While it may sound sexy (to sad old codgers, that is), having extremely large breasts can actually be far from pleasant – for their owners. Thousands of women hate being overly well-endowed as they often suffer excruciating back, neck and shoulder pain, experience extreme difficulty finding tops that look decent, and endure daily taunts and unwanted stares from legions of lecherous men.
Now there’s a solution. While the concept of a “boob job” for most people conjures up images of turning triple-A mosquito bites into double-D bazookas, some women would like nothing more than just the opposite. Known as mammoplasty reduction, or breast reduction, this inverse boob job makes big breasts smaller, giving large-chested women a new lease on life by giving them – and others - something else to focus on apart from their bosom.
Now that we’ve got that off our chest, let’s continue…
All About Breast Reduction Surgery
Reduction mammoplasty seeks to reduce the size of the breasts by taking away excess glandular tissue, fat and skin. In rare cases the operation can be done simply through liposuction, when the fat is literally sucked from the body using a small hand-held device that works a bit like a vacuum cleaner. But this can only occur when the breast is large purely due to fat build-up, and there is no excess skin that needs to be excised, or cut off.
While different techniques are employed, the most common type of breast reduction surgery involves making a large T- or anchor-shaped incision that goes around the areola, or outside of the nipple, down toward the crease between the breast and the abdomen, then horizontally underneath the breast. Smaller breasts may require a vertical incision only, which means the bigger you are, the more scarring.
In the case of exceedingly large and/or droopy breasts, the surgeon will remove the nipple, take away some breast tissue and skin, raise the part of the breast that’s left, then put the nipples back using a skin graft. It will be positioned higher, so it will appear natural. The good news is that you won’t have a nipple adjacent to your armpit, the bad news is that you may suffer nerve damage and lose all sense of feeling if this happens, and may also be unable to breastfeed in future.
A reduction mammoplasty takes up to four hours and is performed under general anesthesia. When it is over the breasts are wrapped in a supportive undergarment, and as dissolvable stitches are often used you may not need to have them removed. Drains may be left in each breast for up to two days.
Interestingly, the amount of fat taken from each breast often differs, as breasts are not always the same size. In fact, breast reduction surgery can also be performed when one breast is larger than the other, to make them appear more symmetrical. If that’s the case you may not want breast reduction surger: another option is an implant to make the smaller one larger so you have a matching pair.
After-Care and Risks
Women having this operation are advised not to undertake strenuous activities or indulge in heavy-lifting for at least six weeks, and to wear support bras without underwiring during this time. You will be given painkillers when you leave the hospital, as well as follow-up appointments to make sure everything is healing well and that the drains are emptying properly.
It’s considered best to wait to have the operation until you reach the grand old age of 20 at least, giving the breasts time to fully develop. Women should also abstain until they have had all the children they want, and should be fully aware that having a reduction mammoplasty could make breastfeeding difficult, or even impossible (see above). Some surgeons argue that the ability to breastfeed won’t be affected in the slightest, but there is actually no guarantee.
Women with pendulous breasts that tend to droop may opt instead for a breast lift, or mastopexy, in which excess skin is removed and surrounding tissue tightened to lift and raise the breasts. This can work well when breasts are not overly large, but obviously is not recommended if you want to reduce size as well as reshape.
Risks for a standard reduction mammoplasty include:
- Scarring. The severity of the scars will depend on the patient, but they usually fade over time. Be aware that people with darker skin run a greater risk of keloid scarring.
- Infection. Risk can be reduced by taking antibiotics before surgery.
- Nipple necrosis, or loss of nipple. This means that the skin on the nipple dies, but this complication is, thankfully, exceedingly rare.
- Hematoma. This can happen if the drains inserted into the breast do not drain away all the blood properly. Blood can collect underneath the breast and become painful. Further surgery will needed to have the clot drained.
- Loss of nipple sensation. Happens in rare cases. In even rarer ones, patients may experience nipple hypersensitivity.
- Breast asymmetry. This is not common but can be corrected if need be.
- Problems associated with general anesthesia. Any surgery requiring a general anesthetic carries this risk. You can reduce it by not smoking and losing weight before surgery.
- Be aware that estrogen therapy, or HRT, can sometimes cause breasts to grow again, and in some cases women have needed repeat breast reduction surgery.
While breast reduction surgery may sound scary and a bit off-putting, the vast majority of women are satisfied with the outcome. An estimated 104,000 breast reductions were carried out in 2006, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, and the number is still growing. Indeed, a greater percentage of women are satisfied with breast reduction surgery than they are with breast enlargement operations.
While people often mistake a reduction mammoplasty as pure cosmetic surgery, the end goal is not purely aesthetic. Women who had successful breast reductions had reduced back and shoulder pain, fewer headaches, and significantly less numbness in the breast as well as breast pain. It was a help to them not only aesthetically and physiologically but emotionally as well, raising their self-esteem and boosting their confidence (and the number of revealing tops in their wardrobe!). Those who had small bodies in proportion to their breasts were those who gained the biggest results.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your health care provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate medical professional.
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