Breast Reduction Surgery

Breast Reduction Candidates

Reduction mammoplasty is the reduction of the breast, and can be performed on both men and women. Women considering the surgery usually have very large breasts that cause health issues such as back and neck pain. Men who suffer from gynecomastia, which causes men to have abnormally large breasts, are also candidates for reduction mammoplasty.

Breast Reduction Techniques

Reduction mammoplasty involves removal of excess breast fat, skin and tissue, and is performed in one of two ways: the pedical method or the free nipple graft (FNG) method. With the pedical method, at least one pedical remains attached so that there is greater chance for the nerves to function and the breast to be viable for breastfeeding. This process can be done using the inferior, superior, central or lateral pedicals, or by a combination of the inferior and superior pedicals, which is called a bi-pedical procedure. The FNG method requires that the nipple be severed from all pedicals and placed at a new location on the breast. This method is less desirable in that nipple sensation and breastfeeding viability are lost. This method is recommended for extremely over-sized breasts for which the pedical method is impossible.

The two most common incision techniques are the bilateral reduction method and the LeJour method. The bilateral method, commonly called the anchor, keyhole, T-incision, T-scar or inverted T method, involves cutting vertically down from the areola and along the underside of the breast. Excess skin is removed along this T-shaped incision, along with excess fat and tissue, and the skin is then pulled together and sutured. There is also an incision made around the areola so that it can be lifted to a higher position on the breast when the skin is pulled together and sutured.

The LeJour method involves less scarring, but usually requires that the breast is smaller than DDD and that the skin is very supple. This method, also called the vertical incision or lollipop method, involves a vertical incision down from the areola and an incision around the areola, but no lower curvilinear incision along the underside of the breast.

Breast Reduction Surgery and Recouperation

Surgery takes from three to five hours under general anesthesia, and patients only stay in the hospital one or two nights. The breast are wrapped in gauze and bound at the end of the procedure. Patients are advised to rest for at least one and to abstain from physical exercise for at least one month post surgery. Some risks or complications include infection, unusual discharge from the incision site, nipple sensation loss, and inability to breastfeed. After the first month the patient should feel relatively normal and can resume everyday activity. It takes from six months to one year for the body to fully accept the new breasts.

Costs and Insurance Coverage

Health insurance in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada often only partially covers reduction mammoplasty, so there is a growing trend to have the procedure in countries that offer the same results for a much cheaper price, such as Mexico and Thailand.