Breast Reduction

Am I a good candidate for a breast reduction?

Breast reduction can be performed on women of any age (including teenagers in some cases) who have excessively large breasts.

Good candidates for this surgery generally have one or more of the following problems they want to address:

• Longstanding neck, back, and/or shoulder pain related to heavy breasts
• Poor posture related to forward pulling weight of large breasts
• Frequent skin rashes or irritations at breast folds.
• Limitations of physical activities or sports due to breast discomfort.
• Difficulty fitting into clothing due to disproportionate breast size
• Self-consciousness or social embarrassment due large breast size.

In addition, good candidates for breast reduction should be healthy enough to undergo surgery and anesthesia. They should not be smoking, or should be willing to quit smoking for several weeks before and after surgery. Also, as with good candidates for any surgery, they should have realistic expectations of the surgical result.

How is a breast reduction performed?

Breast reduction is typically an outpatient procedure performed in an operating room under general anesthesia. During the surgery, excess skin, fat, and glandular tissue of the breasts are removed. The remaining skin and tissue are carefully rearranged to improve the shape of the breasts, along with lifting of the breasts and optimal positioning of the nipples. Most of the tissue removed is from lower parts of the breast, preserving more of the upper breast tissues for optimal cleavage. Excessively widened areolas can also be reduced in size.

Different surgical techniques are used by our surgeons, such as the vertical or wise pattern approaches, depending on the amount of skin, fat, and breast tissue that needs to be reduced and amount of adjustment needed in the height of the nipples. Whenever possible, our surgeons use limited-incision techniques, such as the vertical approach, to minimize scarring. This method leaves a scar only around the areola and down the lower middle of the breast to the fold (sometimes called the “lollipop” incision). Some women who require more extensive reduction of breast tissue and skin may need the wise pattern approach to achieve the best results. With this method, there are incisions which are closed both vertically and also horizontally across the breast fold (sometimes called the “anchor” incision). Most, if not all, the stitches used to close the incisions are placed internally and dissolve on their own. The procedure generally takes two to three hours to complete, depending on the technique used.

Dressings and a surgical bra are placed to optimally support the breasts postoperatively. After surgery, patients arrive in the recovery room, where they rest for a couple of hours, as the anesthetic effects wear off. They are generally able to return home on the same day after surgery, accompanied by a family member or friend.