Women may need breast reduction surgery due to:

• Chronic pain – women with extremely large breasts often suffer from upper back and shoulder pain, neck strain with associated tension headaches and the pain of shoulder grooving from bra straps due to the weight of the enlarged breasts.
• Infections – women with large breasts can be prone to rashes or fungal and yeast infections in the area beneath the breast known as the “inframammary fold”.
• Embarrassment – women, particularly young women, with large breasts can feel psychologically uncomfortable or awkward about extremely large breast size.
• Asymmetry – a breast reconstruction patient or a breast lift patient may choose to have breast reduction surgery in one breast to create a more even or balanced appearance to both breasts.

The benefits to breast reduction surgery are:

• Comfort – with breast reduction surgery, women can ease their pain, both physical and psychological, control painful and irritating rashes and infections and achieve the benefits of cosmetic surgery with a smaller but more attractive breast size and shape.

With breast reduction surgery, the following happens:

• Prior to breast reduction surgery – Dr. Pautler measures the breasts to gain a precise determination of how much breast tissue to remove ensuring proportional and shapely results. Dr. Pautler draws a pattern on the breast with the patient in the upright position. Learn more about before breast reduction surgery directions.
• During the breast reduction surgery – breast gland and skin are removed according to the pattern, and the nipple and areola area is repositioned higher on what ends up being a smaller breast mound. The surgery takes approximately three hours (1.5 hours per breast) and is done with general anesthesia. Prior to completion of the breast reduction surgery, Dr. Pautler sits each patient up allowing the breasts to drop to verify the breasts are as symmetrical as possible. She then inserts a small drain into each breast, the incisions are closed and a light compressive bra is placed on the patient all before the patient is awakened from the anesthesia. Learn more about the risks associated with breast reduction surgery.
• After the breast reduction surgery – the drains are removed the day after surgery. Recovery is approximately 4-6 weeks. The light compressive bra is worn during the entire time of recovery. Learn more about after breast reduction surgery directions.

It is the goal of plastic surgery to minimize scarring or make scarring as discrete as possible. In the case of breast reduction surgery, Dr. Pautler will use one of the following breast reduction methods to reduce scarring

• Vertical breast reduction – scars from the plastic surgery are limited to around the areola and an up-and-down scar from the areola to the crease beneath the breast. This is also known as the “Lejour or Hall-Findlay mammaplasty”.
• Wise-pattern breast reduction – this plastic surgery incorporates the scar around the areola, up-and-down from the areola, and underneath in the crease beneath the breast.

View our Glossary of Breast Surgery key terms Here.

Notes Regarding Breast Reduction Surgery

The following notes detail various issues relating to breast reduction surgery:

• Breast cancer: Studies show that a breast reduction can reduce cancer risk by 40% but it cannot eliminate the risk. It has been documented in the literature that on RARE occasions, a cancer has been detected in the breast during breast reduction surgery. A mammogram is obtained prior to the breast reduction surgery to see if there are any breast areas that should be studied prior to breast reduction surgery, but an occasional lump can be missed. Should this unusual circumstance arise during breast reduction surgery, it is possible that breast conservation surgery may not be possible and that eventually a mastectomy may need to be performed
• Breastfeeding after breast reduction surgery: Many women are able to nurse successfully after breast reduction surgery; however, it cannot be guaranteed. If breastfeeding is something you absolutely wish to do, you may want to consider holding off on the breast reduction surgery until finished with childbearing.