Top Reasons to Consider Breast Reduction Surgery

Breast reduction surgery is a surgical procedure that removes fat, skin, and tissue from the breasts to make them smaller. Women who have large breasts may consider breast reduction surgery to reduce discomfort or achieve a size more proportionate to their bodies.

If you are considering breast reduction surgery, below is more information about the procedure.

Why Women Have Breast Reduction Surgery

Breast reduction surgery is intended for women with large breasts who want to reduce various problems, including:

• Neck, shoulder, and back pain that may require prescription pain medication
• Skin irritation and rash under or around the breasts
• Restricted physical activity
• Poor self-confidence and self-image related to their breast size

Breast reduction surgery is usually done to address the above medical problems, but you also can have this procedure for aesthetic reasons. Patients who have breast reduction may want to do so for many reasons, such as social stigma and wardrobe problems.

Why Women Get Breast Reduction Surgery

Women have this procedure for many reasons, but these are the most common:

Back Pain

One of the most significant physical problems of having large breasts is back pain. Heavy breasts put pressure on the back and can affect the curvature of your spine. Over the years, the woman can develop severe neck and upper back pain that affects her quality of life.

Chicago Plastic Surgeon Dr. Otto Placik says, “Large breasts can have a detrimental effect on a woman’s back and reduce their ability to exercise, as well as affect their posture when walking or sitting.”

Dr. Placik adds the extra weight on the chest without proper support can make good posture challenging.

Also, many women with large breasts have back pain after sitting with poor posture at a desk for hours. For them, back pain can affect their ability to live, but breast reduction surgery can give them their life back.

Self-Esteem

Large breasts can make women more self-conscious about their appearance, and some may wear loose clothing to hide their bodies. Others will try to hunch over as much as possible, affecting their posture and spine health.

Self-esteem problems can be more pronounced in younger women and teenagers and even make them avoid social situations.

Wardrobe Problems

It might sound like a minor problem, but large breasts can make it much harder to find clothing that fits. This can be a bigger problem when a woman’s breasts are out of proportion with the rest of her body.

Women may feel stigmatized by popular clothing brands because they have difficulty finding well-fitting clothing that looks good on them.

After a woman has breast reduction surgery, it’s common to feel liberated because there are so many more clothing options when they shop.

Exercise Challenges

We all know that regular exercise is essential to stay thin and healthy as we age. But workouts can become a painful ordeal with large breasts. Even with a good sports bra, large breasts can make it hard to run, jump, or engage in other vigorous activities.

After this procedure, women often remark that they feel five or 10 pounds lighter and can exercise more easily than ever before.

Problems Sleeping

It might sound surprising, but women with large breasts may have difficulty sleeping. Many people like to sleep on their stomachs, and this can be challenging for these women.

Even sleeping on the left or right side can be difficult because one breast may sit on top of the other, causing discomfort.

Wearing a sports bra at night can help, but this also can be uncomfortable and not a long-term option.

Breast Reduction Surgery Questions

Women often have questions before they have breast reduction surgery, and these are some of the most frequent ones:

Is It Safe?

The breast reduction procedure is satisfying and worth it for many patients, but it is still surgery. Therefore, you should talk to a board-certified plastic surgeon about it and discuss your overall health, surgical goals, and the medications you take.

Breast reduction surgery usually takes three to five hours and involves several weeks of recovery.

You might not get the cup size you wanted, and there is some scarring, but the procedure has a high satisfaction rate with minimal complications.

Is It Painful?

Whether you have a breast reduction or another breast-related procedure, you will have some discomfort for a few days after surgery.

But many patients report that they are so pleased they don’t have pain from their breast size anymore that pain from the surgery is mild in comparison.

Will I Have A Breast Lift?

Yes! This is a crucial aspect of breast reduction surgery to consider. You also will have a breast lift simultaneously, which will give you a younger appearance.

Having two procedures in one is always a benefit because it’s more cost-effective, and you can have all of your recovery done simultaneously.

How Long Is The Recovery?

You will feel tired and sore for up to a week after the procedure. Depending on the surgery’s length and how much breast tissue was taken out, you could take longer to recover.

It’s usually necessary to wait until you are completely healed to go back to vigorous exercise – up to six to eight weeks.

But you can probably go back to walking and other light exercises within two weeks of your procedure.

As you think about breast reduction surgery, consider the information above, then talk to your board-certified plastic surgeon to determine if this is the correct procedure for you.