Breast Reduction

What is Breast Reduction?

The surgical procedure to reduce the size of the female breast is called breast reduction. This often happens for health reasons such as back pain and poor posture. But it could also be purely for aesthetic reasons. Usually, breast reduction with breast lift is also offered. We’ll tell you all about breast reduction surgeries, when they’re done and the risks.

How is Breast Reduction Surgery Performed?

In all breast reduction procedures, the relevant tissue or either is taken. While many women want large breasts, very large breasts can also be a burden. Those affected by this condition often suffer from chronic back and neck pain. Sometimes posture disorders and even herniated discs occur.
Psychological stress from very large breasts may also play a role. For aesthetic reasons, women often feel very uncomfortable in their bodies. This can later affect your sex life and sports activities.
Breast Reduction Methods
Various breast reduction techniques are available. In all of them, fat and glandular tissue are taken from the breast. However, the exact location of the incisions varies. Basically, the surgeon tries to leave as few scars as possible. Which method to use is decided by the patient.
If the surgeon removes too much tissue from the breast, he will often perform a breast lift in addition to the breast reduction procedure. This makes the result more aesthetic for women.

Before Breast Reduction
Preparations should be made before the operation and the doctor’s recommendations should be followed. Possible reasons for breast reduction include:

Orthopedic complaints such as poor posture, back and neck pain
unevenly sized breasts
Skin irritation and eczema in the under-breast fold (intertrigo)
psychological stress
In such cases, breast reduction is usually the only treatment option and provides great relief to the patient.
Breast Reduction in Men; Male breast size may also need to be reduced. That is, the procedure is required when the breast grows and looks feminine. Such so-called gynecomastia often represents a huge emotional burden for affected men. Also, there is often a feeling of pain and tension. If diet, exercise or medication cannot eliminate the cause of gynecomastia, breast reduction surgery is performed.
Before the operation, the operation planning is done first. To do this, the surgeon measures the size and shape of the breasts and draws guide lines on the patient’s body with a marker to guide the incision. The shape of the breast when lying down is significantly different from that of the standing one. The procedure itself takes place under general anesthesia.

What Should Be Considered After Breast Reduction?

Depending on the extent of the surgery, you should expect a hospital stay of about two to seven days. Drains placed during the procedure are removed immediately if there is no blood or wound secretion. This usually happens after two to three days.
Postoperative swelling and discoloration are quite normal. These regress spontaneously after a while. However, until this is done, the final aesthetic result cannot be verified. This is only possible about three months after breast reduction surgery. If necessary, operative post-processing can be performed at your request.
Stitches are removed after seven to fourteen days. However, there are also special sutures that dissolve on their own after a while. You should wear a specially supported bra for the first time after breast reduction surgery. This not only puts pressure on the wound, but also causes the breasts to not deform during the healing process. Wear the support bra 24 hours a day for at least six weeks.
There are physical restrictions after breast reduction surgery. Avoid sports that primarily strain the chest and arm muscles, such as tennis, golf, or weight training. Also, you should not go to the sauna or solarium, so as not to impair wound healing. In addition, for the first few weeks after breast reduction surgery, it is necessary to lie on your back instead of lying on your face or side.