Breast Reduction

Breast reduction surgery is usually done to provide relief from symptoms caused by large, heavy breasts. Excess breast fat, glandular tissue and skin are removed, and the breasts are lifted and shaped to achieve a smaller size in proportion to the rest of the body.

The results of breast reduction surgery are long-lasting and should help relieve the physical limitations experienced prior to surgery. The procedure creates an inverted T-shaped incision pattern and the areola can be reduced at the perimeter where necessary. Incision lines are permanent, but in most cases will fade substantially over time.

Background

Female breast shape and size varies considerably. A small to moderate breast weighs about 500 g or less, large breasts weigh about 750 g to 1000 g and a very large breast 1500 g or more.

For most woman, large, heavy breast are associated with some degree of physical discomfort. Especially in cases where the breasts are disproportionately oversized compared to the body frame, the extra weight may adversely alter posture, causing back, shoulder, and neck pain. In addition bra straps may produce painful grooving in shoulders, cause skin irritations and limit participation in physical exercise.

Woman with a combination of large breast and breast ptosis (pendulous breasts) usually experience more discomfort than woman with firm breast of a similar mass. A breast lift may be the optimal solution for a woman with small or medium size ptotic breasts, where a combined reduction (re-shaping) and breast lift (re-positioning) is required in the case of large and ptotic breasts. A typical breast reduction will remove between 300-600 g of breast tissue from each breast, but larger amounts can be removed if indicated. To achieve significant alleviation from physical symptoms such as shoulder of neck pain, it is usually necessary to remove 500 g from each breast.

Breast reduction techniques

Breast reduction is one of the most commonly performed plastic surgery procedures. There are a number of techniques that can be effectively employed, in common for all of them are that reductions are required to the soft-tissue of the breast, including: breast gland, breast fat and skin. Once the reduction and reshaping are completed the breast is repositioned and the skin-excess adjusted resulting in a lighter, firmer and perkier breast.

Inverted T-scar breast reduction

The inverted T-scar skin technique is a versatile and predictable method that allow for a high degree of aesthetic control of both the extent of reduction and the breast-shaping process. The design will take individual breast shapes and body-proportions into consideration - balancing asymmetries and allowing for a very high degree of personalisation.

The limitation of the inverted T-scar technique is that it results in moderate to pronounced scarring of the lower breast (depending on the degree of reduction required). However, the majority of woman with heavy oversized breast find that a degree of scarring on their breast is an acceptable trade off for the benefits of improved breast shape and size, and the reduction in physical discomfort this gives. The scars will eventually soften and fade, a process that mainly depends on the age of the patient: younger patients may take longer and often require a year to obtain pale and subtle scars.

Vertical breast reduction - limited scar technique

Vertical breast reduction is an alternative to inverted T-scar techniques used for small- to average-volume reductions. In case of small- to average-volume reductions, with less need for glandular reshaping a vertical breast reduction will provide reduced scarring as compared to the inverted T-scar. The shape of the breast is created by managing glandular tissue, and no scar is produced in the submammary fold.

Liposuction and breast reduction

Liposuction may be used as an adjunct by removing fat under the arms and contouring the outer aspects of the breasts, though not to reduce the size of the breasts themselves.

Breast reduction

In breast reduction the breast is reduced, reshaped and lifted. Most woman feel relieved and lighter with significantly reduced physical discomfort.

Breast reduction surgery does not normally interfere with the composition of the breast gland in the central and upper part of the breast and will not affect the ability to breastfeed in the vast majority of cases. Sensitivity in the breast, areola and nipple will be reduced after breast reduction surgery, but is normally restored after three to six months.

Most women who opt for breast reduction are aged between 30 and 60, but the procedure can be performed in both younger and older woman.