The Age

Streamlined figure gives Sarah new equilibrium

Jill Stark
August 15, 2010

Sarah Pinder after her breast surgery. Picture: Craig Sillitoe

IT WAS a decision that Sarah Pinder's male friends could not comprehend. ''Why would you slap God in the face?'' they quipped when she told them she was planning to have breast reduction surgery.

But for her, the large bust that invited so much unwanted attention, was not a gift from heaven. It was the source of anxiety, humiliation and physical pain. Advertisement: Story continues below

From the age of 13, when her breasts began developing faster than any of the girls in her class, she dreamed of having a ''normal'' chest. ''I would wear baggy clothes, all the other girls would be in these beautiful dresses and tops I'd be in a big sack just trying to cover myself up, I was incredibly embarrassed about the way I looked,'' Ms Pinder told The Sunday Age. ''Every year I had to buy new bras; I just couldn't stop growing. I'm not a large girl, I have a normal-size frame. I just looked ridiculous.''

Soon her self-consciousness was amplified by another problem. Ms Pinder's right breast was growing faster than her left. By the time she was 17 it was almost a G-cup while the left was an E, two sizes smaller. The asymmetry was so noticeable she had to pad one side of her bra. The weight of her breasts made exercise other than swimming painful.

''I was suffering from anxiety - going shopping I'd be in the changing rooms crying because things didn't fit me. Going to the beach was really hard, buying bathers was incredibly difficult. I just wanted to be normal and feel comfortable.''

It took several years of saving and a personal loan to amass the $10,000 she needed for the surgery.

In March Ms Pinder, a 21-year-old RMIT student from Strathmore, had the operation that she says has changed her life. Her confidence is sky-high, sleeping is no longer uncomfortable and the knee and back pain she endured is gone. ''Having it done was the best decision I've ever made for myself. I feel a million times better than I did before.''

Her plastic surgeon, Craig Rubinstein, of Cosmetic Surgery for Women, in Richmond, removed about 1.3 kilograms of tissue from her breasts and evened them to a D-cup. He would not have proceeded if she was under 18 because her body would be still developing.

Dr Rubinstein welcomed the recommendations from the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council, saying greater control was needed. ''The problem as it currently stands is that any GP can look over someone's shoulder, buy a book, rent a video, buy a liposuction machine and call themselves a cosmetic surgeon. There's no regulation, no law.''

Ms Pinder said she understands why some teenagers would want to go under the knife. ''You just have to make sure you're doing it for the right reasons.''

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