Mammaplasty reduction is a surgical procedure that reduces the volume and weight of a woman’s breasts. It is also effective for lifting breasts that have sagged due to age, childbirth, or any other natural cause.
Breast Reduction Surgery with Australia Plastic Surgery
Many women with large, heavy breasts experience chronic back, neck, and shoulder pain, as well as discomfort from bra straps digging into their shoulders. Large breasts can also limit physical activity, making it difficult to engage in exercise or maintain proper posture.
If excessively large breasts are causing pain or hindering your active lifestyle, breast reduction surgery may provide the relief you’re seeking. At Australia Plastic Surgery, we specialize in breast reduction procedures to create a more balanced and proportionate bust, addressing both aesthetic and physical concerns. Book your in-person consultation with our expert team today to learn more.
Physical Problems Associated with Large Breasts
Women with excessively large breasts may experience a variety of physical discomforts, including:
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Neck and Back Pain: The added weight of large breasts places a strain on the neck and back, leading to long-term pain. By reducing breast size, the pressure on these areas can be alleviated, providing significant relief.
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Shoulder Pain: Heavy breasts can also cause shoulder discomfort due to the constant pressure of bra straps. Breast reduction surgery can reduce this strain and improve mobility, allowing you to perform everyday tasks more comfortably.
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Difficulty Exercising: Large breasts can interfere with your ability to exercise, making it harder to enjoy physical activities or maintain an active lifestyle. Breast reduction can help you regain the freedom to move without discomfort.
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Chafing and Skin Irritation: Larger breasts may sag or droop, causing skin irritation or rashes under the breasts due to friction. Reshaping and reducing breast tissue can alleviate these issues by removing excess weight and improving the shape of the breasts.
The Benefits of Breast Reduction Surgery
Breast reduction surgery offers significant physical and aesthetic improvements. Common reasons women consider breast reduction include:
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Breasts that are disproportionate to the body
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Difficulty with exercise or sports
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Chronic neck, back, and shoulder pain
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Skin irritation, chafing, or rashes under the breasts
Considerations for Breast Reduction Surgery
Breast reduction is a complex surgical procedure that requires careful planning and consideration. The surgery involves making incisions, removing excess tissue, and repositioning the remaining breast tissue to create a more natural, youthful shape. Depending on your needs, the procedure may also involve repositioning the nipples and areolas.
Breast Reduction Scars
As with any surgery involving incisions, breast reduction will leave scars. The typical scar patterns are either lollipop-shaped (a circle around the areola with a vertical line extending downward) or anchor-shaped (lollipop incision plus a horizontal line along the breast fold). While scars may be prominent at first, they generally fade over time, especially in the first year after surgery.
Nipple Sensation Changes
Some women may experience temporary or permanent changes in nipple sensation after breast reduction. Most patients recover partial or full sensation within a couple of months, but in rare cases, complete loss of sensation may occur. Certain surgical techniques can help preserve nipple sensitivity.
Breastfeeding After Breast Reduction
Breast reduction may affect the ability to breastfeed. If you plan to have children in the future, it’s advisable to wait until you’ve completed your family and stopped breastfeeding before considering surgery. Discuss your concerns with your surgeon to understand how the procedure may impact your breastfeeding plans.
Breast Reduction and Post-Pregnancy Body Contouring
Pregnancy can lead to significant changes in breast size, volume, and skin elasticity. While some women experience a return to their pre-pregnancy breast shape, others may find their breasts remain larger or have lost volume and firmness. In these cases, breast reduction surgery can be a key part of post-pregnancy body contouring, which is a personalized approach to address the physical changes caused by pregnancy and childbirth.
Timing Considerations
If you’re considering breast reduction as part of your post-pregnancy body contouring plan, it’s important to think carefully about the timing. If you plan to have more children, it’s generally advised to wait until your family is complete. Subsequent pregnancies may affect the results of the surgery.
For women who have finished breastfeeding, it’s typically recommended to wait for at least six months to a year to allow your body to stabilize before undergoing surgery. This ensures that your weight and hormone levels are stable, providing the most predictable and lasting results.
Planning Your Breast Reduction Surgery
The Mamaplasty Consultation
The breast reduction consultation will determine if you are suitable candidate for the procedure. During the consultation, your full medical history, including childbirth and family planning, will be discussed. If you are a smoker, you will be asked to stop smoking 2 weeks before surgery. If you are significantly overweight then planned preoperative weight reduction will be encouraged but this alone does not necessarily rule you out for an operation. Depending on your age you may be required to have a mammogram prior to surgery. The current recommendation that all women above age of 40 should have mammogram prior to breast reduction surgery.
The Mamaplasty Surgery
The surgeon makes a circular incision around the areola. The surgeon then removes the excess glandular tissue, fat, and skin, and moves the nipple and areola into their new position.
Throughout this process, they remain attached to the breast by a thin stalk of tissue to maintain blood flow and preserve sensation in the nipple and areola.
This technique has been modified and refined throughout the years in order to improve safety as well as the aesthetic results.
The stitches are usually located around the areola, in a vertical line extending downward, and along the lower crease of the breast.
The procedure will usually take two to three hours, depending on the complexity of the case.
After Your Breast Reduction Surgery
A simple dressing will be applied to the chest area for a week after surgery.
This is necessary for effective healing.
Drainage tubes are applied if necessary to drain off excess fluids from the wounds and reduce the formation of bruises. If they are inserted, they will be removed after approximately 24 hours.
You will be going home either the same day or the day after your surgery.
An appointment will be arranged for you to come back and see your surgeon 7-10 days after your surgery, so he can remove your dressing and review the wound. Stitches usually dissolve and don’t require removal.
Getting Back to Work and Normal Activities
You will have to rest completely for the first 48 hours after surgery.
It is quite normal to experience a burning sensation during this time.
It may be possible to return to work after as little as four days but only if it does not require you to lift heavy objects.
Normal physical activity can be resumed after about a month.
What Are The Risks Associated With This Procedure?
Plastic surgery, like any surgical procedure, carries inherent risks and potential complications.
Please read our Risks and Complications of Plastic Surgery page.