Breast Reduction / Mammoplasty

What to Expect with Breast Reduction Surgery

Excessively large breasts can cause a host of medical issues that include neck and back pain, skin chafing and irritation, difficulty breathing, loss of self esteem, and loss of the ability to live an active lifestyle.  The surgical reduction of excessively large breasts is called a breast reduction mammoplasty, or breast reduction for short.

The goal of a breast reduction is to remove breast fat, skin and glandular tissue to provide the patient with a breast size proportionate to their body.  Dr. Newall will also resize and reposition the nipple to provide for a more natural look.  A breast reduction should have the secondary effect of alleviating the medical issues associated with overly large breasts. 

A breast reduction is performed under general anesthesia. In general there are three techniques:

• The Areolar Technique allows for Dr. Newall to remove a moderate amount of tissue and leaves a scar that is very effectively hidden on the etches of the areola.
  
  
  
  
  
• The Keyhole or Lollypop Technique is a more aggressive technique allowing Dr. Newall to remove more tissue for a greater degree of breast reduction.  However, the tradeoff is both an areola scar similar to the areola technique as well as a vertical scar from the areola to the bottom of the breast.
  
  
  
  
  
• The Inverted “T” or Anchor-Shaped Technique allows for even more tissue removal.  The resulting scar appears like the lollypop scar above but with the addition of a horizontal line along the inframammary fold (the crease under the breast).
  
  
  
  

In general the nipple will maintain its original blood supply and nerves.  Breast feeding is not usually compromised.  During consultation Dr. Newall will discuss these and other possible risks as well as show you before and after photos so you can have an idea of how you might look.  Together, you and Dr. Newall will decide the right plan for you.