Can You Get A Breast Reduction Without Scars?

There are, unfortunately, no ‘scar-less’ options currently available for patients wishing to undergo a breast reduction or breast lift procedure.

Oftentimes large breasts are associated with breast ptosis or droop, poor cosmetic appearance, difficulty wearing certain clothing, and neck and/or shoulder aches and pains.

As a result, I have found that most patients considering a breast reduction procedure are willing to deal with some scars to help alleviate these discomforts.

If you are considering a breast reduction to achieve a more perky and youthful breast shape while decreasing the overall volume of your breasts, I would strongly recommend scheduling a consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon who specializes in breast reduction procedures.

Please remember that there is no way to predict exactly how a patient will heal and everyone heals differently. (Stephen T. Greenberg, MD, Woodbury Plastic Surgeon)

BioCorneum

Most patients who ask about a breast reduction have both large heavy breasts and some degree of sagging or ptosis. There is currently no way to do this without some scars.

There have been many innovating ideas and treatments to try and avoid the scars, but in the end, a traditional anchor type reduction will produce the best consistent outcome in terms of reduction, shape and symmetry.

Over time, the scars tend to fade but never truly disappear. There are many scar treatment options today that didn’t exist 10+ years ago and are helpful at reducing the appearance / color / texture of your scars.

Being healthy, not smoking, eating well are your best allies in having a successful outcome. Be sure to allow for adequate healing time. Generally, 1-2 weeks off of work, and about 4-6 weeks before returning to the gym.

Breast Reduction Surgery, Scarless Or Not, Has One Of The Highest Satisfaction Rates Of Any Cosmetic Breast Procedure

It will be about a month before you feel like your normal self again. (Bennett Yang, MD, Rockville Plastic Surgeon)

Breast reduction involves some scars

Breast reduction surgery involves some scarring to gain access to the tissues and reshape the breasts. Scars fade and most patients are grateful for their improved lives. (Keith Denkler, MD, Marin Plastic Surgeon)

Unfortunately, there is not a way to perform a scar less breast reduction. In order to move the nipple superiorly, remove excess glandular tissue, and excess skin, incisions on the breast are required to perform these maneuvers.

I tell patients that breast scars have the potential to heal like “fine white lines”. In addition, we place them in areas that are difficult to see while in clothing. Also, if you are having symptoms of back pain, skin breakdown, and shoulder strap grooving, these would be additional reasons to undergo a reduction. (Robert Najera, MD, Frisco Plastic Surgeon)

No-Scar Breast Reduction

Breast Reduction without Scars: Limitations in Reduction Size

If you have full breasts which are not too dense, liposuction and liposculpture can modestly reduce size, especially in certain areas. However, the limitations of this technique is the amount of tissue which can be reduced and the drop of your breasts which can occur if too much lipo is done.

This technique requires fairly tight breast skin. If the breasts are low or there is loss of breast skin elasticity, reduction with skin tightening will be required. This does produce scars which at a minimum extend around the areola and down the breast.

These scars can heal quite nicely in many patients, especially with careful suturing and aftercare. (Stephen Bresnick, MD, Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon)

There is no way to make your breasts appreciably smaller without a surgical reduction. This would require likely a scar around the nipple and vertically from the nipple to the crease in the breast.

Scars Are Minimal To Nonexistent

It may also require a scar along the crease as well. All that being said, most of these typical breast reduction scars can be managed with good scar care and ultimately leave you with fine scars on the breast.

Your board certified plastic surgeon can give you a good estimate of the extent of the scars needed for you. Lifting large breasts like you have will also require scars. (James R. Bruno, MD, FACS, Chevy Chase Plastic Surgeon)

Breast reduction surgery is mainly a functional procedure in order to relief soulder and neck pain. In terms of aesthetics the surgery make women to look thinner with less chest perimeter. Every woman with breast size more than DD who complain for breast Hyperthrophy symptoms forced to breast reduction surgery.

The result is quite satisfactory for the majority of patients because they are feeling that their routine have been changed. According to my experience (since 1998) only 2-5% feel bad with the scars and this percentage belong to hypertrophic scars and keloids.

The last 3 years we follow a protocol with the Dermatologic Department of the University of Athens,Greece using cryotherapy into the scars with very good results. Finally i do beleive that the incision scars are not a real problem for the majority of the patients and most of them are happy with the new breast. (Nodas Kapositas, MD, PhD, Greece Plastic Surgeon)

Minimizing Scars with Breast Reduction? Very Possible!!

The standard breast reduction scar in the US is the Wise pattern, or anchor type scar. I offer 3 alternatives to the anchor pattern:

Extensive Scarring

1. The ‘No Vertical Scar’ Reduction.
2. The Vertical Scar (no transverse scar)
3. LiposuctionOnly breast reduction.

LiposuctionOnly works well when the breast is very ‘fatty’. If the breast is dense and glandular, then Liposuction won’t provide adequate reduction. (Luke J. Curtsinger, MD, Savannah Plastic Surgeon)

All breast reduction surgeries have some resulting scars. Not necessarily bad scars, but there are scars. Scars can be reduced using some of the newer sutures and techniques available. There are some breast reduction techniques that result in shorter scars but these scars are not necessarily better.

Not everyone is a candidate for these techniques. (Scott E. Newman, MD, FACS, New York Plastic Surgeon)

It is not possible to do a breast reduction without leaving some scars. There are different forms of breast reduction and some involve fewer scars; however, not everyone is a good candidate for that type of surgery.

Reduce Breast Size By Removing Fat

Generally the scars heal very thin, though this is not always the case. (Allen M. Doezie, MD, Orange County Plastic Surgeon)

For the majority of my patients, over time, the scars from breast reduction surgery become nearly invisible. The most visible scar is generally the scar that goes vertically down the breast starting right below the nipple.

The scar around the areola heals very nicely, and the scars under the breast folds are covered by the breast. With that said, for the first few months following surgery, patients will have visible scars.

But as the body heals itself, and by using scar treatments such as bioCorneum, within as little as a year to a few years after surgery most patients’ scars heal so well you can barely see them, if at all.

Scarless Breast Reduction

Going to a board certified plastic surgeon with expertise in breast reduction will help ensure better healing as well. A surgeon who specializes in breast surgery will use advanced techniques to provide you with the best breast reduction available.

It is possible you could benefit from a breast lift, along with the reduction. However, I would need to examine you in person in order to give you an appropriate recommendation. (Jimmy S. Firouz, MD, FACS, Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction Breast Reduction: If you are a candidate may permit you to have a scarless breast reduction

Large breasts from macromastia frequently result in shoulder grooving and neck, back and shoulder discomfort. Traditional breast reduction involves breast paranchyma and fat removal with skin excision resulting in a mastopexy in addition to the weight reduction.

The Scarless Breast Reduction Is Also Known As The Liposuction Breast Reduction

Scarless breast reduction with liposuction through 2 small incisions at the inframammary fold allow for suction removal of the fat tissue of the breast. Often a large breast will be ptotic or droopy from the weight of the excess fat.

Once the fat is removed the elastic tissue of the breast will contract and the nipple often can establish a new position which may be as much as 2 cm elevated. If the nipple position is lower than you would like following the liposuction reduction, then a periareolar mastopexy can be performed to elevate the position of the nipple.

This avoids the scars along the lower boarder of the breast. Liposuction breast reduction can reasonably reduce the cup size of a breast by 2 cup sizes. Of course, you should be evaluated by a board certified plastic surgeon who has experience with breast liposuction reduction for an examination and counseling before making any decisions about what is best for you. (R. Brannon Claytor, MD, FACS, Bryn Mawr Plastic Surgeon)

What Is No-scar Breast Reduction

There will always be a chance of scarring..

A breast reduction/lift can be a great option to improve your appearance and reduce back pain. A breast lift can be done at the same time, but to make a significant improvement, incisions are needed.

If the procedure is performed well by an experienced surgeon, there is a good chance that the scars will be quite minimal, so the trade off is usually worth it. (Shain A. Cuber, MD, Edison Plastic Surgeon)

With very large breasts and a relatively normal weight, there is no non-operative technique for breast reduction. Therefore, incisions and the resulting scars are unavoidable. Depending on the surgical approach the scars may end up in different places on the breast, but they will be present, visible and permanent.

It is a trade-off, more comfortable breasts for permanent scars. Scars will improve over time and some treatments might speed this improvement but there is no treatment that will remove or erase the scars. (Bram Kaufman, MD, Cleveland Plastic Surgeon)

Scars Following Breast Reduction

The only way to reduce breasts without significant scarring is by liposuction. You will still have scars, but they will be very small. This will only remove the fatty portion of the breasts and since you are young and not obese, your breast tissue is probably mostly fibrous.

You will get a small lift this way as well but probably not as much as you are hoping for. You may be a candidate for a “short scar” reduction. This involves a scar around the areola and a vertical scar only.

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Your other option is to have the reduction and treat the scars after to make them as “un-ugly” as possible. (They don’t all turn out ugly!). (Ellen A. Janetzke, MD, Bloomfield Hills Plastic Surgeon)

Can you avoid breast reduction or breast lift scars?

At this point in time we do not have any techniques where there are no scars where a cut is made. All surgeries no matter how minor leave scars. Unless someone gets keloids, the scars always fade with time.

Everyone heals differently. Scar quality depends on many things, some that we plastic surgeons can control and others that we can’t. The real question is whether or not you are willing to trade huge breast size and sagging for tighter smaller breasts with some scars.

If you are concerned about not being too small, you can have a small reduction with various techniques, which essentially is a mastopexy (breast lift). There will be scars though. (Orna Fisher, MD, Palo Alto Plastic Surgeon)