Breast Reduction: Is It Right for You?

Breast Reduction: Is It Right for You? : Breast reduction is a great way to get rid of some of the discomfort and pain caused by overly large breasts.

It’s also an excellent way to get your body back. After all, most of us have heard about how hard it is for women who have large breasts to exercise, sleep on their stomachs, or even just wear certain kinds of clothing. A breast reduction can help you feel better in your own skin again!

But what exactly does a breast reduction do? How do you know if you’re eligible for one? And what should you expect during and after surgery?

Let’s take a look at the basics!

What Is Breast Reduction?

Breast reduction is a procedure designed to reduce the size of a woman’s breasts by removing excess skin, fat, and glandular tissue. It’s also called reduction mammaplasty.

Breast reduction is needed or desired if you have large, heavy breasts that cause pain or discomfort. You may want to consider breast reduction if you have back, neck, or shoulder pain from your large breasts, or if you find it difficult to exercise or participate in physical activities because of your chest size.

The procedure can be performed using either liposuction, also called liposculpture, areola resizing, reshaping, or through an incision (called open surgery). The method used depends on the size and shape of your breasts and your surgeon’s preference.

Most breast reduction patients require traditional excision methods to remove excess glandular tissue, fat, and skin.

Who Is a Candidate for Breast Reduction

If you’re tired of struggling with how your large and heavy breasts look, you may be a candidate for breast reduction surgery.

Breast reduction is one of the most popular surgeries performed by plastic surgeons today. Breast reduction surgery can help relieve back pain, neck pain, and shoulder pain caused by large breasts.

Candidates for breast reduction include women who want to reduce their breast size because:

Their breasts are too large or heavy and cause pain
They have one breast that is larger than the other
They have large, sagging breasts that need support from an underwire bra or sports bra to keep them in place
You can’t exercise comfortably because of the pain
Your clothes don’t fit right because your breasts are too large for them.

What Happens During Breast Reduction Surgery?

The first step in breast reduction surgery is to make an incision around the areola and vertically down the lower pole of the breast. Larger reductions will also usually require an incision across the breast crease beneath the breast as well. This gives your surgeon access to the glandular tissue, which is then removed from the breast. Some surgeons will remove fat from the breast as well.

If you have large areolas, they may be reduced during this procedure as well. Finally, your surgeon will close up the incisions with stitches and bandages.

After your surgery, you’ll need to take care of yourself for about a week or two before you can go back to normal activities. You’ll have some swelling and bruising, but these should subside in a few weeks.

Breast reduction is performed alongside a breast lift to restore tightness and youthful perkiness to the breasts.

What Should I Expect After Breast Reduction Surgery?

While you’re planning your breast reduction surgery, it’s important to know what to expect. Here are some of the common milestones in the recovery process.

After your procedure:

You’ll be given instructions on how to care for yourself at home and any medications you can take. Follow these instructions carefully so that you can heal quickly and avoid complications.
Take a pain reliever as directed by your doctor or nurse.
You may feel discomfort from tightness around the breasts or pain around the incision site. You may also have soreness in the shoulders, back, and arms from lying in bed during recovery time. If these symptoms become too uncomfortable, talk with your doctor about increasing pain medication or changing dressings on wounds to make them more comfortable.
You may see redness and swelling around incisions that will eventually subside over time as they heal completely without any trace of scarring left behind!

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Is Breast Reduction Performed?

The goal of breast reduction surgery is to relieve emotional and physical discomfort caused by large breasts and to improve your quality of life.

What Is the Recovery Time?

The recovery time for a breast reduction surgery is anywhere from four to six weeks. The length of your recovery depends on the extent of your surgery. You may need to wear a surgical bra for up to six weeks after the procedure, and you may have swelling, bruising, and pain during this time as well.

Recovery will also vary depending on how you heal, so follow any instructions given by your doctor or surgeon carefully.

Will My Insurance Cover the Cost of Surgery?

The good news is that many insurance plans do cover breast reduction surgery. The bad news is that not all of them do — and if yours doesn’t, you may be stuck with a hefty bill.

But don’t worry: most patients who’ve undergone this procedure have found ways to deal with the costs by taking out loans or getting help from their family members.

Your doctor will be able to give you more information about how your specific insurance plan works and whether or not it covers breast reduction surgery.

If you’re not sure what type of coverage you have, contact your insurance company and ask them directly if they cover breast reduction procedures under their policy.