There are many reasons that you may find yourself in need of mastectomy swimwear – it may be that you didn’t want reconstructive surgery, or that it isn’t an option suitable for you at the moment. What you don’t want to hear though is that while you should be eligible for reconstructive surgery, the NHS is denying you from having it.

However, according to new research reported by the Telegraph, many women across the country are being denied surgery to restore their bodies because of ‘rationing’ of this kind of procedure.

According to a Freedom of Information request, one in four NHS trusts have introduced restrictive policies which is limiting options of women considering the surgery, including a limited timeframe in which to have the surgery.

While approximately one third of women choose to have reconstructive surgery, many of those choose to have this delayed, as they wait for their bodies to recover from the ordeal of battling cancer and the mastectomy procedure itself.

Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive at Breast Cancer Now, said that the decision to have reconstruction is personal and never taken lightly: ““It is totally unacceptable that any patient is being denied the reconstructive surgery they need or rushed into potentially life-changing decisions, at such a difficult time.”

She describes this rationing as a backward step in treatment for breast cancer patients.

Some NHS services have also denied surgery to ‘balance’ breasts after reconstructive surgery to help patients achieve symmetry, as well as refusing to carry out a second procedure if the first does not prove successful.