Breast reductions are growing in South Africa. First Health Finance, which offers finance to people who want cosmetic surgery, has recorded a 20% increase in the number of women applying for loans to pay for breast reductions.In the US 80% of women surveyed want smaller breasts while in the UK the number of reductions almost doubled from 2900 in 2013 to more than 4400 procedures in 2015.FHF chief executive Jason Sive yesterday said his company received so many applications for breast reductions in the past 12 months that if the operations were to be carried out, they would total R38-million in cost.He added that 70% of the applicants were from Gauteng.He said: "The medical aids continue to repudiate many of these claims, hence the funding requirement from FHF. The cost of this procedure varies between R40000 and R50000, depending on the plastic surgeon," he said.Cape Town plastic surgeon Dr Paul Skoll said large breasts can "place extra strain on the back, neck and shoulders, and bra straps may cause grooves in the skin from the weight of the breasts".He added: "It limits the patient's choice of clothing, as well as limiting their ability to exercise."Numerous studies confirm that the surgery improves the quality of life of those who undergo it for the correct reasons."But he said "fewer and fewer" medical aid schemes consider motivation letters for the procedure from doctors."So in my practice, it is privately funded in 99.9% of cases," he said.A Durban woman, who did not want to be identified, said the R42000 she forked out for her surgery in 2010 was worth every cent."My spinal cord was starting to bend because of the pressure from my big breasts. I was a size DDD ."I had to have the operation," she said...