says she wants breast reduction surgery. (Photo: Getty Images)
Amber Rose says she wants breast reduction surgery. (Photo: Getty Images)

Amber Rose always speaks her mind, so it isn’t surprising that she just revealed to the world she’s thinking about having breast reduction surgery.

The 33-year-old model, who made headlines over the weekend for covering her blond buzz cut with a short brunette wig, kicked off Monday morning with a personal post on Instagram.

“I’m thinking about getting a breast reduction this year,” Rose wrote in the message, which now has 185,000 likes. “My boobs are stupid heavy, my back hurts, and I can’t wear cute lil shirts without a grandma bra. I’m really scared of the lollipop scars tho … any advice? Are there any ladies out there that are much happier even though you have breast reduction scars? And no I don’t have implants so they can’t just cut around the nipples. Tell me about ur experiences.”

Many Instagram commenters endorsed the procedure with enthusiasm and reassured the star that she likely won’t have scars.

Rose is in good company when it comes to celebrities who have opened up about their body insecurities. Kate Moss shies away from clothing that shows her self-described “bow legs,” Kim Kardashian has spoken of her “hairiest hairline” and psoriasis, and Rihanna once said: “I do pick on my body. It’s a thing that women do. We walk in front of the mirror and we look at our butt. Is it getting bigger today? Ew. It’s still flat.”

And many stars — Ariel Winter, Drew Barrymore, Queen Latifah — have undergone breast reduction surgery.

According to the latest available statistics from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, more than 103,000 women underwent breast reduction surgery in 2015. It’s also dubbed the “happy surgery” among surgeons, reports the Los Angeles Times, for relieving back, neck, and shoulder pain caused by too-large breasts.

“There are generally two types of patients who seek breast reduction surgery,” Lloyd Landsman, a board-certified cosmetic surgeon in New York’s Long Island, tells Yahoo Beauty. “Young women without children who have big breasts and a small body, or mothers with ptosis of the breast due to [pregnancy or breastfeeding], which causes drooping.” Surgery isn’t always the answer, particularly for obese women for whom weight loss may or may not naturally decrease the size of their breasts.

The operation can last between two and three hours and cost anywhere between $10,000 to $15,000. In some cases, it’s covered by health insurance as long as there’s a medical reason for the procedure.

According to Landsman, there are two ways to do a breast reduction. “In either case, we cut around the areola, then make either what’s known as a ‘lollipop’ incision (moving vertically from the base of the areola to the base of the breast) or an ‘anchor,’ which is an additional transverse cut underneath the crease of the breast,” he says. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all operation, and a good surgeon will try to avoid scarring.”

The second portion of the surgery involves reshaping the breast into a cohesive mass of tissue and redraping the skin over it, while sometimes performing a breast-lift procedure.

Who knows whether Rose will actually go through with the procedure. But either way, fans have her back.

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