Oversized breasts affect overall body aesthetics in a negative way, giving a fat and disproportionate appearance.

Moreover, they can lead to neck shoulder or back pain, spinal problems, excessive sweating and itching under the breast, and even fungal skin infections. Big breasts tend to sag at earlier ages.

Reducing an oversized breast is a more detailed complicated operation, when compared to augmenting a small breast..

In breast reduction, the goal is to reduce the breast size to the desired level, to reshape the deformed breast, and to end up with the smallest scars possible. There are numerous surgical methods to do a breast reduction. Among these, the most popular one is called “vertical technique”. This technique enables us to complete the operation within 2 to 3 hours. After a single night hospital stay, the patient is discharged on the first postoperative day, and asked to come to a control visit on the third postoperative day. She can return to normal daily activities after a week.

This procedure ends up with a 5 to 6 cm long vertical scar from the areola margin to the fold below the breast, which will be less noticeable months after. Both the breast mound and the scar gain their final appearance by the end of one year postoperatively.

Introduction to Breast Reduction Surgery

The breast reduction procedure is a treatment designed to enhance patient’s body image and improving their quality of life by getting rid of the excess breast tissue. This will help patients to feel confident about themselves and this procedure will rehshape their bodies into a more proportional one.

There are different reasons for patients to consider this treatment;

-Physical Health: Having large breasts can cause back and neck pain causing discomfort.

-Loss of Confidence: Due to having large breasts, many patients suffer from lack of self esteem because of their appereances and how uncomfortable they are with their breasts.

-Body Balance: When the breasts are way bigger compared to the rest of the body, they create an unaesthetic look. Having them proportionized will create a more balanced look for the overall look of the body.

The Difference Between Breast Reduction, Lift vs Breast Augmentation; What is Breast Reduction?

Both surgeries are completely different from eachother. While one helps enhancing the breast size, the other helps minimizing it. The breast reduction surgery helps ‘reducing’ the size of the breasts by removing the excess tissue&fat.

The breast reduction operation is a surgical procedure which is designed to reduce discomfort of having neck and back pain caused by having large breasts. Once the excess breast tissue is removed, the skin is tightened and the breasts become firmer and lighter. Generally, breast reduction surgery also includes a breast lift.

Ideal Candidates for Breast Reduction Surgery

-Patients who experience physical discomfort with back and neck&shoulder pain because of the heaviness of the breasts.

-Patients who have stable weight. If the patient keeps gaining and losing weight constantly, when they gain weight again, the reduced breast size will increase and the constant change will lead to the sagginess of the breasts.

-Patients who have a healthy lifestyle, who don’t smoke. Before and after having a surgery, in order to heal fast patients should eat healthy and shouldn’t smoke. Smoking delays the healing quite a lot.

-Patients who have realistic expectations. The patients should understand limitations of the procedure, of course it cannot create miracles. That is why, the patients should be well informed about this treatment.

Initial Consultation for Breast Reduction Surgery

The breast reduction surgery journey begins with having a consultation with a plastic surgeon. The patient should be prepared to inform the surgeon about their health background, medications they use, and any previous surgeries they had etc. The patient will be undergoing a physical examination. Once the surgeon is able to analyze your skin quality, size&shape and anatomy, they will be able to inform you about the expected outcome of the surgery. The patient should openly discuss their desires with the surgeon so the surgeon can inform the patient properly about what to expect.

Before the surgery, the patient will have to go through a mammogram and other blood tests etc, so the surgeon will be able to ensure that the patient is healthy enough to go through the breast reduction surgery.

How to Choose the Right Surgeon while Deciding for your Breast Reduction Surgery?

-Going for a board certified plastic surgeon will decrease chances of having complications.

-It is important to visit a plastic surgeon who has enough experience in the field of breast surgeries.

-Make sure to have a good communication with your surgeon. Try to understand if you feel comfortable around him/her. Your surgeon should be someone who can answer all your questions and have an easy going attitude.

The Breakdown of the Breast Reduction Surgery

First, the patient is prepared by marking of the surgical area by the surgeon where the incisions will be made. Once the patient is prepped, then the anesthesia is administered. The breast reduction surgery is performed under general anesthesia.

Then, the surgeon will apply the incisions, the breast reduction surgery procedure generally involves an inverted T scar (which is also called anchor type scar). Once the incisions are made, excess fat, skin and tissue are removed. The remaining tissue is reshaped, repositioned and tightened for a better appearance.

As soon as the procedure is finished, the incisions are sutured, drains are placed in order to remove the extra fluid. The breasts are taped and bandaged and a corset bra is put on.

The patient needs to spend 1 night at the hospital and is discharged the next day. The patient is prescribed with medicine once they are discharged. The surgeon will also inform the patient about the instructions for the after care until they come for their first post operative check.

Risks and Complications of Breast Reduction Surgery

Just like its benefits, breast reduction surgery has its own risks as well. It is important to be well informed about such risks:

-Scarring: It is inevitable not to have scars after the breast reduction surgery. Because, the only way to remove the excess breast tissue is only through creating incisions and the incisions will lead to scarring. However, once the 1 year of healing process is completed, most scars become very faded, almost invisible.

-Sensational changes around the nipple area: Some patients can have loss of sensation around the areola during the first few months after the surgery. This issue can be permanent or temporary depending on the work that was performed.

-Infection: Just like in any surgical procedure, there will be a risk of infection. If an infection occurs, it can be treated with antibiotics. But in order to minimize it, antibiotics are used during and after the operation. The patient should recieve proper post op care in order to prevent this issue in the acute healing stage.

-Uneven breast size: During the first 6 months healing period, both breast sizes might continue to be different due to uneven swelling. However, once the healing process is completed, the breasts can continue to be slightly different from one another. This is normal and expected. Because, in human anatomy, asymmetry is inevitable. Both our hands, feet and both parts of our face is different from eachother. As surgeons are not robots, perfect symmetry can never be promised.

However, if there is a significant difference, then another surgery might be required.

-Difficulty in breastfeeding: For patients who had the free nipple technique performed, they might not be able to breastfeed after the procedure. The free nipple technique is performed on patients who has excessively big breasts and as a result of such an extensive procedure, to be able to breastfeed afterwards will not be possible. In such extreme cases, it is recommended to have breast reduction once 6 months has passed since the patient has stopped breastfeeding.

In order to minimize such risks, the patients should;

-pick a board certified plastic surgeon.

-follow your surgeon’s instructions during the post operative period and attend your post op appointments.

-keep in contact with the surgeon’s team and inform about any feeling of pain&discomfort.

Recovery and Aftercare Post Breast Reduction Surgery

Day 1: The patient will spend the first night after surgery at the hospital. They will be discharged the next day unless there is an extreme condition which very very rarely happens. Most of the time, their drains are either removed the next day before being discharged or in a couple of days. The patient will have bandaging, tapes around the breasts and a support bra.

Day 3: The breasts will start to swell up and the patient will also feel soreness. If drains were places, they will be removed. The 3rd post op day is the first check up day after the surgery.

Week 1: 7th post op day is the second check up day after the surgery. The breasts will feel sore and will be swelled. However, the patient can return to their daily routine(driving, going to work etc.) except, they shouldn’t lift anything heavy. It is still early to start exercising. The patient should continue to rest in an elevated position.

1st month: Once the patient hits 30 day mark, some of the swelling will be faded but some might continue to exist. This will slowly continue to decrease and in around 3 months time, the patient will start to see the final results. The patients should continue to sleep on their backs. If the patient has some pain while lifting something, they should immediately stop.

6th month: The final shape of breasts will become much more visible because the swelling will be almost completely visible.

Activities Post Breast Reduction Surgery

The patient can start light exercises, once two weeks have passed. However, they should avoid heavy lifting or heavy cardio exercises for around 2 months. Once, one month has passed, patients can start jogging, swimming, cycling or pilates. However, if they experience a sharp pain or a strange sensation, they should contact their surgeon immediately.

FAQ About Breast Reduction Surgery

What can I expect in terms of pain and recovery?

The breast reduction surgery is not very painful. Patients generally feel soreness right after and it takes around a few week for the soreness to resolve but the swelling will continue to take place around 3 months. However, 1 month after surgery the swelling will start to subside. 2 weeks after the surgery, patients can return to their daily activities, start working and even exercising(easy cardio exercises.)

Can I breastfeed after breast reduction surgery?

This depends according to the severity of the surgery. If the breasts need immense reduction, then you might not be able to breastfeed or maybe you can, but it might be limited. But, in other cases where the case is less extensive, the patients can breastfeed normally. You should discuss this with your surgeon during your detailed consultation as this depends from patient to patient.

Are the breast reduction surgery results permanent?

If you can continue a healthy lifestyle and keep your weight stable, then the results will be permanent. However, constant weight changes will affect the outcome negatively and will decrease the longevity of the results. Of course, aging affects the size and shape of the breasts in the long term as well.

Who is a good candidate for breast reduction surgery?

The ideal candidates for breast reduction surgery generally suffer from back or shoulder pain. They can feel discomfort in their daily lives due to having large breasts. However, this should be discussed between the surgeon and the patient and should be decided according to that patient’s specific needs. It is important for the patient to have realistic expectations for their breast reduction surgery in order not to face any disappointment. The anatomical factors play a big role when it comes to breast reduction surgery.

What are the risks of breast reduction surgery?

Just like in any surgery, breast reduction has its own risks as well. Most common issues are swelling and bruising which are temporary. Some patients also face problems such as loss of sensation around the nipple area, this issue can be temporary or permanent depending on the case.

Having a breast reduction surgery will help the patient both physically and psychologically. It can improve one’s quality of life notably. One shouldn’t wait longer to feel confident and at ease.

Contact us for further information and take the first step to achieve a better version of yourself.