Breast Reduction

Transcript

Breast reduction is probably the commonest operation that I perform in my practice. To my mind, it's the best operation in plastic surgery because of the enormous improvements in quality of life that patients report after their surgery. This is measurable using patient questionnaires, which show improvements in psychological, functional and sexual well-being. This may reduce neck, back and shoulder pain associated with large breasts. The procedure of a breast reduction is carried out under general anaesthetic and takes between two and three hours. Most patients stay in hospital overnight, but it can be carried out as a day case procedure if preferred. The operation always involves removal of breast tissue and skin, and then reshaping and lifting the breast to give a more functional and aesthetic benefit. There will be scars around the pigmented areola, which allows me to elevate the nipple and reduce the diameter of the areola. There is also a vertical scar running down from the areola, and finally a horizontal scar in the crease of the breast is usually needed. The operation is commonly combined with a small amount of liposuction to the side of the breast to reduce the overall width. The traditional breast reduction can produce a slightly boxy, flat and unattractive breast shape, and I've worked really hard in the last few years to produce a more youthful and projected breast for my patients. I've called this the FIT pattern breast reduction, the principles of which are shown in the animation on this page. Despite the scarring, this procedure produces the highest degree of post-operative patient satisfaction of all plastic surgery procedures.