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Breast Reduction Surgery

Breast-Reduction

Breast reduction is a surgery procedure that women undergo to alleviate pain in the shoulders, upper back, and neck caused by over-sized breasts. Unfortunately, many women have suffered from over-sized breasts their entire lives. In addition to daily pain and discomfort, this extra weight can cause the shoulders to rotate forward, resulting in a hunched posture. Consequently, plastic surgery for breasts is an extremely viable option to relieve discomfort and improve quality of life.

Candidate type

You are most likely a good candidate for a breast reduction if the pain and discomfort you are experiencing can be attributed to the size of your breasts. Additionally, it is important to understand that this surgery is not only for women with over-sized breasts. For instance, if your breasts are just a little bit heavy, you can still experience many of the symptoms that over-sized breasts cause.

Types of surgeries

There are two common types of breast-reduction surgery. Although the first type is called a wise pattern, it is sometimes referred to as an inverted, T-breast reduction. This surgery begins with an incision that is made around the areola and is followed by another incision made from the areola to the fold of the breast. A final incision is then made underneath the breast, resulting in an inverted T incision. The purpose of this type of incision, in addition to removing excess breast tissue, is to remove excess skin. Additionally, this procedure typically incorporates a breast lift.

The second type is known as vertical breast reduction and is usually recommended for individuals with less breast tissue and excess skin. Although similar to the wise pattern, the incision beneath the breast is not made. Finally, regardless of the type of surgery, any asymmetry in breast size and nipple placement will be corrected.

What to expect

Performed under general anesthesia, breast reduction typically only takes about three hours. Following surgery, you will wear a surgical bra with sterile dressings. You might also have drainage tubes designed to help remove any excess fluids. You should expect some bruising and swelling. However, any discomfort should lessen over two weeks and be mostly gone within six weeks.

Your surgeon will remove the dressings at your first post-operative appointment. Over the following six months to a year, your scars will fade, and your breasts will settle, leaving you free of pain and with the breast size you always wanted.