Breast Reduction

Do you suffer from upper back pain, neck pain, deep shoulder grooving and rashes under your breasts? Then breast reduction may be a breast enhancement procedure for you. The goal of the breast reduction is to reduce the size of your breast to make them more proportional with your figure and to alleviate all of the above mentioned symptoms. Even a small breast reduction and repositioning of the breasts higher on the chest can help alleviate back pain and neck pain. Pendulous and saggy breasts change the center of gravity making it extremely uncomfortable and putting a significant strain on the back and neck muscles. Repositioning the breasts in their proper place on the chest wall while reducing their size helps to restore this balance.

Breast Reduction Consultation and Planning

During your consultation your plastic surgeon will listen to your concerns and discuss your desired results from this surgery. Your surgeon will ask you about your symptoms and review your medical history. Physical exam will be performed to evaluate the size, shape and symmetry of your breasts. Photographs will be taking for preoperative planning. It is important that your blood pressure is well-controlled prior to this operation. It is also strongly advised that patients do not smoke for a month before their surgery and a months after their surgery in order to minimize on the complication risks.

Your surgeon will estimate the amount of breast tissue that needs to be removed. He or she will also go over what kind of incisions you will have and explain any risks associated with the procedure.

Breast Reduction Procedure Description

Breast reduction can be performed in an outpatient surgical center or at the hospital as an outpatient surgery. This cosmetic procedure is usually performed under general anesthesia and takes about 4 hours. There are different types of breast reduction techniques and your surgeon will advise on what kind of procedure will be most beneficial for you. Most commonly used breast reduction techniques are a vertical breast reduction and an anchor pattern breast reduction.

In this first type of operation your incisions will be around the nipple and areola complex and vertically on the breasts. In the second type of procedure, which is used when more skin needs to be removed, the incision is around the nipple areola as well as vertically on the breasts and horizontally at the breast folds.

During the operation excess breast tissue is removed, the nipple areola complex is moved to a new higher position and the breast is reshaped. The tissue removed from each breast is weighed in order to ensure that the symmetry is maintained. All incisions are closed with absorbable sutures and no sutures need to be removed during the post-operative period. Patients are placed in the circumferential wrap or a surgical bra after the operation. Patients are able to go home after a short period in the recovery room.

Breast Reduction Recovery

Patients usually experience mild to moderate discomfort after breast reduction procedure, which is well controlled with oral pain medications. You will be scheduled for a close follow up with your surgeon. Shower may be taken 48 hours after the operation, and patient should continue wearing their surgical bra continuously day and night. Most patients are able to return to work in 1-2 weeks. No heavy lifting or strenuous activity should be performed for about 4 to 6 weeks. At six weeks patients are generally able to resume all of their normal activities including exercise.

Breast Reduction Results

For the first couple of weeks the breasts remain swollen and bruised and are larger than they will be after complete recovery. Therefore, you should not go shopping for new bras in the early post-operative period as your breast size will continue to change. You should feel immediate improvement in the pain and tension in our upper back and neck. You will be able to experience new freedom and enjoy activities such as running, biking and swimming without the constant discomfort in your neck, back and shoulders. You will also be able to enjoy new clothing options with your new smaller and lighter breasts.

What are scars from breast reduction like?

The scars are usually around the nipple and areola as well as vertically on the breasts and sometimes at the breast folds. The scar that is most visible and most often complained about by patients is the vertical scar. It is hard to predict and control how different individuals will scar. Surgical incision may be closed in the most delicate and precise way and the patient may develop poor scarring due to genetic factors. Scars look the worse at six weeks. Scar may be red and raised at this time. After that scars starts to change and usually becomes less noticeable. There are certain scar products that can be used to help with the scar management and can make scars appear better. These usually help to get the scars to their final state faster. Your surgeon may recommend some products to try on your scars if scarring becomes a problem.