AN inquest heard last week how a teenager died after a routine operation to reduce the size of one her breasts. Abigail Stevenage, 19, died a week after the operation at a hospital in the West Midlands after infection set in.

What prompts young girls to have a breast reduction? JAKKI PHILLIPS talks to 17-year-old Moina Sandon about the unhappiness which drove her to plastic surgery and the new confidence she has gained since her operation.

Moina went from a 36DD to a 36B and despite, the tragedy of Abigail's death, says she would still make the same decision to have the operation again.

MOINA Sandon remembers being horrified by her body when she looked in the mirror aged 15.

As she developed she began going through changes which to her seemed instinctively wrong.

As her breasts started to grow Moina's skin began to stretch, leaving savage purple marks and visible scars.

The bulk of the tissue was concentrated low down and Moina felt they looked more like an old woman's than a healthy young girl's

Moina, of Uplands Avenue, Worthing, said: "When you are surrounded by images of perfect breasts in magazines and on the television it becomes difficult to accept that yours are not like that.

"I knew my breasts looked odd and I hated it. I just wanted to block it all out and pretend they weren't there."

Moina's mum Sally remembers watching her daughter's bubbly and confident character fade away.

She said: "Ever since she was a little girl Moina had enjoyed getting up on stage and singing and dancing in shows and the pantomimes.

"She has never been shy and was always a talented little girl who loved being involved with the theatre.

"But when she was in her mid-teens she lost her sparkle.

"She would spend a lot of time in her room and when she came out she would be snappy and miserable."

At school Moina avoided PE so she did not have to change in front of her classmates.

When out shopping with her friends she admired glitzy tops but never entered the fitting room for fear people would see her breasts.

Moina said: "It got to the point when my breasts where ruining my life. I lost all my confidence and sense of humour.

"I took part in a lot of drama and dancing classes and I was always paranoid that people could see my breasts through my leotard or my costume.

"I never felt relaxed and I was always looking round to check that people weren't staring at me."

One day Moina was trying on an outfit for her brother's wedding and broke down in tears when her mother asked how the dress looked.

Sally said: "I still remember her shouting 'I'll never look nice while I have these'. I'd always known there had been a problem but every time I tried to speak to Moina she got upset.

"I just had to wait for her to come to me, and when she did we sat down and had a really big chat."

Moina asked her dad Peter, a doctor, for advice. and he made inquiries about breast reduction surgery.

He sought out Nick Parkhouse, a consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon at the Queen Victoria hospital in East Grinstead and the London Clinic.

Moina said: "It was a big decision but I knew I did not want to continue life with my 36DD breasts and a reduction seemed the most sensible solution.

"When I first met Nick he spent a long time talking me through the risks and explaining exactly what he would be doing.

"I was very frightened by the thought of plastic surgery and I spent a long time thinking about my decision.

"But when I went for the operation I was 100 per cent certain it was right for me."

Last August, almost a year after her first consultation, Moina went into King Edward VII Hospital in Midhurst for the two-hour operation.

The surgeon took away a large portion of the lower part of the breast, reshaped the upper part and moved the nipple and surrounding skin higher up to a new position.

She said: "Some people might think I had plastic surgery for cosmetic reasons but I can honestly say I didn't.

"I was treated on the NHS and if I went privately it would have cost me about £5,000.

"The ugliness of my breasts was the main reason for the surgery but the stretching also caused me a lot of pain.

"I used to take painkillers nearly every day just to feel comfortable."

After the surgery Moina could hardly wait to rip off the bandages and get the first glimpse of her new figure.

She said: "My dad advised me to take an anti-inflammatory before the surgery hence I didn't suffer from much bruising or swelling."

She added: "As soon as I saw my breasts I knew my life would be very different.

"They weren't saggy, they were firm and for once I felt proud that they were a part of me."

Moina's operation was different to the one undergone by Abigail Stevenage from Kidderminster.

Abigail died from septicaemia following liposuction to reduce her breasts.

But with her father a GP and her grandfather, who died last year, a plastic surgeon, Moina and her family had plenty of expert advice.

Sally said: "You are always nervous when your child goes for surgery but we had total confidence in the surgeon and the operation."

"I had no qualms about her going ahead with it and if she was considering the operation now I would still back her."

Days after the operation Moina enjoyed a shopping trip with her friends.

She said: "For weeks I had been admiring a tye-dye top with thin straps.

"I would never have worn it before but with my new smaller breasts I couldn't wait to try it on.

"My friends think I'm back to the girl they used to know years ago.

"I feel more confident now and I am looking forward to wearing thin summer tops this year.

"In previous years I always covered up with big baggy t-shirts and jumpers."

Moina even hopes to appear on TV impression show Stars In Their Eyes, although she hasn't decided who to impersonate yet.

Moina is currently studying stage management at Chichester College and is planning her television debut.

She said: "I'm going to audition for Stars In Their Eyes but I haven't decided who I'll be yet.

"My voice is very distinctive, which can be a problem, but I've been practising imitating a few singers and I think my voice sounds pretty convincing."

Less than a year after her operation Moina is ready to take on the world.

She said: "I look back on the last few years and don't even recognise myself.

"I'm looking forward to living life to the full and enjoying my new confidence."

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