Cosmetic surgery isn’t about making everyone fit the same standard of beauty. It’s about helping each patient balance their natural features in a way that makes them feel confident. Breast reduction surgery is no exception. For men and women alike, too much breast volume is a common source of both physical and emotional discomfort. For these patients, male or female breast reduction can be the answer. As a double board-certified plastic surgeon who has been performing breast reduction and other plastic surgeries for over 20 years, I’ve created a helpful infographic of facts about each procedure.
For patients who are appropriate candidates, breast reduction surgery can be the start to a life with less self-consciousness, fewer aches and pains, and more freedom to feel comfortable in your own skin. To find out more about what results breast reduction can offer and whether you’re a good candidate, schedule a breast reduction consultation with me, Dr. John L. LeRoy. For more helpful facts about plastic surgery for the face, breasts, and body, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
In the field of plastic surgery, there are two major categories: cosmetic surgery and reconstructive surgery. Cosmetic surgery is purely done for aesthetics and self-confidence, while reconstructive surgery has more of a medical aspect because it’s repairing an area that has been affected by an illness or injury. Breast reduction, though, splits the difference. Large breasts cause cosmetic and medical problems alike, so patients benefit in both physical and emotional ways.
If you’re considering breast reduction surgery and you have questions about the procedure, I’ve answered some of the most common questions to offer a helping hand:
What health problems can a breast reduction help?
Any health issue or pain that is caused by the excessive size of your breasts is likely to get better after a breast reduction. The most common ones include pain in the back, neck, and shoulders, bra strap indentations in the shoulders, recurrent rashes under the breasts, poor posture, and even some numbness in parts of the breasts and upper chest.
Are there any nonsurgical ways to reduce my breast size?
Unfortunately no, there is no way to get the results of breast reduction without surgery. Depending on how much of your breast size is fat and how much is breast tissue, losing weight may make your breasts smaller. However, it also tends to make breasts sag more, whereas a breast reduction provides a youthful breast lift. There are rumors that exercising your chest muscles with make breasts sag less, and this is untrue. In the past, pills have been sold with the promise of reducing breast size, but none have been FDA-approved and some have even been dangerous to your health. The thought of surgery may make you nervous, but if it’s performed by an experienced board-certified plastic surgeon, the risks are very low while the likelihood of a great result is very high.
How much time do I need to take off work for breast reduction?
Your recovery will depend on the extent of your surgery, your overall health, your body’s natural healing process, your commitment to following your post plastic surgery instructions, and more. In general, most patients are back at work within one to two weeks. Make sure you consider the physical requirements of your job, as well as your commute. It’s best to overestimate and return to work early than to underestimate and risk your job or return to work too early for your body to handle.
After breast reduction surgery, will I still be able to have children and breastfeed?
In terms of pregnancy, a past breast reduction should have no effect on the health of your pregnancy. Your breasts go through many changes in both size and shape during pregnancy, though, and this is likely to affect the way your breasts look. Depending on the technique that is used, breast reduction may affect your ability to breastfeed in the future. It isn’t a common complication, but it isn’t unheard of either.
If you are nearing the completion of your family, it may be best to wait until you’re finished having children, because this will help your breast reduction results last longer. However, if you’re young, don’t assume you need to wait another 20 years to have surgery. Many young women have breast reduction and are perfectly happy with their results long-term whether they have children in the future or not.
Is the nipple removed during breast reduction?
No, you won’t come away from breast reduction without nipples, unless perhaps there is an extreme complication (which is incredibly rare). For most women the nipple remains attached to the underlying tissue throughout the entire surgery, and the breast is reshaped around it. This allows the nipple to remain functional. In less frequent cases of women with extremely large breasts, the nipple may need to be moved and re-attached during surgery, and this does mean that the nipple can lose sensation and functionality. However, this would be discussed with you in your consultation if it is necessary for you.
What factors could prevent me from getting breast reduction surgery?
As with any plastic surgery, you need to be deemed a good candidate before we can proceed with breast reduction. You may not be a good candidate if you have:
A history of irregular mammograms
An undiagnosed mass in your breast(s)
Severe obesity
Diabetes
A wound healing disorder or clotting disorder
Heart or circulatory conditions
Breast reduction also should not be performed on women who are currently lactating. Ultimately, your eligibility for any procedure can only be determined with an in-office consultation and medical testing as well.
Will health insurance cover a breast reduction?
As you know, every insurance company is different, and their benefits change from one plan to the next as well. Many do cover breast reduction as long as it meets certain stipulations. You will need to have documentation of the back pain, neck pain, skin rashes, or other health issues caused by your large breasts, and you may need to show evidence of other treatments you’ve tried (chiropractors, skin treatments, etc.). Insurance companies will often only cover breast reduction if a certain amount of tissue is removed. If you’re planning to have an insurance-funded breast reduction, make sure you find out the requirements ahead of time so you can be prepared and won’t need to delay your surgery.
Breast reduction can be an incredibly freeing surgery for women who have spent their entire adult lives *literally* under the weight of their own breasts. If you’re ready to be more comfortable in your body both emotionally and physically, I would be honored to help. Get started with a breast reduction consultation with me, Dr. John L. LeRoy.
If you ask mothers about the ways their bodies have changed after pregnancy, breastfeeding, and motherhood, most would give you the same general answer—”I love my children, and I certainly don’t regret having them, but I do miss my pre-pregnancy figure.” As much time and effort as moms spend on their children, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to restore the self-confidence you used to have. For many women, a “mommy makeover” is the answer.
A mommy makeover is simply any combination of multiple plastic surgeries intended to repair the effects of pregnancy and breastfeeding. In most cases, this involves a tummy tuck, liposuction, and some type of breast surgery. The tummy tuck addresses excess stretched skin from the pregnancy, as well as the common “pooch” in the lower abdomen that forms when pregnancy separates the muscles. The tummy tuck gives these muscles a slimmer, flatter contour, while also removing excess fat in the area and making the skin tight and flat across your new figure. Liposuction in a mommy makeover is often used to reduce stubborn fat from surrounding areas, like the love handles, thighs, or back. The breast surgery will vary, because pregnancy and breastfeeding can have different impacts on the size and shape of the breasts, but many women opt for a breast lift combined with either a breast augmentation or breast reduction.
While it’s not uncommon for a patient to receive plastic surgeries for different areas of their body over the course of several years, the difference with the mommy makeover is that the breast surgery, liposuction, and tummy tuck are all performed at the same time. This provides two distinct advantages:
Comprehensive Results
As safe and doable as cosmetic surgery has become, it’s still a significant event that requires time, energy, a commitment to your health, discomfort during recovery, and financial planning, so if you’re going to have surgery, you want to make the most of your results. A mommy makeover is designed to do just this, because it addresses each of your primary cosmetic concerns at the same time rather than treating a solitary issue.
Lower Recovery Time
Mothers are the masters of multi-tasking, and that’s precisely what a mommy makeover does: if you’re going to be staying home and resting to recover from a tummy tuck, you might as well spend that time recovering from the breast augmentation and liposuction you’ve been considering, too. While a typical mommy makeover does have a moderately long recovery period compared to many other plastic surgeries (because it involves a tummy tuck), it’s significantly shorter than having three separate surgeries with three separate recoveries.
Mommy makeovers are designed for the purpose of tailoring an approach specifically for mothers, a group of people who tend to have similar cosmetic concerns and who need to keep their recovery time to a minimum without compromising their results. If you want to learn more about mommy makeovers and what yours might involve, schedule a consultation with me today. Or, for more plastic surgery tips and information about cosmetic surgery options, follow me, Dr. John L. LeRoy on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
For the millions of women each year in the US who receive a breast augmentation, breast reduction sounds like a foreign concept. But for women who have struggled with excessively large breasts since their teens (and for women whose breasts became too large later in life), the problems they encounter because of their breasts are all too real. On top of the emotional self-consciousness, large breasts also tend to cause physical discomfort or even long-term health problems, like shoulder pain and back pain. For these women, breast reduction is a welcome relief. But because women so often hear breast reduction and breast lifts discussed together, many of them ask: can I just have a reduction, or will I need a breast lift as well?
For the most part, yes, a lift is a necessary step of the breast reduction process. Because of the effect gravity has over time, the skin of large breasts tends to sag much faster than smaller breasts do, and while sagging may not be as noticeable when your breasts are at their largest, it will be much more pronounced after the necessary breast tissue is removed. It’s the same issue that is typically seen in people who lose an extreme amount of weight and are then left with sagging skin that has not been able to tighten back to their slimmer shape. The reality is that when underlying breast tissue and fat is removed, it will amplify breast sagging, so a breast lift is typically necessary in order for patients to be happy with their results.
But here’s the good news: lifting the breast is simply built in as a normal part of breast reduction. In other words, while your breasts will need both a reduction in size and a re-shaping, all of this can usually be done within the same surgery, so you receive all of the benefits of these two procedures while only being in the operating room once. The surgery typically involves what is known as the “anchor” incision, which forms a circle around the areola, a thin line extending down from the areola, and a curve that aligns with the crease where the bottom of your breast meets your rib cage. This allows for the precise amount of breast tissue, fat, and skin to be removed in order to both lift the breast and reduce its size. The nipple and areola are then repositioned while the breast is given a “perkier” and more youthful shape, and if needed and desired, the areola can be made smaller as well.
Whether you’re having plastic surgery for the emotional or the physical benefits, the results can be truly life-changing. To start discussing your cosmetic surgery options, schedule your consultation today. Or, for more plastic surgery tips, helpful information, and the latest health news, follow me, Dr. John L. LeRoy on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
Every mother has her own experiences and views on parenting, but nearly all of them agree on one thing: “it’s tough, but it’s worth it.” On top of the countless responsibilities of parenthood, most mothers are also left with self-consciousness about their post-pregnancy figure. Even after you’ve returned to your pre-pregnancy weight, there are certain changes the biological process of childbearing causes which simply cannot be resolved with diet and exercise. That’s where a mommy makeover comes in.
Contrary to popular belief, there isn’t a specific surgery called a “mommy makeover.” Instead, the common term refers to the technique of combining multiple cosmetic procedures, each aimed at repairing certain physical changes that come from pregnancy and early motherhood, into one surgery. With the effects breastfeeding and pregnancy have on the breasts and the abdominal area, this usually means that a mommy makeover will include one or two breast procedures as well as one or two body procedures. Every woman’s surgery is designed to fit her unique needs and goals, but here’s a look at what a mommy makeover generally includes:
Breast Procedures
In general, there are three breast surgeries which are commonly used as part of a mommy makeover: breast augmentation (with breast implants), breast reduction, and a breast lift. The first two aim to either increase the size of breasts which have lost volume through the childbearing process or decrease the size of uncomfortably large breasts. A breast lift, on the other hand, keeps the breasts the same size while removing excess skin and repositioning the nipple to give the breasts a more youthful look. In many cases, patients want to improve both the size and the position of their breasts, so a mommy makeover often includes both a breast lift AND either a breast augmentation or a breast reduction.
Body Procedures
It’s highly common for a woman who has always been slender to have a very different shape after having one or more children. Even if you’ve returned to the same weight you were before pregnancy, stretched abdominal muscles, loose skin, and a stubborn new fat distribution can cause you to be less confident in your physique. For this reason, mommy makeovers generally include liposuction, a tummy tuck, or both.
A tummy tuck removes the excess skin which has resulted from the fast gain and loss of belly size, and it can also repair the stretched abdominal muscles which give many mothers that visible “pooch” that doesn’t respond to diet and exercise. Liposuction, on the other hand, purely focuses on removing unwanted fat. During a mommy makeover, it’s often used around the abdomen, “love handles,” thighs, “saddlebags,” or hips. However, liposuction can be performed for nearly any area of the body.
Women who have smaller amounts of excess skin and fat may not need the full, traditional tummy tuck and liposuction. If this is the case, you may be a candidate for my Band Aid Liposuction and/or Band Aid Tummy Tuck—unique mini surgeries I developed to serve as minimally invasive versions of these popular procedures. Like my other “Band Aid” procedures, these surgeries only require half the recovery time compared to their more comprehensive counterparts, and they’re performed in-office with gentle numbing.
Parents sacrifice many things in their efforts to give their children the best upbringing they can—time, energy, money, relaxation, and the list could go on and on. But with all the options available in cosmetic medicine today, there’s no need to sacrifice your self-confidence, too. To discuss your options for taking control of your appearance and becoming your most confident and beautiful self, schedule a consultation with me, Dr. John L. LeRoy. Or, for more plastic surgery tips and helpful articles, join me on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
