Surgery Overview

Breast reduction surgery (reduction mammoplasty) removes some of the tissue and skin from the breasts to reshape and reduce the size of the breasts. It can also make the area of dark skin surrounding the nipple (areola) smaller.

Sometimes liposuction is used along with surgery. If most of the breast is fatty tissue and if excess skin isn't a problem, liposuction alone may be enough for breast reduction.

Breast reduction surgery is done in a hospital or surgical center, typically with general anesthesia. The surgery usually takes 3 to 5 hours. An overnight stay is not usually required. For smaller reductions, the surgery may be done with local anesthesia.

Depending on the type of work you do, you should be able to go back to work or your normal routine in 2 to 3 weeks. The incisions leave scars that usually fade with time.

A breast lift (mastopexy) is similar to a breast reduction, except that in some cases only skin is removed. A breast lift can raise sagging or drooping breasts, which is a common problem with large, heavy breasts or sometimes after breastfeeding. It can also raise the nipple and areola.

What To Expect

Right after surgery, gauze is placed over the incisions. The breasts are wrapped in an elastic bandage or supported with a special surgical bra. In some cases, there may be a small tube in each breast to help drain blood and fluid for the first couple of days.

If your doctor closed your incisions with removable stitches, the stitches will be removed in 7 to 14 days.

Most people have some breast pain for the first few days after surgery and then milder discomfort for a week or longer. Medicine can help relieve the pain. Swelling and bruising may last for several weeks. Wearing a surgical bra 24 hours a day can help reduce swelling and support the breasts while they heal.

You will likely resume your normal work and social activities within a couple of weeks, unless those activities involve heavy lifting or strenuous exercise. You may need to avoid more vigorous exercise and activities for 3 to 4 weeks or more. It's important to wear a bra that supports the breasts well, such as a sports or athletic bra.

You will have visible scars on your breasts after the surgery. These are almost always in areas that can be covered by a bra or swimsuit. Scars may fade over time, but they won't disappear.

Why It Is Done

Breast reduction surgery is done to change the size, weight, firmness, and shape of the breasts. You may decide to have breast reduction surgery to:

• Feel more comfortable. Large, heavy breasts can cause back and neck pain, skin irritation, and posture problems. The constant pull of heavy breasts may make bra straps leave painful indentations in your shoulders. Breast reduction surgery can eliminate these problems in most cases.
• Reduce the limits that large, heavy breasts place on taking part in sports or other activities. Some physical activities may be painful or awkward if you have large breasts.
• Alter your appearance. Large breasts, especially when they are out of proportion to your height and weight, can be embarrassing. Teens and young adults with large breasts may especially feel self-conscious wearing swimsuits and other types of clothing due to unwelcome attention to large breasts. It also may be hard to find clothes that fit well.

How Well It Works

People who have breast reduction surgery are often extremely satisfied. It can make the breasts smaller, firmer, lighter, and more evenly proportioned. It usually relieves the physical discomfort and pain caused by large breasts.

The results of breast reduction surgery are considered permanent. But the breasts may become larger or their shape may change as a result of pregnancy, weight gain, or weight loss.

Risks

The most common risks of breast reduction surgery include:

• Scars. Breast reduction surgery always leaves visible scars on the breasts. But how bad the scars are varies from person to person and by the type of incision. Although red and swollen at first, scars typically fade over time. But scars may remain very noticeable in some people long after surgery. Fortunately, the incisions usually can be limited to areas of the breast that can be covered by a bra.
• Unevenly positioned nipples, or breasts that are not the same size or shape.
• Loss of feeling in the nipples or breasts. This is often temporary, lasting a few months. But in some cases, it lasts much longer or becomes permanent. Because some people with large breasts don't have a lot of feeling in their breasts before surgery, this may not be a concern.
• Not being able to breastfeed after surgery. Some people may still be able to breastfeed, depending on what type of reduction was done.

Less often, damage to the breast's blood supply may occur during surgery. This may delay the skin's healing process. Loss of part or all of the nipple and areola can also occur, but this isn't common.

Other risks of surgery include:

• Excessive bleeding during surgery.
• Infection.
• Reaction to the anesthesia.
• Blood clots in large veins traveling up to the heart and lungs (pulmonary embolism). This isn't common.

These risks can be serious or even life-threatening, but they rarely occur.