Breast Reduction – Female

DR Andrew j. HAYDUKE

The goal of breast reduction surgery is to reduce the size of your breasts and reshape them so that they are proportionate to the rest of your body and are no longer a source of physical discomfort. This commonly requested procedure has the dual benefits of improving your appearance while improving the physical and emotional burden of overly large heavy breasts.

WHO SHOULD CONSIDER BREAST REDCUTION SURGERY

• If your breasts are too large for your body frame and create neck, back, or shoulder pain because of their weight
• If you have heavy breasts with nipples and areolas (pigmented skin surrounding the nipples) that point downward
• If one breast is much larger than the other
• If you are unhappy and self-conscious about the large appearance of your breasts
• (If you are in the “obese” range on Body Mass Index tables (BMI charts), you should lose weight before your breast reduction)

COMMOM REASONS WHY YOU MAY WANT TO CONSIDER BREAST REDUCTION

• You have backaches or neck aches and other “non-breast” causes were ruled out by your primary care physician
• You have moisture and skin irritation (intertrigo) underneath your breasts because of their size.
• You have difficulty breathing and notice grooves in your shoulders from your bra straps.
• You have difficulty with exercise because of the size and weight of your breasts.
• You have poor posture or numbness in parts of your breasts and upper chest from excessive breast weight.
• You find it nearly impossible to buy dresses and blouses and difficult to find tops that fit.
• You are very unhappy with your appearance because of your breast size.
• You are in good health, a non-smoker, with no active diseases or pre-existing medical conditions.
• You have realistic expectations of the outcome of your surgery. You must be able to discuss what you want with your plastic surgeon so that you can reach an understanding of what can realistically be achieved.
• Your skin has adequate elasticity, so it can resume its former tightness following surgery.
• You are mentally and emotionally stable. Breast reduction requires patience and stability to deal with the healing period.
• You are old enough so that your breast development has stopped.
• You have finished having children and breast-feeding, because this can have significant and unpredictable effects on the size and shape of your breasts. Nevertheless, many women decide to undergo breast reduction before having children and feel that they can address any subsequent changes later. If you plan to breast-feed in the future, you should discuss this with your plastic surgeon. If patients meet certain strict criteria, breast reduction may be covered by some health insurance plans.

WISE (KEY-HOLE) PATTERN OF BREAST REDUCTION

A history of irregular mammograms, undiagnosed lumps or other types of breast masses, severe obesity, major wound healing disorders, current breast-feeding, smoking, clotting disorders, and major heart or circulatory disorders are all contraindications for breast reduction. Breast reduction also leaves a massive amount of permanent scarring on both breasts, so patients need to be prepared to have these scars forever after breast reduction surgery. Being obese increases your chances of major wound healing problems after breast reduction surgery, such as incisional separation (opening) of parts of your incision sites after breast reduction surgery. This further increases the amount of permanent scarring after this procedure.

If you are in good general health and have a positive attitude and realistic expectations, you may be a good candidate for breast reduction. After your private consultation with Dr. Hayduke, you will know if you are an appropriate candidate for breast reduction surgery.