Breast reduction is plastic surgery studied to improve the appearance of large breasts by reducing their volume and by remodelling them.
An attractive breast has always been considered the byword for beauty and feminine charms. Very often women who contact the cosmetic surgeon seek surgery to enhance the volume and consistency of a small breast they are not please with.
However, the reverse is also true, and far more often than one might think. Some patients want to reduce the volume of breasts that are too large. The surgery in question, which is known as breast reduction, often does not only meet cosmetic purposes. A breast that is too large does not only affect the overall harmony and general proportions of the body but, in the long-term, can even cause discomfort and problems in the shoulder, neck and upper region of the spine.
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Precautions and advice
Before submitting to surgery, it is preferable to perform a mammography that ensures the status of health of the breasts (any benign lesions can be removed during surgery).
Surgery
Focused on reducing volume and on remodelling the breast, surgery is performed under general anaesthesia, has a duration of about 2-3 hours and envisages hospitalisation for 1 or 2 days. Surgery is preceded by a measuring phase of the standing patient, during which the surgeon draws some marks on the skin with a dedicated felt tip pen for guidance during the operation. The latter consists in removing part of the skin and of the underlying breast tissues. After moving the areola upwards, we remodel the remaining tissues into a smaller and more compact layout. Supportive medication is administered at the end of surgery. It will be removed by the surgeon after 48 hours and replaced by a bra for sports activities, to be worn night and day for two months. The patient will have to wait a week before taking a bath or a shower (to avoid wetting the suture). Sutures are internal and are reabsorbed after a few weeks.
Convalescence and return to routine activities
During convalescence (about 2 weeks), it is advisable not to drive and to limit professional and social activities. If the patient performs a job that requires the use of physical force, a longer period of postoperative rest will be required.
Sports and motor activities can be practised gradually, starting from the third week after surgery, depending on the nature and intensity of the effort required. Generally, for the first two weeks after breast reduction the patient must not make any movements that entail lifting the arms over the head, and all physical effort must be avoided for at least 20 days.