Breast Reduction

Breast reduction surgery, also known as mammoplasty, is a surgical procedure for removing excess fat, skin and tissue from large breasts. The procedure has a positive outcome on your body shape by reducing your breast size in relation to your body frame. For most women, the reduction procedure reduces your breast size one or two cup sizes. During the procedure, your surgeon takes special care to maintain your breasts’ functionality and sensitivity.

The surgical procedure aims to reshape your bust, which has a significant impact on your quality of life. If you have excessively large breasts that cause back and neck strain, this surgery is an ideal solution. The mammoplasty procedure can also give you a boost in self-confidence and self-esteem, relieving anxiety you may have about what some call your “big boobs.

Who’s a Candidate for Breast Reduction?

If your excessively large breasts cause you pain and discomfort, you’re a good candidate for a breast reduction procedure. When your breasts grow out of proportion, it impacts your physical and emotional well-being. But you can take advantage of the benefits from breast reduction.
You may be a candidate for a breast reduction surgery if:

You suffer the side effects of large breasts, including neck or back pain.
The size of your breasts is out of proportion with the rest of your body, leading to poor posture and other side effects.
The weight of your breasts causes painful bra indentations on your shoulders.
The size of your breasts impairs your ability to lead an active lifestyle.
One of your breasts is larger than the other.
You otherwise enjoy good health.
You have realistic expectations about the outcomes of mammoplasty.
You’re not a smoker.

What Are the Benefits of Breast Reduction?

If you have disproportionately large breasts, you appreciate how they affect your life. The goal of breast reduction surgery is to relieve pain and suffering, allowing you to lead a healthier lifestyle. With a bust that’s proportioned appropriately, you get back control of your life. The benefits associated with a mammoplasty include:

The ability to enjoy an active lifestyle
Long-lasting and life-changing results
An improved quality of life through reduced back and neck pain
Better health through a more active lifestyle
Ease in finding properly proportioned clothing.

What Happens During Breast Reduction Surgery?

Breast reduction is an inpatient surgery that takes place in your plastic surgeon’s surgical center. The corrective procedure aims to give you a smaller, more ideal breast size, improving your quality of life. It is not a cosmetic procedure. The procedure follows certain general steps, including:

Incision marks. Your surgeon marks the incision lines on your breasts, depending on their shape, size and required reduction. This is usually done while you’re standing.
Once you’re comfortably lying down on the operating bed, the anesthesiologist puts you under general anesthesia, so you sleep through the procedure. The anesthesiologist stays at hand to monitor you throughout the surgery.
Incisions are made according to the best breast reduction technique based on your breasts’ anatomy.
Breast reduction. The surgeon removes the excess fat, skin and glandular tissue from the lower part of your breasts to reduce the size.
Breast lift. Your bust is reshaped with the remaining breast tissue into natural contours, as part of your breast lift.
Nipple and areola repositioning. The surgeon moves your nipple to a higher location on the breast while it’s still attached to its blood supply.
Closing the incision. By bringing the incisions together, your newly reduced breasts gain a natural shape. Using suture layering in the breast tissue creates support. To close the incision, the doctor uses a combination of skin adhesives, surgical tape and sutures. Whenever possible, your surgeon uses absorbent sutures that dissolve naturally.
The surgeon dresses the incisions with a gauze bandage and then wraps your bosom in a protective cover.

What Can I Expect from My Breast Reduction Surgery?

Before you go for breast reduction surgery, you discuss your expectations with your plastic surgeon. Important points to remember about this procedure include:
The breast surgery procedure generally takes two to three hours.
Expect some mild pain and soreness when you wake up immediately after the procedure.
You may feel pulling or stretching around your breasts. It’s normal and will pass.
While the procedure can be an outpatient procedure, you may require an overnight stay.
You may feel weak after the surgery because of the general anesthesia, so if you’re released the same day, you need a friend or family member to drive you home and stay with you for the first 24 hours.
After some time, you begin to feel better, and the effects of the surgery become more pronounced, but you have to wait until you’re fully healed before you see the final results.
The surgeon arranges to remove your stitches in five to ten days, if appropriate.
Avoid heavy lifting and lifting your arms over your head for the first two weeks after surgery to allow healing.
Take your first shower a day after the removal of your bandages.

What’s the Recovery Like for Breast Surgery Reduction?

Everyone heals differently, but in general, two weeks after surgery, you feel well enough to return to your normal daily activities. Important points regarding your recovery include:

Discomfort and soreness. You may feel some pain and soreness around your breasts during your recovery period. Your doctor may prescribe a short-term round of prescription pain medication or recommend the best over-the-counter painkillers to reduce your discomfort.
Going back to work. You can return to work in two to three weeks, depending on how you feel and what kind of work you do. By that stage of your breast reduction recovery, you’re likely wearing a sports bra for support.
Avoid high-intensity exercise, especially running and weight-lifting, for at least a month. Don’t participate in high-impact sports. Wait until after your follow-up visit to receive exact instructions for a moderate return to your physical activities.
Scars are expected because of the incisions made. The visibility of the scarring depends on the technique used and how extensive the breast reduction was. Initially, your scars may be highly visible, red or pink in color. With proper care, any scarring fades after several months.
Breast surgery results. As your body continues to heal, you can expect to see full results of your surgery in three weeks to several months, depending on how extensive your surgery was.

FAQs on Breast Reduction

How long will my results last? The results are long-lasting in most women without the need to repeat the procedure. But the procedure can’t prevent the effects of gravity, normal aging, weight variations or pregnancy.

When can I sleep without a bra after a breast reduction? Six weeks after your breast reduction, you can stop wearing the special bra and opt to wear an ordinary bra or sleep without one.

At what age can I get a breast reduction? The best time for a breast reduction is after you’re 18 years old or when your breasts have fully developed.

Do breasts grow back after reduction surgery? While your breasts can grow back if you gain significant weight, with proper health and preventive measures, you can avoid that.

Can I get a breast reduction while pregnant? No. The best surgeon’s advice is to postpone breast reduction surgery until after childbirth. You can have the surgery four to six months after childbirth or after breastfeeding.

Can I have breast reduction surgery twice? If your breasts increase in size again, your surgeon can recommend a second surgery to give you the desired bust size.

Can I breastfeed after surgery? You can resume breastfeeding after you heal from surgery. Otherwise, you may find it painful, which is why you’re advised against getting the procedure while you’re pregnant or breastfeeding.