Breast reduction surgery, or reduction mammoplasty, offers both cosmetic and medical benefits for women looking to reduce their breast size. On one hand, patients may wish to avoid unwanted attention or achieve a more flattering figure. On the other hand, breast reduction can relieve chronic back and neck pain, combat skin rashes underneath large breasts, alleviate shoulder grooving from bra straps, and enable better mobility.

For most patients, breast reduction is done in conjunction with a breast lift procedure to ensure the best cosmetic results. Without a breast lift, excess loose skin may adversely affect the appearance of the patient’s breasts.

There are several reasons women of all ages may opt for breast reduction:

• Chronic pain in the neck, back, and/or shoulders due to large, heavy breasts.
• Chronic skin irritation beneath the breasts, usually in the form of skin rashes.
• Restricted movement, especially in terms of hampering the ability to participate in certain sports or other physical activities.
• A poor self-image and/or desire to halt unwanted attention.
• Difficulty finding clothing that fits comfortably.
• A desire for a more attractive or proportional figure.

Male breast reduction is also commonly sought by patients who are dealing with a condition called gynecomastia that causes oversize breasts in men.

Breast reduction encompasses several procedures ranging from liposuction to different types of breast tissue excisions. However, since all patients are different, no two procedures are ever completely alike so the amount and type of work will vary significantly from patient to patient. Typical procedures include the following:

Liposuction

Since the breast is mainly composed of fat, reducing the size of the breast naturally requires removing some amount of fat. A patient’s breast shape and skin elasticity is a determining factor in whether and how much liposuction will be used during breast reduction. The liposuction process itself involves a cannula, a kind of tube, which is inserted below the skin. The necessary amount of fat is then removed through the use of a liposuction machine.

Surgical Excision

Surgical excision refers to the removal of skin, fat, and non-fatty tissues such as glandular breast tissue. Most of the time, because large, heavy breasts tend to sag, the areola will have to be raised up higher and made smaller to correspond to the size of the reduced breast.

Anesthesia and Incisions

On the day of the procedure, a board-certified anesthesiologist will fully sedate the patient. Then Dr. Varkony and his team will perform the surgery. The surgery itself generally takes about two to three hours, though this time will vary depending on the size of the breasts.

What Can Patients Expect After Surgery

Patients should expect the following once their surgery has been completed.

• Patients stay in the recovery room for about an hour and then go home, to a hotel, or a recovery facility. They will need to be accompanied by a friend or relative for at least the first night after surgery.
• Pain medications and antibiotics will be prescribed to ensure comfort and limit the risk of complications.
• Breast reduction surgery is usually not painful. Most patients take only Tylenol post-operatively.
• Patients can usually return to working in an office 4-5 days after the surgery. They are not yet healed but will wear a bandage under their clothing.
• Follow-up appointments are made to remove sutures while also monitoring the patient’s progress.
• Patients will see a notable difference immediately following their procedure. In many cases, the removal of much of the heaviness of the breasts results in immediate relief of neck and back pain, as well as shoulder grooving from bra straps. However, it can take several months for final results to appear after healing is complete and the breast skin, known as the breast envelope, relaxes and assumes its new shape.