Breast Reduction Explained

Why Breast Reduction Surgery

Breast reduction surgery is performed on women with abnormally large breasts that have resulted in chronic pain in the back, neck, and shoulders. Apart from the physical constraints these women often times feel self-conscious as their large breast do not match their small bodies. Due to the fact that the surgery, also referred to as reduction mammoplasty, is performed to alleviate pain, the majority of women going through with the procedure find that it is usually covered by their health insurance. Although the vast majority of the patients are women, it is not entirely uncommon for men to decide to undergo breast reduction surgery. Some men are born with abnormally large mammary glands, resulting in the form of breasts on the male body.

Breast Reduction Surgery

The actual reduction mammoplasty involves the surgeon removing fat, skin, and glandular tissue in order to reduce the size of the breast. It can also be performed on women with breast implants, as the surgeon will simply remove the implants. The patient needs to have only general anesthesia but recovery is not quick after the surgery. Initial recovery will take a few weeks but it could take around six months to one year to the body to fully accept the new breasts. The majority of the patients will agree that breast reduction surgery is well worth it, as they will have lighter and firmer breasts. The surgery is only recommended for women who are fully grown and who do not wish to breast feed in the future. Moreover the surgery can reduce the risk of breast cancer, as it will make future mammograms easier to interpret, as there is less tissue in the breast the results will be easier to read.

Saving on Breast Implants

With the rise in popularity of medical tourism more women are resorting to traveling outside of their own country to have breast reduction surgery. Although most insurance companies cover a fair portion of the surgery in the United States, there are a number of women without health insurance or who find it even more cost effective to travel abroad for the surgery. In countries like Brazil, Argentina, and Cuba the cost of the surgery is a small fraction of what it would cost in the United States of the United Kingdom. It is quite stunning actually to think what it costs in the United Kingdom for the procedure compared to what it costs in Cuba.