Reduction mammaplasty

Procedure Information

What is reduction mammaplasty?

Reduction mammaplasty, also known as breast reduction, is a procedure used to decrease the breast size by removing excess fat from it. Large breasts can lead to some problems like back pain, neck pain, and other physical symptoms. It can also have some negative psychological effects. Men can also seek the procedure if they suffer from enlarged breasts, also known as gynecomastia.

Make sure to discuss all the benefits and risks with your surgeon to understand if you are the right candidate for the procedure or not.

Why would I do reduction mammaplasty?

Women with large breast can suffer from problems like:

• Finding difficulty in fitting into clothing
• Limited activity related to large breasts
• Pain
• Irritation or rash
• Low self-esteem

Anyone at any age can have the surgery. However, it is not recommended if you expect that your breast size may change in the future, because this will require additional surgery.

You might want to delay your surgery if:

You intend to be pregnant: Childbirth and pregnancy can result in an increase in your breast size again, so you will require additional surgery. Also, this may affect your ability to breast-feed your child.

You are interested in weight loss: Weight loss can result in reduced breast size without surgery. You might want to try to lose some weight before deciding on the surgery.

What to happens during the procedure?

Reduction mammaplasty is usually done under general anesthesia. This means that you will be put to sleep during the procedure and won’t remember anything. 

The surgeon will make an incision around the areola and down on the breast. Excess breast tissue and fat will be removed to reduce the size of the breast and the nipple will be repositioned. The incision site will be sutured and a dressing will be applied.

What to expect after the procedure?  

Your surgeon will prescribe some medication like pain medications to decrease pain and inflammation and antibiotics to decrease the risk of infection. For the first week, you may feel like your breast is tender or swollen. This is considered to be normal.

You will also need to decrease your physical activity for the first few weeks until your breast heals. Regarding scarring, it should dissolve with time, but it may not completely go away.

You should contact your doctor as soon as possible if you have any of the following:

• Discharge from the incision site
• Abnormal redness or swelling
• Fever
• Detachment of any sutures

Conclusion

Breast reduction surgery can help relieve pain and other effects you had before the surgery. Your physical activity and self-confidence will also be increased. You should also be aware that the breast size may change again due to certain factors such as weight changes or aging.

Citations

Mayo Clinic: Breast reduction surgery