What is breast reduction surgery?

Also known as reduction mammaplasty, breast reduction surgery removes excess breast fat, glandular tissue, and skin to achieve a breast size in proportion with your body and to alleviate the discomfort associated with overly large breasts.

Why Is It Done?

Breast reduction surgery is done to change the size, weight, firmness, and shape of the breasts. You may decide to have breast reduction surgery to:

  - Feel more comfortable. Large, heavy breasts can cause back and neck pain, skin irritation, and posture problems. The constant pull of heavy breasts may make bra straps leave painful indentations in a woman's shoulders. Breast reduction surgery can eliminate these problems in most cases.

- Alter your appearance. Large breasts, especially when they are out of proportion to your height and weight, can be embarrassing. Teenagers and young women with large breasts may especially feel self-conscious wearing swimsuits and other types of clothing due to unwelcome attention to large breasts. It also may be hard to find clothes that fit well.

Breast Reduction Methods:

- Reduce the limitations that large, heavy breasts place on participation in sports or other activities. Some physical activities may be painful or awkward for women with large breasts.

Circumareolar Scar

The resulting scar is a circle around the areola only. It may be used for small breast lifts and rarely for a reduction. The scar tends to widen for larger lifts or reductions, so the circumareolar scar technique is not used commonly.

Anchor Scars

This is the most common scar that results from a breast reduction or lift. The scar looks like the lollipop with an additional horizontal scar in the breast crease. The laser-assisted breast reductions and Laser Bra lifts are also performed using this technique. The Laser Bra combined with the anchor scar results in the maximum amount of lift. It is an especially good procedure for large reductions or lifts.

- Infection - Hematoma - Inability to breastfeed - Loss of areola nipple complication

- Seroma - Asymmetry - Possible need for further future surgeries - Altered or loss of sensation to nipple

Risks

About Scars

Everybody scars differently. Some people scar more easily than others. Some areas of the skin scar more than others. Some lifestyle activities make scars more visible.

 What determines how much you will scar? It depends mostly on age, location, genetics and lifestyle.

• Age - Generally, younger skin makes thicker scars because it so vigorously heals itself. So, take heart if you ever have mixed emotions about getting older. Getting older means less visible scarring.

• Location - The looser the skin fits over a part of the body, the less it will show a scar. For instance, a scar on the cheek may produce a less pronounced scar than one on the jaw line, where skin is stretched over the jawbone. This is good news for breast reductions where the skin is typically supple and fleshy.

• Genetics - Some people are simply more prone to developing visible scars than others. Some factors include skin tone, skin type and good old DNA.

• Lifestyle - Smoking, sun exposure and not following post-operative instructions all contribute to more visible scarring.

• Smoking decreases the body's ability to transport oxygen through the bloodstream. This means that your body has less oxygen to help it heal after surgery. Scars will not only heal more slowly, but they may also not fade to their maximum potential.

• Sun exposure will tan scars, making them more visible.

• Not following post-op instructions dutifully can lead to prolonged recovery. Follow your physician's orders after your operation. Wear your surgical bra as directed. If you are told to take it easy, take it easy. If you are told to take medicine, take medicine. All of these things will help you heal more quickly.