What Is Involved In Breast Reduction Surgery?
During breast reduction surgery, incisions are made around the pigmented nipple-areolar complex and extend vertically below the nipple and within the crease under the breast.
The nipple-areolar complex is moved upward to the desired location. Excess breast tissue, fat, and skin are then removed. The length of breast reduction surgery is typically about 3 hours. (Siamak Agha, MD, PhD, FACS, Orange County Plastic Surgeon)
Successful Breast Reduction Surgery
Breast reduction surgery, also known as reduction mammaplasty, removes your excess fat, glandular (breast) tissue, and skin to place your breasts back in your proportion to your body.
Importantly, breast reductions can alleviate neck and shoulder pain that can be secondary to heavy breasts.
Additional benefits are the lifting of sagging breasts (improves ptosis), as well as areolar reduction. Because of surgeon’s use of long-acting anesthetics, most patients find the pain after the procedure more than tolerable. The downside of the surgery are the potential for scars, ability to breast feed, and possible nipple sensation loss.
Information about Breast Reduction
In my experience, a breast reduction is one of the procedures that tends to give patients the most satisfaction.
Many of my patients with large breasts experience chronic pain, skin irritation and limitations of normal daily activities, such as exercise.
A breast reduction surgery can alleviate all of these situations. A consultation with your surgeon will determine the best methods for your specific anatomy. Typically, incisions are made around the areola margins, up and down beneath the areola areas and in the creases of the breasts in an inverted “T.”
Post-surgery, you will need to wear a surgical support bra for about 1 to 2 weeks and avoid heavy lifting or strenuous activity. Depending on your occupation, you might need to take anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks off work.
Also worth noting: the incision lines, which are initially noticeable, will fade very well with time. (Deason Dunagan, MD, Huntsville Plastic Surgeon)
Many plastic surgery procedures, particular techniques, recovery periods, and postoperative restrictions will be surgeon specific. It is therefore not in your best interests to find an operation you think you want before finding a surgeon- this is the reverse of what you should be doing…
What is a breast reduction?
Most plastic surgeons would agree that breast reduction patients are among our happiest.
A breast reduction can alleviate neck and shoulder pain secondary to heavy breasts. A reduction not only reduces the amount of breast tissue but also lifts the breasts.
The downside of a reduction are the scars and the possible loss of nipple sensation and inability to breast feed. Talk to your plastic surgeon about the scars – in most cases the scars will extend around the nipple aerolar complex, down to the bottom of the breast and under the breast.
Breast Reduction vs. Breast Lift Surgery
Breast Reduction Surgery is a RECONSTRUCTIVE operation in which sagging, large breasts which cause back/neck pains and interfere with daily function are reduced by removal of breast tissue and breast skin. The smaller breasts are perkier and more attractive.
(In contrast, in a Breast Lift, more breast skin is removed than breast tissue in an effort to lift sagging breasts. This is a COSMETIC procedure). (Peter A. Aldea, MD, Memphis Plastic Surgeon)
The length of the procedure depends on the technique which typically is a function of the degree of hypertrophy (overgrowth), the amount of ptosis (sagging) and the composition of the breast (fat to gland ratio).
For example in a young female with no sagging and a fatty breast, liposuction is a quick and relatively minimally invasive procedure.
However, this is rarely the case. More often the breasts are large, dense, and ptotic.
Typically breast reduction surgery lasts anywhere from 2-4 hours. Skin, fat and breast tissue are all removed. (Otto Joseph Placik, MD, Chicago Plastic Surgeon)
There are reduction for weight reduction in patients who are hindered by the pain and discomfort of too much weight. Then there are reductions that are mainly aesthetic to create a more pleasing size and shape.
These two conditions obviously blend into each other. In general, you can think of a spectrum from small incisions and removal of weight like with liposuction but no shaping to the other extreme of large and extensive scars allowing the tailoring of the shape.Much like tailoring a dress, the more seams, the more you can tailor. Usually some combination of liposuction and surgical excision of gland is performed but this depends on the nature of the breast, the initial size and the future goal of the breast.
In general, breast reduction in the right patient is one of the most highly satisfying procedures for patients. (Robin T.W. Yuan, MD, Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon)