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Candidates:
Women who demonstrate physical pain, usually in the back or shoulders, caused by
the excessive weight of large breasts. Often this excess volume can also cause
skin irritation underneath the breast and leave indentations in the shoulders
from the bra straps. Women who have difficulty finding clothes that fit, because
their breasts are too large in proportion to their body frame; who have one
breast that is much larger than the other, or who have difficulty exercising due
to the breasts size and weight and dissatisfaction of their self-image because
of large breasts.
Objectives:
To reduce, raise and reshape big breasts by removing excess
tissue and skin and repositioning the nipples.
Incisions and technique:
As in the breast lift procedure, breast
reduction incisions vary according to three different techniques; the
"inverted T," where there is one incision around the nipple, one in
the fold below the breast and a third vertical incision joining them. The second
is the "vertical" technique with the incision around the nipple and
extending vertically to the mammary fold, and the third is the
"periareolar" incision only around the nipple. The choice of the
appropriate technique varies according to the breast and the desired new shape
and size. This should be discussed during the consultation.
Operating Time:
1 to 3 hours.
Anesthesia:
Local with sedation, or general.
In/Outpatient:
Usually performed as an outpatient procedure. But can be
an inpatient procedure if desired.
Recovery Time:
It will be more comfortable to sleep on the back for the
first 2 weeks; return to work is between 1 to 2 weeks. Strenuous activities may
be resumed in 1 month, and it will take from several months to a year for the
scars to fade.
Side Effects:
There can be temporary bruising, some swelling and
discomfort, numbness, and dry breast skin. Possible complications: Serious risks
are not common. Delays in healing can be caused by collections of fluid (seroma)
that need to be drained; infection, bleeding under the skin flap. Poor healing
resulting in visible scarring or skin loss. There is the possibility of wide
scars (keloids) in patients with this tendency. Surgically the nipples could be
unevenly placed; there could be a temporary or permanent loss of feeling in
nipples or breast, or the need for a second operation.
Details:
During the computer consultation, you will decide with the
surgeon the desired breast shape and size. The nipples and areolas will be
repositioned and you will be informed of the incisions needed for each case.
There is no age limit to perform a breast reduction once breast development is
completed.
Duration of Results:
Pregnancy and breast-feeding may affect and change
the size and shape of the breasts. Some women undergo breast reduction surgery
before having children, preferring to address any changes in shape and size at a
later date. Gravity, pregnancy, aging, and weight changes may have significant
and unpredictable effects on the size and shape of the new breast. Breast lift
surgery will not interfere with the ability to breast-feed if the milk ducts are
left intact, and if you plan to breast feed in the future you should discuss
this with your plastic surgeon.
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