Breast Reduction

Even if breast reduction operation count as aesthetic surgery, but it also performed for non-aesthetic reasons such as to get rid of some health and psychological problems, the main cause of the huge breasts is genetic factors. If the breast growth is genetically in a family, it is expected for the members of this family to have huge breasts.

An addition to genetic factors, parturition may cause breast growth.

Women, especially in adolescence, suffer from shyness, difficulty in movement and other problems such as difficulty in choosing clothes because of the large breasts.

Other problems occur with:

• Back and neck pains.
• Hunchback
• Bra hurts the shoulders
• Numbness in the arms
• Eczema and rash under the breast.

Therefore women with huge Breasts should apply to breast reduction surgery.

Breast Reduction Surgery Techniques

The Breast reduction technique to be performed differently depending on the size, sagging of the breasts and the structure of the skin and body of the woman.

It is also considered whether women have breastfed before or not in order to determine the appropriate technology to be performed.

1. Free-nipple graft technique

This technique is performed by reducing the Breast size after extracting the nipple and in the end, a new nipple is reconstructed. This technique is used in case of the breast is very large,

İn this technique a large number of breast tissue can be extracted also breasts can be reduced as much as we want, but a loss of sensation will occur in the nipple in addition to losing its ability to Breast-feed.

2. Flap technique

In this technique, the tissues and nipple are kept alive and the nipple is moved to the top after extracting the excess tissue.

Because the breast tissue is kept alive in this technique, women can still Breast-feed and do not lose the sensation of the nipple or lose it very simply.

For some women, a scar appears in the form of a vertical line at the nipple and for other women, a scar appears in the form of a vertical line at the nipple and a horizontal surgical incision under the chest.

Before Breast Reduction Surgery

• The woman should inform the doctor of all her desires and complaints in addition to all the diseases she had before and the medicines she uses.

• The doctor tells the woman about the resulting shape and size of the breast and the location of the new nipple after the examination.
• The operation is performed at least 6 months after the end of the lactation period.

• At the hospital where the operation will be performed blood tests should be made and checked by the anesthesiologist before surgery.

• The tissue and excess skin are extracted from the appropriate places according to the performed technique, after that the nipple is relocated to its proper place.

How is Breast reduction done?

The patient is driven to the operating room after doing the required planning and drawing. The operation takes about 2-4 hours and it is performed under general anesthesia.

The tissues and excess skin are removed and the nipple with its associated tissue is moved to the appropriate place according to the performed technique.

As in all surgeries, scars will appear after the surgery, the shape of these scars changes according to the performed technique.

However,  these scars fade and become barely seen after 6 months or a year of the surgery.

After Breast Reduction Surgery

• Pains after surgery vary according to the patient’s age, body structure, and the extracted tissue. The pain is controlled and reduced on the first day by giving painkillers intravenously to the patient at the hospital.

• After the patient is discharged from the hospital, she must use painkillers recommended by the doctor to control the pain.

• Surgical drains are placed to avoid fluid accumulation in the chest. These surgical drains are removed by the doctor at the follow-up appointment.

• There may be a pain when moving the arm in the first days, in late postoperative, there might be swelling, numbness of breast nipple and lividity on the breast but these symptoms are temporary

• The patient can return to her work within 1-2 weeks depending on the size of the breasts, and it’s not recommended for the patient to do heavy movements for 3 months.
• The period of stay in the hospital for the patient after breast reduction surgery is one or two days and she can take a shower after 3 or 4 days of the operation, one week is considered enough as the recovery period.

FAQ

• What are the health problems related to large breasts?

1. backache and hernias
2. Neck Pains
3. Bra hurts the shoulders
4. rash and wounds formation Under the breast
5. psychological problems

• Does Breast reduction surgery affect the milk glands?

A part of the milk glands is extracted during breast reduction surgery. But with choosing the right technique patient will still be able to Breast-feed.

• What is the minimum age limit to undergo a Breast reduction surgery?

Women can undergo breast reduction surgery after body growth is complete and chest growth stops which happens usually around the age of 18, there is no maximum age limit for this surgery. Any woman can undergo breast reduction surgery as long as she does not have health problems that prevent her from undergoing the surgery.

• Will be there permanent scars after Breast reduction?

As in all surgeries, there will be some scars after breast reduction surgery. These scars vary depending on the size and structure of the chest of women, however, these scars fade significantly within 6 – 12 months, By using the recommended creams by the doctor during this period we can reduce the appearance of scars to a minimum.

• Is it possible to do Breast lifting with Breast reduction surgery at the same time?

The purpose of this operation is to reduce Breast size. The breast becomes lifted and tight by itself after extracting the excess tissues.

• What is the amount of breast reduction that can be obtained?

The amount of reduction that can be achieved varies from woman to another. The chest is reduced by the appropriate amount of the woman’s body, which is determined after taking the body measurements, the width of the shoulders and measuring the area around the chest.

During the pre-operation examination, a joint decision is made by the doctor and patient about the breast reduction amount based on the patient’s desire and the doctor’s recommendation.

• What are the risks of Breast reduction surgery?

All surgeries have risks, these risks differ depending on the technique used, patient health, type of disease, intervention performed and many other causes.

The risks of breast reduction are listed below:

Bleeding: Since breast reduction surgery requires to make an incision in the skin and extract tissues it is normal to have bleeding during and after the surgery. Therefore, accurate blood tests should be made before the surgery and depending on the blood loss amount giving blood to the patient might be required.

Infection: Redness, swelling, and swelling may occur after chest reduction, usually, it is enough to use Antibiotics to avoid or get rid of these symptoms. But in some cases, the duration of stay in the hospital is extended by a decision from the doctor to treat the infection.

Fat necrosis: After the operation, the fat necrosis which leads to yellow secretions may occur in the chest area and it lasts for a certain period.

Hematoma: a hematoma may occur under the chest tissue after the breast reduction surgery. This situation may require a surgical intervention sometimes.

Asymmetry: There may be a difference in the size of the breasts due to the miscalculations to the breast reduction surgery. In case of obtaining unsatisfying results after surgery, a second surgery may be required to correct the asymmetry in the breasts.

Scar: scar formation after surgery is normal, the scar color changes over time and becomes barely visible, the size and shape of the scar varies depending on the genetic characteristics and recovery process of the patient.

Sensitivity: A loss or weakness of sensation in the nipple may occur after the breast reduction surgery, The nipple returns to its normal within 3-12 months.

Late recovery: the recovery period varies from woman to another, wounds might heal and recover late for some patients, women who suffer from late wound recovery are treated by dressing the wounds.

• When can I return to my daily activities?

One of the most important things to consider is not doing any sport exercises and heavy movements, The recovery period is quick and the pain felt can easily be controlled as opposed to what is common.

The duration of stay in hospital after breast reduction operation is one or two days, The patient can take shower after 3 or 4 days after the operation, one week is enough as the recovery period.

• Will be there permanent scars after surgery?

The shape and place of the scar appear after the breast reduction operation differs according to the technique used.

There are three types for this scar:

1. Scar appears at the nipple and the dark-colored area around it.
2. A vertical scar extends downward from the nipple.
3. A vertical scar extends downward from the nipple or a horizontal scar in the area under the chest.

These scars fade and become almost invisible within a period between 6 months and one year after the operation.