I actually logged onto here after wanting this surgery myself for a very long time. So I went to my doctor and talked about the issue, and then got to an orthopedic specialist and here's what I've found out so far.
1. nearly all the symptoms everyone is describing here are similar to heart failure. In fact this type of surgery is not as 'safe' as everyone claims. When you stand up straight, blood goes to your legs. Your calves are part of making the blood go back up to your heart. This happens because of a few factors, one being the muscle itself. So when you cut that muscle away, you're pushing your heart towards heart failure. Thats why you need to keep your legs higher (the blood isn't going back to your heart by the muscle) and that's why you compress after surgery.
2. There are barely scientific articles about it!!! In fact, most articles are written by the handful of surgeons who perform these surgeries and almost none make it to big journals - with reason! The side effects aren't described nearly enough. Varicose veins are rarely mentioned, nerve damage, depression of a muscle, regeneration of muscle,...
3. A lack of following up the patients, so no data is available on how this surgery holds up long-term. There's barely data about side effects, long term complications and we also don't know how this can affect other conditions.
I know first hand that having big calves is uncomfortable. I don't wear any dresses that come above my knee, it makes me super insecure. Part of it is genetic and part (for me at least) is because I have genu recurvatum caused by bad posture. Women who tend to push their pelvis forward and knees backward have this. And if you too have Genu recurvatum there's a chance you might want to look into that - as it could provide some answers.
However I just cannot let people just undergo a surgery like this without knowing what they're getting themselves into.
If you get pregnant, there's a higher risk of developing hemorrhoids
You're also going to have a higher risk of varicose veins
If you're trying to go a natural route here's what I can advise
-Weight loss. Most women with calf issues have excess weight and it goes to your calves
-Swimming!!!! The best way to tone down without gaining much muscle is swimming
-Acceptance: although its hard to believe, sometimes its important to accept yourself for who you are