Large, pendulous breasts can cause a variety of medical problems, from back and neck pain to skin irritation. Bra straps may leave indentations in the shoulders of women who have large breasts. Unusually large breasts can make a woman-or a teenage girl-feel extremely self-conscious.

The procedure removes fat, glandular tissue, and skin from the breasts, making them smaller, lighter, and firmer. It will also reduce the size of the areola, the darker skin surrounding the nipple. The goal is to give the woman smaller breasts in proportion with the rest of her body.

Breast reduction is usually performed for physical relief rather than cosmetic improvement. Most women who have the surgery are troubled by very large, sagging breasts that restrict their activities and cause them physical discomfort.

In most cases, breast reduction isn't performed until a woman's breasts are fully developed; however, it can be done earlier if large breasts are causing serious physical discomfort. The best candidates are those who are mature enough to fully understand the procedure and have realistic expectations about the results. Breast reduction is not recommended for women who intend to breast-feed.
 
The Procedure
A procedure to reduce breast size by removing excess glandular tissue, fat and skin. The procedure lasts about 2-3 hours, is performed under general anesthesia, and is usually done as an outpatient.
 

Before Your Breast Reduction
At this visit we will answer any questions you may have prior to surgery. You will receive any prescriptions that you may need at this visit. We recommend that you get these filled and have them ready so that you will not need to stop at the pharmacy on your way home from surgery. Let us know if you have any specific pain medication requests. We will try to use the medication that works best for you.

Arrangements will also be made at this visit for any necessary pre-operative evaluations such as blood tests, pregnancy tests, EKG, etc.

Please be at the Ambulatory Surgery Center or West Florida Hospital on time so the nurses and anesthesiologist will have time to evaluate prior to surgery.
 
DIET & MEDICATIONS
PLEASE, eat nothing and drink nothing after midnight the night before surgery. This is VERY important. Your surgery will be canceled if you eat or drink in the morning before surgery. The only exception is a sip of water with any medications you must take. Generally, you should take blood pressure and heart medications. Leave off arthritis medications and do NOT take any diabetic medications (including insulin) unless specifically instructed to do so.
 

DRESSINGS & BATHING
Please take a good shower with antibacterial soap the night before and the morning of surgery. Wear loose comfortable clothing with a shirt that buttons up the front since you won’t want to put your arms over your head for a while after surgery.

We will provide a bra that you will wear home so wear whatever is comfortable for you on the day of surgery.
 
Risks:

• Bleeding
• Infection
• Fluid drainage or crusting from the incisions
• Reaction to the anesthesia
• Small sores around the nipples
• Slightly mismatched breasts or unevenly positioned nipples
• Poor healing or wide scars
• Inability to breast feed
• Permanent loss of feeling in the nipples or breasts
• Tissue deterioration of the nipple or areola (Very rare, and the nipple and areola can usually be rebuilt using skin grafts from elsewhere on the body.)
 
After Your Breast Reduction
DIET
 Take it slow and easy with diet. Start with clear liquids and simply advance as tolerated. It is normal to have some nausea from anesthetics and pain medication but by taking it easy, this should resolve quickly.
 
ACTIVITY
Take it easy. Walking is good. Bouncing is bad. A good rule is “If it hurts, don’t do it”. As you start to feel better, you may gradually increase your activity. Don’t plan to drive for a couple of weeks since restricted arm movement may limit your response time in an emergency.
 
PAIN
There is discomfort after any surgery. We want to help you limit pain as much as possible. The goal of pain medication is to prevent pain so don’t wait until you are really hurting to take your medication. Follow the instructions for your prescription and we think you will get the best relief possible. Narcotics can cause constipation so drink plenty of water, eat fruit and use an over the counter laxative if needed.
 
DRESSINGS & BATHING
Wear the surgical bra day and night until your sutures are removed. You may remove the bra long enough for a shower the day after surgery. It is very normal to have some drainage or “ooze” from the incisions. If you still have some drainage, use gauze (or a menstrual pad) to absorb the drainage. There will be tape across the incisions. These will stay on very well through a shower so just leave them on, shower over and pat them dry. If you have drains, the nurse will instruct you in drain care and you will need to sponge bathe until the drains are removed.
 

QUESTIONS
Our goal is for you to be informed so if you have a question, please call our office at 850.474.8333
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