• Breast Reductions - An Introduction
• What is Breast Reduction?
• Am I Suitable?
• Recovery from Breast Reductions
• What Kind of Result Can I Expect?

What is Breast Reduction?

Breast reduction is a surgical procedure designed to reduce the size of the breasts and as a result give them a different shape. It is popular because it has an effect on the look of the whole body and not just the chest, giving a more proportioned appearance to your whole body. A lot of people may make the decision to undergo the treatment either for cosmetic/aesthetic reasons (the proportion argument), or perhaps medical reasons (to solve physical discomfort). Whatever your reasons for undergoing breast reduction surgery, the methods of carryout out remain the same.

There are certain things you will be advised to do before the surgery itself, such as avoiding smoking, taking aspirin, taking the oral contraceptive pill or hormone replacement therapy medication. The reasons for avoiding most of these is that they (aspirin in particular) will affect the healing process, whilst hormone replacement therapy medication can increase the risk of deep vein thrombosis, so it is advised to stop taking it for six week preceding the surgery. Those who are overweight will also be advised to shed the pounds as wounds tend to take longer to heal otherwise.

There are a number of ways of carrying out the procedure and you will discuss with your doctor which will work best for you. The most likely method will involve making an incision that circles the areola, extending downwards and then follows the natural curve of the underneath of the breast. Excess breast tissue will then be removed (including much of the lower breast) and the nipples along with the rest of the breast are moved to their new location, usually whilst still attached to the blood circulation, though with larger breasts they will be removed and reattached as skin grafts to form their own blood supply. The skin from either side of the breast is then brought into place around the areola where a new breast shape will be formed. Finally, it will be sutured.

For men, the procedure is precisely the same as the female version. The differences are found afterwards and in terms of duration. The male version of the surgery only takes an hour (with women this is two to four hours) and afterwards men need to wear a pressure garment for up to four weeks so that the results come out smoother.