Patient's who undergo breast reduction surgery may not be able to breastfeed postoperatively. Statistically approximately 12%-15% of women undergoing a bilateral breast reduction are not able to lactate or breastfeed after this operation. In general, the majority of my breast reduction patients are able to breastfeed and also have good nipple sensitivity as well after surgery. It is important that the patients understand the risk associated with breast reduction surgery which can also include bleeding, infection, loss of nipple sensitivity, as well as the inability to lactate.
Breast Reduction
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Dr. Stuart A. Linder, MD , Plastic Surgery, answeredSee All 2 AnswersA breast reduction is a safe surgical procedure when performed by only Board-Certified Plastic Surgeons. There are NO substitutes. The doctor must be well trained in the anatomy of the breast. Dr. Linder uses the wise pattern, inferior-pedicle approach to maintain blood supply to the nipple and allow for a Safe and Predictable outcome.
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Dr. Mehmet Oz, MD , Cardiology (Cardiovascular Disease), answeredSee All 4 AnswersIf you're a woman who's especially well endowed and have an extra five pounds of breast dragging on your neck and shoulders, it may be a great relief to lighten the load. So breast reductions are useful for both functional and cosmetic reasons. And men themselves are not immune to growing large breasts (it's called "gynecomastia"). Almost half of men have some degree of breast growth around puberty, though most settle down by the time they're 20. This problem is rising because so many of our drugs, including blood-pressure medicines and steroids, can cause breast tissue to grow. Men usually have breast-reduction surgery for cosmetic issues, as you might imagine. Breast reductions in men and women are usually outpatient procedures with a high satisfaction rate. -
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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.
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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.
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Dr. Stuart A. Linder, MD , Plastic Surgery, answeredSee All 3 AnswersThe recovery after a breast reduction is normally 6-8 weeks. The inflammation and swelling takes at least 6 weeks to reduce to a point that the breast starts to feel soft and natural. Drainage tubes are normally placed for 24 hours and then removed. Sutures are then removed usually between 2-3 weeks post surgically from the skin. Patients can usually wear a regular bra at 4 weeks and can continue to proceed with exercising at 6 weeks. In fact, breast reduction surgery is not all that painful to the majority of patients. Remember, unlike breast augmentation where implants are placed behind the muscle, a breast reduction surgery is removing skin, glandular tissue and fatty tissue in which there are few nerves and therefore the majority of our patients haven't experienced a great amount of pain post surgically.
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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.
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Dr. Stuart A. Linder, MD , Plastic Surgery, answeredSee All 2 AnswersHealing from breast reduction surgery varies from patient to patient. In general, the larger the breast reduction, the longer the healing process may take. In general, it is approximately 6-8 weeks postsurgical for the majority of healing to occur and swelling to be reduced. Sutures are usually placed and remain in place for approximately 2-3 weeks. There is a tremendous amount of tension on the flaps after a breast reduction surgery and therefore sutures are not removed early to prevent dehiscence of the wounds. The majority of our patients are able to return to exercise after 6 weeks and approximately 75% of the swelling is reduced, sutures have been removed and the patient can then be placed into a normal underwire brassiere.
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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.
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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.