What is breast reduction surgery?

Breast reduction is a surgery that involves reducing the size of the breast. Dr. Edmund Kwan emphasizes that breast reduction surgery is not just about reducing the size, but equally about improving the shape of the breasts. Breast reduction may be the best answer for patients with large and sagging breasts, or where the nipple area has become very large, or even where the breast’s overall shape is just large but not attractive.

Breast reduction involves the removal of excessive fat, tissue and skin from the breast area. The surgery may be performed for cosmetic or medical reasons, or both. Some patients are purely interested in enhancing their physical appearance, while they may not be suffering any discomfort or pain due to large breasts. Some other patients may experience backaches, pain in the neck or shoulder region, poor physical posture, or general discomfort for which they may choose to undergo breast reduction surgery.

The surgery not only provides physical benefits, but it also helps many patients at a psychological level. It improves their self-esteem and gives a general feeling of confidence and joy about their own body. It also helps to improve their ability to perform more vigorous tasks and participate in sports and other adventurous activities.

Breast reduction is a major surgery involving general anesthesia. Ideally it must be performed by an experienced plastic surgeon at a well-equipped or certified facility. The majority of patients for this surgery are women with disproportionately large breasts. However, even a male patient may undergo this surgery if he suffers from abnormally sized breasts.

Experienced plastic surgeons recommend that patients wait until the minimum age of 18 before considering breast reduction surgery. It is important that the breasts be fully developed before the surgery is performed. Many female patients choose this procedure after childbirth when their breasts may have grown larger in size compared to the period prior to pregnancy.

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