Having large breasts is both a blessing and a curse. Although they can make you feel sexy, they aren’t the most practical to have. In addition to finding clothes that fit, you have to worry about modesty, which is sometimes tough to achieve. You have to be prepared for unwanted attention and even with people feeling inclined to touch you. (I wish I was kidding.) But even aside from all of the societal issues, big breasts are often a health burden.
When they are naturally exceptionally large, they can cause severe back and neck pain. You’d think getting help for something like that via a breast reduction would be easy, but alas, women often struggle with both medical insurance and doctors to have surgery approved.
A UK woman is contending with the National Health Service to get her very-needed breast reduction finally done.
According to LAD Bible, Charlotte Innes, 24, has a breast size of 32HH and it causes her “excruciating” pain daily. She describes the sensation of carrying around her cup size as wearing a “weighted” vest. In November 2025, she was even been diagnosed with kyphosis, an increased curvature of the spine, which has caused two bulging spinal discs, according to her doctors.
Since September 2025, Innes, who is a mom to a little boy, claims she has tried to get a breast reduction authorized. She isn’t hoping to just improve her quality of life; she is hoping to improve the quality of her parenthood. She says playing with her son is extremely physically taxing.
The cost of the reduction privately would run her about £8,500, so she is waiting on her sixth appeal to the NHS for her needed surgery.
“Now that my son is getting older I’m finding it extremely difficult to be the parent that I want to be with him,” she told the outlet. “I want to be the young mum, going to the park with him, getting in and out of soft play, running around the field playing football. Instead, I’m counting down the seconds until we can go home and I can lie down on a hot water bottle.
“I can’t run around because it’s unbearable unless I’m holding my boobs tight to my chest, which is so embarrassing. Sitting on the floor with him playing games I’m unable to do, or I can for a very short period of time as I have no support on my back. It breaks my heart that I can’t play like my mum used to with me.”
According to her MRI, Innes’ spine is in an almost complete “S” shape and she has recently even stopped going to the gym because working out is too painful.
The NHS maintains that Innes has supplied ‘insufficient’ evidence that she needs the surgery.
Their reply has devastated her. It’s gotten so bad she wears a brace at home just to help her support the 11-pound weight she carries on her chest.
“I put on the last appeal that I was in so much pain that if it wasn’t for my son then I would seriously consider not being here because it’s a ridiculous amount of pain for feeling like you’re not being heard,” she darkly admitted. “It feels like you’re being passed from pillar to post just for no one to help.”
It’s even more strange that she hasn’t been approved, because the NHS requirements for aiding in a reduction include:
- Back, shoulder or neck pain
- Skin irritation under the breasts
- Not being able to take part in sport or exercise
- Low self-esteem or depression
- Grooves on the shoulders from bra straps
Innes complains of having all these symptoms and more. She set up a GoFundMe account to offset the costs of getting the surgery done privately.
