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Feminine Breast Reduction

Feminine Breast Reduction Surgery reduces the size of large breasts, helping to alleviate back problems, improve posture, and diminish back pain.

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• Quick Facts about Breast Reduction

  * Anaesthesia: local anaesthesia, combined with a sedative

  * Duration of the procedure: 2 to 3 ½ hs

  * Hospital stay: 1 night

  * Recovery time / time back to work: 18 days

  * Incisions: a circular incision around the areola and a vertical cut from the   areola down to the crease of the breast

• What Can a Breast Reduction Do for You?

  This procedure reduces the size of large breasts, helping to alleviate back problems, improve posture, and diminish back pain. Women with very large breasts may experience a variety of medical problems caused by the excessive weight, from back and neck pain to skin irritation. This procedure removes fat, glandular tissue, and skin from the breasts, making them smaller, lighter, and firmer. It can also reduce the size of the areola, the darker skin surrounding the nipple. The goal is to give the woman smaller, better-shaped breasts in proportion with the rest of her body.

• The Surgical Procedure

  Techniques for breast reduction vary, but the most common procedure involves an anchor-shaped incision that circles the areola, extends downward, and follows the natural curve of the crease beneath the breast. The surgeon removes excess glandular tissue, fat, and skin, and moves the nipple and areola into their new position. He or she then brings the skin from both sides of the breast down and around the areola, shaping the new contour of the breast. Liposuction may be used to remove excess fat from the armpit area. In most cases, the nipples remain attached to their blood vessels and nerves. However, if the breasts are very large or pendulous, the nipples and areolas may have to be completely removed and grafted into a higher position. (This will result in a loss of sensation in the nipple and areolar tissue.) Stitches are usually located around the areola, in a vertical line extending downward, and along the lower crease of the breast. In some cases, techniques can be used that eliminate the vertical part of the scar. And occasionally, when only fat needs to be removed, liposuction alone can be used to reduce breast size, leaving minimal scars.

  *Anesthesia:

  Local anaesthesia, combined with a sedative or general anaesthesia according to the case.

• Post-Op Recovery & Time Back to Work

  Post-Op

  After surgery, you'll be wrapped in an elastic bandage or a surgical bra over gauze dressings. A small tube may be placed in each breast to drain off blood and fluids for the first day or two. You may feel some pain for the first couple of days-especially when you move around or cough-and some discomfort for a week or more. Your surgeon will prescribe medication to lessen the pain. The bandages will be removed a day or two after surgery, though you'll continue wearing the surgical bra around the clock for several weeks, until the swelling and bruising subside. Your stitches will be removed in one to three weeks. If your breast skin is very dry following surgery, you can apply a moisturizer several times a day, but be sure to keep the suture area dry. Your first menstruation following surgery may cause your breasts to swell and hurt. You may also experience random, shooting pains for a few months. You can expect some loss of feeling in your nipples and breast skin, caused by the swelling after surgery. This usually fades over the next six weeks or so. In some patients, however, it may last a year or more, and occasionally it may be permanent.

  Time Back to Work

  Although you may be up and about in a day or two, your breasts may still ache occasionally for a couple of weeks. You should avoid lifting or pushing anything heavy for three or four weeks. Your surgeon will give you detailed instructions for resuming your normal activities. Most women can return to work (if it's not too strenuous) and social activities in about two weeks. But you'll have much less stamina for several weeks, and should limit your exercises to stretching, bending, and swimming until your energy level returns. You'll also need a good athletic bra for support. You may be instructed to avoid sex for a week or more, since sexual arousal can cause your incisions to swell, and to avoid anything but gentle contact with your breasts for about six weeks. A small amount of fluid draining from your surgical wound, or some crusting, is normal. If you have any unusual symptoms, such as bleeding or severe pain, don't hesitate to call your doctor.

• Uncertainty and Risk

  Breast reduction is not a simple operation, but it's normally safe when performed by a qualified plastic surgeon. Nevertheless, as with any surgery, there is always a possibility of complications, including bleeding, infection, or reaction to the anesthesia. Some patients develop small sores around their nipples after surgery; these can be treated with antibiotic creams. You can reduce your risks by closely following your physician's advice both before and after surgery. The procedure does leave noticeable, permanent scars, although they'll be covered by your bra or bathing suit. (Poor healing and wider scars are more common in smokers.) The procedure can also leave you with slightly mismatched breasts or unevenly positioned nipples. Future breast-feeding may not be possible, since the surgery removes many of the milk ducts leading to the nipples. Some patients may experience a permanent loss of feeling in their nipples or breasts.

The information provided on surgeryBA.com is designed to support, not replace, the relationship between a patient and his/her physician. Individual results may vary according to each patient's individual objectives, health, and circumstances. The information provided here stems from our professional experience with patients and from our doctor's advise.

CONTACT US now to learn more about this procedure.