Breast reduction surgery, also known as reduction mammaplasty, is an operation designed to remove excess tissue and skin from the breasts and to reposition the nipples, creating smaller, perkier and more shapely breasts. Often patients complain of symptoms secondary to the weight of their large breasts, including pain in their neck, shoulders and back, headaches, shoulder grooving from the brassiere straps, tingling in their arms, and rashes under or between the breasts. They may also suffer from poor posture, impaired ability to participate in sports activities, and difficulty finding clothes that fit their bust.
There are several surgical options for breast reduction, and although they all involve scars, these may be minimized. Liposuction of the breasts is not truly scarless breast reduction, but it produces the shortest scars. Liposuction usually requires only 2 or 3 incisions per breast, each measuring 3mm to 4mm (1/4″) in length. This procedure primarily removes the fatty component of breast tissue, and does not reposition the nipples, but it is an excellent option in some patients.
Short scar breast reduction surgery involves placing scars only around the areola (pigmented skin surrounding the nipple), or with an additional vertical component down the front of the breast below the nipple. A periareolar approach is possible for smaller reductions, whereas the circumvertical technique offers the possibility of much larger reductions in volume. The vertical short scar reduction also permits sculpting the breast tissue into a more perky shape, removal of excess skin and repositioning the nipples superiorly.
Breast reduction surgery may be combined with other plastic surgery procedures, such as liposuction and abdominoplasty, or as part of a mommy makeover.
Dr. Olivia Hutchinson, a board certified female plastic surgeon in NYC, will be happy to discuss all these options with you and determine which procedure is best suited to produce the results you wish to achieve. Please contact us or call us at (212) 452-1400 to schedule your consultation.
