Breast-feeding may not be possible after breast reduction surgery. It depends on how much breast tissue was removed and whether scarring interrupts the ducts. Of course, if the nipple was removed and replaced during surgery, breast-feeding will be impossible.
Breast Reduction
Recently Answered
-
4 AnswersA
-
2 AnswersA
Baptist Health South Florida answeredSee All 2 AnswersBreast reduction surgery is a safe procedure when done in carefully selected patients and performed by an experienced plastic surgeon. The risk for complications is approximately 4.47%, but will increase in patients who smoke, or are obese. The rate of reoperation with in 30 days for complications is 2%. In patients who are 35 years old or older, a mammogram should be done within the last six months prior to the surgery to screen for any possible abnormalities including cancer. As in any procedure, the benefit of having the surgery should out weigh any potential complications. -
4 AnswersA
Dr. Michael A. Howard, MD , Plastic Surgery, answered on behalf of NorthShore University HealthSystemSee All 4 Answers
Breast reduction surgery does have the standard risks associated with any surgery but is usually well tolerated with minimal recovery time. Learn more from Dr. Michael Howard on behalf of NorthShore University HealthSystem about breast reduction surgery.
Find out more about this DVD:
What Should I Know If I'm Considering Breast-Reduction Surgery?
Buy DVD -
1 AnswerA
Dr. Stuart A. Linder, MD , Plastic Surgery, answeredAs a board certified plastic surgeon, I perform surgical breast reduction surgery to reduce women's breast size frequently. In general, weight loss through diet and exercise may help your entire body to lose size. However, many still have breast hypertrophy or gigantomastia requiring a breast reduction surgery. Liposuction of the breast may also be an option in certain patients that do not have significant skin laxity or ptosis. -
1 AnswerA
Dr. Stuart A. Linder, MD , Plastic Surgery, answeredThe most common complications from a breast reduction surgery are bleeding and infection. Bleeding or hematoma is the most common complication after any major surgery. This is followed by infection (either a skin cellulitis or an abscess). Other problems can include skin atrophy, fat atrophy, nipple-areolar loss (devascularization), deep venous throbosis, pulmonary embolus, and death.
-
3 AnswersA
Stephen Handisides , Health Education, answeredSee All 3 AnswersBreast reduction surgery reduces the weight of the breast and lifts the breast. It is usually an outpatient procedure and indicated for symptomatic hypermastia, or large breasts which cause neck and back pain, rashes and difficulty fitting into bras. There are numerous types of breast reduction patterns, and in general you will feel almost instant relief from your symptoms rather than discomfort from the actual procedure.
Most patients will take pain medication (Vicodin) for about two or three days after breast reduction. Most patients reveal that their breasts are sore and burn a little during the first 24 hours, but the pain is not excruciating. Since breast reduction does not involve bone or muscle, but skin and breast tissue, it does not cause severe pain afterwards. -
1 AnswerA
Dr. Stuart A. Linder, MD , Plastic Surgery, answeredBreast reductions, especially very large reductions, can require multiple staged surgeries. The truth of the matter is that often after the first surgery, the breasts may look somewhat flat or boxy in appearance. The sides of the breasts often need to be trimmed at a secondary stage or even liposuctioned. This is very frequently done in a second surgery. As a result, all of our patients are informed up front that multiple stage surgeries are often required on breast reductions, both in order to allow for a normal shape of the breast and to reduce the flattening and boxy appearance of the side of the chest.
-
2 AnswersA
Tara Whitworth, MSN , Nursing, answeredSee All 2 AnswersBreast reduction surgery requires an incision around the nipple, down the middle of the breast, and in the crease underneath the breast. In some cases, the entire nipple must be removed and sewn back in place after the desired amount of breast tissue is removed. Wound healing issues are the most common complication of breast reduction surgery, so it is important to keep your follow up appointments. For most women, the recovery time is at least 6-8 weeks. -
1 AnswerA
Dr. Stuart A. Linder, MD , Plastic Surgery, answeredWhenever a breast reduction surgery is performed, normally implants are NOT placed concurrently. In the past, however, when patients have undergone prophylactic subcutaneous mastectomies, that is removing the majority of the breast in order to reduce the incidence of breast cancer due to family history, silicone implants could be placed at the same setting in order to rebuild a normal breast shape. However, at this time, when breast reduction surgeries are performed, we normally do not place a saline or silicone implant at the same time.
-
1 AnswerA
Dr. Stuart A. Linder, MD , Plastic Surgery, answeredAfter a breast reduction procedure, it is especially important to maintain your lifted breasts by using supportive brassieres. We instruct our patient's to wear supportive under wire bras during the day, and tight compressive sports bras during the evening. My new bra the "DrLinderbra" is perfect to wear for training, as well as a beauty and sleep. A compressive bra during the evening, during sleep, is extremely important to reduce the effects of gravity on the breasts, which could lead to increased recurrent skin laxity.
Firming the breasts up after a breast reduction simply requires using supportive bras. There really is no specific cream or lotion that will tighten up the skin or the breasts, but maintaining its firmness after surgery by using under wire and supportive brassieres is the most important aspect postoperatively.
Remember, after a breast lift, or breast reduction, the tissue that remains still has the same content of collagen that the tissue removed had, and thereby if you have skin laxity preoperative, after your reduction you will still have the same poor skin elasticity and tonicity after.