Student, 21, with 30J bust reveals NHS refused to give her a breast reduction despite agonising back pain after doctor said her chest was ‘just saggy’

A British student with size 30J breasts is raising thousands of pounds for a reduction surgery after her request was ‘unfairly’ dismissed by the NHS – despite meeting all of its criteria for a free procedure. 

Yasmine Ben- Omar, 21, from Brighton, wanted a breast reduction for agonising back pain which was affecting her mental health, but doctors told her that her bust ‘was not that big’ and her breasts were ‘just saggy’.

She has now set up a GoFundMe page to cover the cost of private healthcare – but the fundraising bid has left her exposed to misogynistic comments about her appearance. 

Speaking to Femail, Yasmine also revealed screenshots of her social media posts have even been posted on ‘disgusting’ forums without her consent – adding ‘it’s an ongoing struggle’ to raise enough money for the surgery.  

The Manchester-based student said she has felt ‘ashamed’ of her body for over a decade, having lived with the stigma and physical discomfort of her bra size since she was 11. 

‘I was in so much pain,’ Yasmine admitted. ‘I didn’t have properly-fitted bras because my mum couldn’t afford to buy expensive ones that were over £50. 

‘I was always uncomfortable, I didn’t join PE when I was in school. 

‘I was very insecure and always in pain,’ she repeated. ‘It was a really bad experience, it made my childhood really weird and uncomfortable.’

Her peers would refer to Yasmine as ‘the girl with big boobs’, she continued, adding: ‘I always got the wrong attention and would treat me like I was a lot older.’ 

When she turned 18, Yasmine decided to undergo breast reduction surgery to alleviate the chronic back pain and feelings of shame that she struggled with all through school. 

However, at the time, Yasmine didn’t meet one of the NHS’ key eligibility criterion because she was over the required BMI limit of 27. 

Determined to pass all the qualifying conditions, Yasmine lost nearly four stone  – bringing her BMI to 25 –  before contacting the North Manchester General Hospital for an appointment that was scheduled for January 23.  

Breast reduction surgery requires a referral from a specialist surgeon, who checks whether they meet the criteria laid out by the local intergrated care board (ICB). 

These include suffering from backaches, shoulder or neck pain, grooves on the shoulders from bra straps, psychological distress such as low self-esteem and depression, as well as an inability to exercise or take part in sports. 

Problems that Yasmine has encountered for over a decade but were overlooked during her appointment, she claimed.  

‘The consultant literally just looked at me and went, “Oh, they’re not big.”

‘She said they’re not big, they’re just really saggy. She said you need a breast lift, not a breast reduction, even though my breasts are 30J, which is very large,’ Yasmine recalled her 10-minute examination. 

The average bra size in the UK is 36DD, or five sizes smaller than a 30J. 

During the appointment, the breast surgeon allegedly told Yasmine she has ‘loose skin’ and that ‘we don’t do breast lifts on the NHS’ before drawing the curtain and walking out of the room. 

‘It felt quite judgemental, she wasn’t very empathetic,’ Yasmine added. ‘She just rushed me; the appointment was meant to be half an hour, but she did it in less than 10 minutes I would say. 

‘The whole experience was horrible.’

A spokesperson for North Manchester General Hospital said: ‘Ms Ben-Omar has contacted MFT Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALs) team and PALS will be in contact with Ms Ben-Omar to discuss next steps.’

Disheartened by the experience, Yasmine – who appealed the NHS’ decision – now hopes to raise enough money to fly to Turkey or Lithuania for the ‘life-changing’ surgery. 

She set up the GoFundMe, with a goal to raise £2,200, and is also juggling two part-time jobs along with her coursework at Manchester Metropolitan University. 

However, Yasmine added, it has been hard to ignore the ‘horrible’ messages and comments she has received since setting up the fundraiser. 

‘I posted about [the fundraiser] on TikTok, and I think I got around 20,000 views and the majority of my comments were just hate comments. 

‘People over-sexualising me, people saying “You’ll be ugly, I’m going to unfollow you if you get the reduction surgery”,’ she admitted. 

‘I’ve even been posted on a forum,’ Yasmine continued. ‘I found that people had been posting me online, talking about my breasts when I don’t share anything sexual or inappropriate. 

‘But they take screenshots of me and post them on disgusting forums, being really creepy. 

‘That makes me feel so uncomfortable and it just makes me feel ashamed of my body when I shouldn’t be.

‘It’s an ongoing struggle,’ she concluded. 

Yasmine also addressed ‘misogynistic’ messages from men who told her the surgery would make her less attractive, saying: ‘It’s really selfish.  

‘It’s basically putting the woman’s pain below their own pleasure.’