Breast reductions are on the rise. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 76,040 breast reductions were performed in 2025, a 7 percent increase from 2024, following a 54 percent jump from 2019 to 2022.
People choose breast reduction for personal reasons, ranging from physical comfort to aesthetic preference. Celebrities have been particularly open about why they chose surgery, and as the stories below show, there isn’t one universal reason for doing it. Ahead, their stories, plus expert insight into the procedure, recovery and results.
Featured Experts
- Elie Levine, MD is a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York
- Daniel Maman, MD is a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York
Getty Images / Emma McIntyre/Oscars
Getty Images / Roy Rochlin
Getty Images/ Walter McBride
Getty Images / Jamie McCarthy
Getty Images / Matt Winkelmeyer
Getty Images / Axelle/Bauer-Griffin
Getty Images / Steve Granitz
Getty Images / Amanda Edwards
What Does Breast Reduction Surgery Involve?
Breast reduction, also called reduction mammaplasty, removes excess breast tissue, fat and skin and reshapes the remaining breast. The nipple and areola are typically repositioned during surgery, and the exact incision pattern depends on a patient’s anatomy and the amount of tissue being removed.
New York plastic surgeon Elie Levine, MD, says the conversation starts with much more than a desired cup size. Height, weight, breast volume, body proportions and physical symptoms all factor into the surgical plan.
“The goal is, we want your chest to look as great as it can, and we want to address those symptoms,” he says.
Cup size alone isn’t a particularly precise way to plan a breast reduction, either. Bra sizing varies by brand and band measurement, so surgeons are looking at the breast in relation to the rest of the body rather than promising a specific letter on a bra tag.
Why Do Patients Choose Breast Reduction?
Back, neck and shoulder pain are some of the most familiar complaints, but they are far from the only ones.
New York plastic surgeon Daniel Maman, MD, says patients may also experience rashes beneath the breasts, deep grooves from bra straps, trouble finding clothes and limitations with exercise and other daily activities. Some patients have none of those problems and simply prefer a smaller breast.
“Many of my patients seek breast reduction purely because of an aesthetic preference for smaller breasts,” Dr. Maman says in NewBeauty’s guide to reduction surgery. “Many women today specifically request a more petite, athletic look.”
That mix of physical and aesthetic reasons is one reason breast reduction doesn’t fit neatly into the usual cosmetic-surgery conversation. As experts explained in our look at the biggest breast reduction myths, the procedure can address pain and function while also changing breast shape, size and proportion.
Dr. Maman says the physical relief can happen quickly. “Patients feel almost instantaneous improvements in back, shoulder and neck pain and chest discomfort,” he says, adding that exercise, mobility, sleep and finding clothes that fit can also become easier.
What Is Breast Reduction Recovery Like?
Soreness, swelling and bruising are expected early on, and patients typically wear a surgical or support bra while their incisions heal. Depending on the surgeon and technique, drains may also be used.
Recovery varies, but Dr. Maman says many of his patients are surprised by how quickly they start feeling like themselves again.
“Most patients find recovery from breast reduction surgery to be much easier than anticipated,” he says. In his practice, patients may be able to work on a laptop from home within the first few days and return to office work around one week, with exercise introduced gradually. Your own surgeon’s timeline should always take precedence.
Feeling better doesn’t mean the breasts are finished healing. Swelling continues to settle, scars evolve and the final breast shape can take months to emerge. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons recommends following your surgeon’s specific instructions for activity, incision care and support garments throughout recovery.
And some of the restrictions are surprisingly practical. In her account of post-reduction recovery, Eva Amurri shared that she wasn’t allowed to lift her arms to blow-dry her hair while she was healing and had to avoid strenuous activity for six weeks.
What About Scars?
A breast reduction requires incisions, so some permanent scarring is part of the trade-off. Depending on the technique, scars may sit around the areola, extend vertically from the areola to the breast crease and, with larger reductions, continue horizontally along the crease beneath the breast. They typically change significantly as they mature.
Scar quality also varies from person to person, which is why looking at a surgeon’s long-term results matters. Someone who tends to form raised or darker scars may heal differently than someone whose scars become very fine and pale.
Stassi Schroeder’s willingness to show hers publicly is a good example of what scars can look like outside the highly controlled setting of a surgical before-and-after gallery. Ariel Winter has also allowed her breast-reduction scars to show on the red carpet rather than covering them.
What Should You Look for in Before-and-After Photos?
Celebrity photos are interesting, but they aren’t particularly useful for evaluating breast-reduction results. Different bras, clothes, weight changes, poses and camera angles can dramatically change how breasts look, and public photos don’t tell you how much tissue was removed or exactly how someone healed.
A surgeon’s before-and-after gallery gives you much more information.
“The key to finding the right surgeon is reviewing the surgeon’s credentials, looking at their before and after gallery, making sure they perform a high volume of breast reductions and, more importantly, to confirm that you like the aesthetic of their results,” says Dr. Maman.
Look at patients whose starting anatomy resembles yours and pay attention to breast shape, nipple position, symmetry, proportions and scars. It’s also helpful to see results taken well after surgery, not just during the first few weeks or months.
Most importantly, the consultation should be about what you want from the surgery, whether that’s relief from back pain, being able to exercise more comfortably, feeling better in clothing or simply preferring a smaller breast. That’s one thing the celebrities on this list make especially clear. Their reasons were different, but each made the decision based on what felt better for her own body.
