I never realised, until now, that large breasts made women cynical about male attention.

Nor, did I realise that British bra cup sizes were different to Australian bra cup sizes.  When the article below appeared in the UK Daily Mail, it was titled “From an F cup to a D cup with no scalpel or scars: Meet the first woman to undergo the pioneering surgery

The Australian Herald Sun version: “I went from an E to C cup”.

I went from an E to C cup

Claire O'Keefe, 30, had Microlipo in 2010.

I'd spent years looking like a cartoon character with breasts that were huge in proportion to my size-12 figure. I was flat-chested until I was 14 and overnight my breasts were huge.

Suddenly the things I loved, such as dancing, swimming and fashionable clothes, became a nightmare because it was impossible to find things to fit me. Nights out were unbearable because my breasts attracted unwanted male attention.

I love to exercise but anything that involved running or jumping was painful and I had to wear a normal bra plus two sports bras to do a work out. Sleeping on my front was also a no-no and I anticipated getting back problems as I got older.

I know women who had traditional breast-reduction surgery and, despite all the problems their breasts had caused, they ended up wishing they'd put up with them because the scarring after the operation is so bad. I'd also like a family one day and I'll want to breastfeed.

Microlipo was painless. I had a bit of swelling afterwards, which took six weeks to subside. The worst part was wearing the compression bandages. They were so tight it was difficult to sleep. I only had to wear them for three days, which is nothing compared to the weeks of recovery after traditional surgery.

The operation was worth every cent. I'm now a C-cup. I can exercise, sleep on my front, and I'm no longer cynical about male attention. It has been life-changing for me.