Breast Reduction- Female
Breast reduction surgery is for women who have excessively large breasts that cause them neck pain, back pain, and sometimes, rashes. For some patients, their breasts are so heavy that their bra straps create grooves in their shoulders, which is extremely uncomfortable. Many patients with excessively large breasts are embarrassed and have trouble finding clothes that fit correctly. Large breasts of this magnitude can be because of genetics, hormone changes, and weight status.
The goals of breast reduction surgery is to surgically remove extra breast tissue to help relieve symptoms of neck and back pain. Breast reduction surgery is one of Dr. Wong’s favorite operations to perform because patients are so happy to have the excess weight reduced.* An additional benefit that patients enjoy is the intrinsic breast lift that they get with this surgery.
*Individual results may vary.
What the surgery will be like
Breast reduction surgery is typically performed on an outpatient basis where you will get to go home the same day. Since it mainly involves excision of breast skin and tissue, patients are not in extreme pain after surgery. On the day of surgery, Dr. Wong will meet with you in the preoperative area and draw reference markings and measurements on your chest and breasts. The surgery is performed under general anesthesia where an anesthesiologist monitors you closely and safely. The actual surgery is approximately 3 to 6 hours long, depending on the size, shape and quality of your breast tissue. The excess breast tissue is removed and sent to the pathologist’s office for evaluation to see if there was any abnormal tissue. Patients will need to pay this pathologist bill separately.
You will be placed in a soft bra with dressings after the surgery. Typically, you will not have any drains. You are then taken to the recovery room where a nurse monitors you until you have recovered from anesthesia (usually about an hour). You will then get to go home with your family that same day. It is important that you have a driver (not a taxi, Uber, or yourself!) because it can be dangerous to drive immediately after having general anesthesia.
Recovery
Everyone’s pain perception is different. Some patients who have breast reduction surgery say they are sore for about a week while others have said it was not much pain at all. Postoperatively pain is usually the worst the first few days and gets better every day. Patients usually feel an immediate improvement in their neck and back pain if it was the weight of their breasts that was causing this. For patients who have other causes for their pain (eg. Spine abnormalities, fibromyalgia), their pain may not improve.
Location of the scars
Depending on the size and shape of your breasts, you may need to have several incisions on each breast to adequately remove the tissue. The placement and sizes of these scars vary, but are usually around the areola (the dark part around the nipple), a vertical scar down the front of the breast, and a scar along the breast crease. Most patients with such large breasts find that scars are a reasonable trade off for the potential benefits of breast reduction surgery. Dr. Wong will evaluate you to see which scar pattern will best achieve your goals.
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Returning to work
Dr. Wong will see you within a week of your surgery to check your surgical sites. Depending on what type of occupation you have, most patients take 1-2 weeks off from work. For patients who have more strenuous, labor-intensive jobs, they should ask for light duty or be excused from work for the full 4-6 weeks. You do not want to do any heavy lifting or extreme exercising during this recovery period. This does not mean you should be lying in bed all the time or under house arrest though; walking is encouraged!
Breast reduction surgery can be rewarding to both the patient and the surgeon. Call and schedule an appointment with Dr. Wong today so she can optimize this surgery to your body frame and size. She looks forward to meeting you!
Breast reduction surgery is for women who have excessively large breasts that cause them neck pain, back pain, and sometimes, rashes. For some patients, their breasts are so heavy that their bra straps create grooves in their shoulders, which is extremely uncomfortable. Many patients with excessively large breasts are embarrassed and have trouble finding clothes that fit correctly. Large breasts of this magnitude can be because of genetics, hormone changes, and weight status.
The goals of breast reduction surgery is to surgically reduce extra breast tissue to help relieve symptoms of neck and back pain. Breast reduction surgery is one of Dr. Wong’s favorite operations to perform because patients are so happy to have the excess weight removed. An additional benefit that patients enjoy is the intrinsic breast lift that they get with this surgery.
What the surgery will be like
Breast reduction surgery is typically performed on an outpatient basis where you will get to go home the same day. Since it mainly involves excision of breast skin and tissue, patients are not in extreme pain after surgery. On the day of surgery, Dr. Wong will meet with you in the preoperative area and draw reference markings and measurements on your chest and breasts. The surgery is performed under general anesthesia where an anesthesiologist monitors you closely and safely. The actual surgery is approximately 3 to 6 hours long, depending on the size, shape and quality of your breast tissue. The excess breast tissue is removed and sent to the pathologist’s office for evaluation to see if there was any abnormal tissue. Patients will need to pay this pathologist bill separately.
You will be placed in a soft bra with dressings after the surgery. Typically, you will not have any drains. You are then taken to the recovery room where a nurse monitors you until you have recovered from anesthesia (usually about an hour). You will then get to go home with your family that same day. It is important that you have a driver (not a taxi, Uber, or yourself!) because it can be dangerous to drive immediately after having general anesthesia.
Recovery
Everyone’s pain perception is different. Some patients who have breast reduction surgery say they are sore for about a week while others have said it was not much pain at all. Postoperatively pain is usually the worst the first few days and gets better every day. Patients usually feel an immediate improvement in their neck and back pain if it was the weight of their breasts that was causing this. For patients who have other causes for their pain (eg. Spine abnormalities, fibromyalgia), their pain may not improve.
Location of the scars
Depending on the size and shape of your breasts, you may need to have several incisions on each breast to adequately remove the tissue. The placement and sizes of these scars vary, but are usually around the areola (the dark part around the nipple), a vertical scar down the front of the breast, and a scar along the breast crease. Most patients with such large breasts find that scars are a reasonable trade off for the potential benefits of breast reduction surgery. Dr. Wong will evaluate you to see which scar pattern will best achieve your goals.
Returning to work
Dr. Wong will see you within a week of your surgery to check your surgical sites. Depending on what type of occupation you have, most patients take 1-2 weeks off from work. For patients who have more strenuous, labor-intensive jobs, they should ask for light duty or be excused from work for the full 4-6 weeks. You do not want to do any heavy lifting or extreme exercising during this recovery period. This does not mean you should be lying in bed all the time or under house arrest though; walking is encouraged!
Breast reduction surgery can be rewarding to both the patient and the surgeon. Again, breast reduction patients are some of our happiest patients. Call and schedule an appointment with Dr. Wong today so she can optimize this surgery to your body frame and size. She looks forward to meeting you!