One of the most predictably successful and regularly requested plastic surgery procedures is a reduction mammoplasty, also known as a female breast reduction. The reasons why women undergo this operation may vary, however it is known to consistently improve a patient’s health. In this feature we explore some the common reasons for surgery, as well as explore everything you didn’t know about the procedure.
The impact of large breasts:
Large breasts can cause disturbances in many parts of the body. Such as chronic back and neck pain, headaches, poor posture, numbness and tingling of the hands, shortness of breath and much more. They can even be a contributing factor to obesity, as a woman’s capacity to carry out exercise maybe greatly affected.
Some women may confuse these symptoms with other conditions, such as thoracic outlet syndrome, arthritis and disc problems. However upon seeing a physician, the problem should be diagnosed promptly with little testing needed. The physician will then go on to explain the steps you can take to ease the symptoms of having large and heavy breasts, also known as macromastia.
You may be instructed to take anti-inflammatory medications if the symptoms are mild. However an option to permanently get rid of any pain caused by large breast is to have them reduced.
Non Surgical Breast Reduction:
While the number of non-surgical options are very limited, aside from natural weight loss, Sadie Nicholas, journalist and feature writer has penned an article for national UK newsapaper the Daily Mail exploring a pioneering non-surgical breast reduction surgery.
You may first want to investigate the non surgical procedures available to you, but it’s important to be aware that the success rate can be low.
Breast reduction surgery deals directly with symptomatic macromastia and is a highly effective method of treatment. By removing your excessive breast weight, you will most likely have pain relief, improved physical functioning, better quality of sleep, improved skeletal function. Patient satisfaction rates are very high. Some even go on to having better breast visualization on mammography, which is essential for any woman over 50. There have been some cases reported that not much relief had been felt after surgery, but this is extremely rare.
Since the procedure is common, it is a standard part of plastic surgery training. The surgery is typically carried out the patient under general anaesthetic. Certain surgeons may require you to stay overnight, while others will allow you to return home. It will normally take six weeks for the patient to fully recover and go about their day to day life as usual.
Scaring:
According to Sydney’s Dr Jermey Hunt, many patients are good candidates for what is called a short-scar breast reduction, as opposed to the traditional reduction procedure, however scaring will depend on a patients indivdual circumstances. As part of the initial consultation, the surgeon will discuss the potential for scaring, and how to mimise it.
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding:
For women who wish to breastfeed there is no need to worry, as more surgeons are beginning to preserve milk-producing tissue so that women can produce a significant amount of milk. There is no way to know how much of a milk supply you will produce before your baby is born as ducts may have been severed during the surgery, but they do grow back after time.
Pregnancy hormones will accelerate this and you will find out around the 4th day after you have given birth. If you are unsatisfied with your milk supply, there are known methods that work in order for it to be increased, such as yoga, craniosacral, acupuncture and acupressure.
Since the surgery does not usually have any serious side effects, if your breasts do cause you to experience frequent pain, having a breast reduction surgery maybe something you should take into consideration.
Anything else?
So there you have it, everything you didn’t know about breast reductions – please feel free to ask any additional questions you might have in the comments below.
This feature was written by George, health and beauty writer specialising in breast surgery.
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