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Medical discharge
24 hours
Length of treatment
2 - 3 hours
Labor and social recovery
10 - 15 days
Type of anesthesia
General Anesthesia
Duration of results
Permanent
Time of year
All year round
BEFORE AND AFTER
Breast Reduction Mammoplasty is a surgical procedure that reduces the volume of the breast, reshaping it and elevating the areolar-nipple complex.
Due to the need to resect both skin and the mammary glands this technique produces scars that the surgeon will conceal as subtly as possible.
Who needs a Breast Reduction?
There are two fundamental reasons to recommend a Breast Reduction procedure:
- The first is to decrease the effect of the weight of the breasts upon the spine, in order to diminish the back ache it can give the patient.
- The second one is to aesthetically harmonize the breasts’ volume with the rest of the body’s shape.
To reshape the breasts and give them an harmonious shape that befits the patient’s anatomy, the surgeon performs anchor-shaped incisions tracing a vertical line from the areola downwards and a horizontal line at the fold under the breast. In most cases the areola will be kept joined to its blood vessels and nerves.
ANAESTHESIA
This procedure requires general anaesthesia
SURGICAL TECHNIQUE
The most important aspect of the procedure is determining the amount of mammary volume and skin to resect. Previous measurement and marking of the skin areas is crucial in achieving good results.
There are three types of incision placement depending on the amount of breast reduction to be performed:
- Periareolar, circling the areola, suitable for minimal reductions.
- Combined Periareolar and vertical incision for moderate cases.
- Periareolar, vertical, and breast fold-traverse (inverted ‘T’) incisions for major reductions.
Technique selection depends on the surgeon’s criteria and the characteristics of the breasts being operated on, age, skin quality and the amount of volume reduction. In all cases care must be taken to ensure that scars are as thin and free from tension as possible. The suture is of the intradermal type.
The nipple is repositioned while joined to the mammary gland, except in cases where there is a risk of the blood flow not reaching its tip, leading to tissue death (diabetic patients, heavy smokers, gigantomastia). In such cases, the nipple-areolar complex is separated and at the end of the procedure is grafted back on. Drainage is set up during the procedure, to be removed over the next three days.
POSTOPERATIVE
After recovering from the anaesthesia, the patient is brought to her room where she will stay until the next day. Drainage will be removed during her next consultation at our clinic.
Once at home the patient must observe a 48 hour period of total rest, after which she must partially rest (she can move freely as long as she doesn’t make any sudden movements or carry any weight) for 10 to 15 days. After that period of time the stitches are removed and the patient can resume her normal life wearing a special bra that helps shape her breasts and keeps the scars from distending.
Once at home the patient must observe a 48 hour period of total rest, after which she must partially rest (she can move freely as long as she doesn’t make any sudden movements or carry any weight) for 10 to 15 days. After that period of time the stitches are removed and the patient can resume her normal life wearing a special bra that helps shape her breasts and keeps the scars from distending.
It lasts two to three hours approximately.
RISKS
Although their frequency is fairly low, there are a few possible complications:
- Haematoma: an accumulation of blood that occurs when a clot blocking a blood vessel detaches itself. In case of moderate though continuous intraoperative bleeding, drainage is usually applied. If the haematoma continues to occur, it would be necessary to remedy it with a new surgical intervention.
- Infection: nowadays the risk of infection is very low, as it is prevented by antibiotic treatment. Even so it does happen to occur, depending on its intensity it could affect the appearance of the scar and the general result of the procedure.
- Widening of the scar: it is not uncommon for the scars to widen if they are subject to some tension, especially after implantion of a breast augment prosthesis. In some cases they are anticipated by the surgeon and he plans for their refinement several months after the breast reduction procedure in order to minimize their appearance.
- Hypertrophic scars and keloids: the scar can be of low quality and be extremely thick and slow to whiten. This depends on the patient’s physical constitution and age.
- A Keloid is a pathology in which the scar shows a disproportionate growth. It is quite infrequent among white women, less so among black women, and extremely rare in Asian women.
- Hyperpigmentation of scars, due to either the patient’s physical constitution, premature sunlight exposure, or the use of certain medications. To solve the issue there are creams, depigmenting skin peels and laser treatments that all offer good results.
- Necrosis: if the breast is very large there is the possibility of the flap of skin holding the nipple-areolar complex during repositioning not receiving enough blood flow to its tip, which would mean partially or completely losing the areola and having to rebuild it. This is quite a rare event. Even so, the patient must be informed of the possibility, especially if she is a heavy smoker or suffers from some blood circulation condition (diabetes, etc.).
- Seromas: serous fluid accumulations that simply must be drained away in case of their occurrence. They are of little significance.
Breast reduction images
Frequently asked questions
n cases of severe breast reduction (from 500 gr. upwards) there is no guarantee that the patient will be able to produce enough milk to breastfeed, although it is usually possible a year after the breast reduction procedure.
In case of severe breast reduction there could be a loss of erogenous sensation although its statistical occurrence will not exceed two to five percent of all breast reduction procedures. Any tactile sensitivity loss is only temporary.
There is no treatment able to fully erase a scar: At most they can help make them less conspicuous. Laser treatment is one such option.
