Breast Reduction

While most women are frantically searching for better (and cheaper) means of increasing their breast sizes, there are a few others who feel that theirs are several sizes too big.

Some women think that less is better. Even if a lot of females will probably raise their eyebrows at this, large breasts are not on every woman’s wish list. Breast reduction may not be as common as breast augmentation, but there are definitely some who would choose to undergo this procedure. Although their reason vary, large breasts are known to result in: poor posture; chronic shoulder, neck and back pain; rashes underneath the breast; shoulder grooves caused by bra straps; restricted or inability to participate in certain physical activities; confidence issues; difficulty in choosing or fitting into clothes and bras.

Women who need to undergo breast reduction vary in age – from teens to adults beyond 70. But for younger women, it is recommended that they wait until they become 20 years old before having breast reduction surgery. This is to ensure that their breasts have achieved complete growth. Moreover, women should understand that breast reduction surgery lessens their breast-feeding capability and may appear different after giving birth.

Breast reduction is done by removing the excess skin and fat from the breasts. The nipples are repositioned and the breasts are also reshaped to create smaller breasts. Breast reduction surgery may also be done to even the size of a pair of breasts whose sizes are different from one another.

Before you decide to go under the knife, you have to make sure that you have considered all the important issues concerning breast reduction. Remember that the breast size changes with body weight. So if you have a stable weight, then the procedure is appropriate for you. Those who have a hard time maintaining their weights may face certain problems. Even if the breasts do not grow after surgery, they still have the tendency to vary in size once you lose or gain weight. And like the breasts which have not undergone breast reduction, your breasts are still likely going to droop when you get older.

Although most of the side effects are temporary, they are inevitable. Some of these are: there are women who often feel sick because of the painkillers or general anaesthetic; pain and discomfort will be experienced for a couple of days, with the breasts becoming lumpy and tender even way after the procedure; scars are unavoidable although some are likely to fade; sensation in the nipple or on some parts of the breast may be reduced; some women are not capable of breast feeding after breast reduction surgery.

While complication are not common, they do happen. Most women may be spared from these, but there are others who experience the following: unexpected or uncommon anaesthetic reactions; severe bleeding during and/or after surgery; infection on wound; presence of blood clot.

Specific complications that may also occur after breast reductions include: often, scars remain thick and red; seldom, blood supply abnormalities may cause nipple loss; breasts always have the tendency to change their shapes a bit, or nipples may appear uneven after surgery.

Those who have undergone breast reduction will always be required to go back to the surgeon for a post-operative consultation. The surgeon will check on your healing progress and will review the results of the surgery. After that, you have to go on a two to six week rest period, depending on your health and age. Your stitches are either going to dissolve, or will necessitate a health practitioner to remove them about one or two weeks after the surgery.

Breast reduction is not only for aesthetic purposes. But it’s not a huge health issue either. So before you decide on it, make sure you are ready to accept it as a package – complications and all.