Breast Reduction

Apart from aesthetic reasons, breast reduction is a procedure performed mostly to relieve a patient from symptoms caused by breasts hypertrophy, such as weight on the chest, reduced expansion of the thorax, pain in the neck, shoulders and back while extremely large breasts are often the cause of chronic headaches, malformations in the back and neck, cyrtosis of the shoulders, breathing problems and even skin irritation.

Another reason that makes this procedure important is better monitoring of the breasts both with palpation and with scanning methods such as mammographies, ultrasounds etc. <br /><br /> This procedure is performed under general anaesthesia. The excess mammary gland is removed and the ptotic breasts are lifted thus delivering smaller, lighter and more symmetric breasts compared with the rest of the body. The patient enjoys her wellbeing, freedom of movement and better breast monitoring.

How painful can a breast reduction procedure be?

This particular procedure is almost painless when performed correctly.

Can a breast reduction procedure affect breast feeding and nipple sensibility?

When the procedure is performed by an experienced and cautious plastic surgeon, the possibilities of a problem developing in relation to the woman’s ability to breastfeed and to the nipple’s sensitivity are very limited.

Is there any restriction as to the size of breasts to be operated upon?

An experienced plastic surgeon may achieve impressive results even in cases where he must remove 1500gr of tissue from each breast. Of great importance is the patient’s age, health condition, smoking habit and the degree at which she intends to follow post-operative advice.

How else is a patient dealing with gigantomastia benefiting from this procedure?

During the breast reduction procedure, the parts of the gland that are removed are sent out for pathological examination. It is not rare to identify suspicious formations during the examination of mammary gland samples. After surgery the patient may easily palpate her breasts and identify possible abnormalities in primary stage. Moreover, mammography in patients with gigantomastia who underwent breast reduction, is even more accurate, particularly in the part of the mammary gland that is close to the armpit.

Can this particular procedure help to address problems in the spine and neck?

Patients with gigantomastia usually develop significant problems in the area of the neck and spine, due to increased breast weight. After surgery, these problems are minimised since the body’s weight centre changes and the charge on the upper part of the spine is significantly reduced.

How bad will the scars be and where will they be found?

Post-operative scars are found around and below the nipple as well as in the inframammary fold. If the patient is not an active smoker and the surgeon is very cautious during suture, scars will be minimised after some months.

How long will the results of this procedure last and when is the aesthetic result considered satisfactory?

The aesthetic result is considered satisfactory when, after surgery, the distances between the top of the stern and the two nipples, as well as the distance between the two nipples are equal, i.e. when an equilateral triangle is formed. Breasts take their final shape approximately six months after surgery and if no significant weight fluctuation takes place, this shape is maintained for many years after surgery.

Which is the right age for a woman to be submitted to this procedure?

A woman may be submitted to this particular procedure after the age of 18. There is no maximum age limit, if no severe health condition exists.

How safe is this procedure when performed on active smokers?

Fully refraining from smoking for at least three weeks is a prerequisite for safely submitting a patient to a breast reduction procedure. In any other case, the patient is in high risk of delayed incision healing.

Is hospitalisation necessary?

Hospitalisation is subject to the patient’s overall condition and the percent of mammary gland to be removed.