After breast reduction surgery will my breasts fall down?

I had breast reduction surgery last year,my husband always say that my breast are falling down to me it's seem the same as i had done opperation is it true the breast can come down for a period of time ?

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18 answers to “After breast reduction surgery will...”

A: Recurrent breast ptosis

Steven H. Williams, MD

Thanks for your question - Recurrence of breast sag or ptosis can happen after breast reduction.  Things that increase the chances of this happening include breast feeding, weight gain and loss and poor tissue quality as well as time. Usually people get the benefit of a lift after a breast reduction that... more

A: Depending on the technique used, your breasts will bottom out at different rates.

James C. Grotting, MD

Breast reduction can improve the size, shape, and overall appearance of your breasts in addition to alleviating the many annoying and even debilitating symptoms of overly large breasts. Over time ALL breast reductions will "bottom out" or sag.  Bottoming out usually occurs more quickly when... more

A: It's called "bottoming out"

Kenneth R. Francis, MD

Following a classic breast reduction surgery, the breast tissue can be pulled down by gravity stretching out the skin. This phenomenon is known as bottoming out and can be happening to you. See your plastic surgeon for an examination and he/she can tell you if this is the case.

A: Breast lift is the bonus of breast reduction surgery

Peter E. Johnson, MD

A very large overdeveloped breast will almost always have a degree of droop to the breast which surgeons call ptosis. The amount of droop is evaluated by measuring the position of the nipple in relation to the fold or crease under the breast, something like a finger test where you place your finger in the fold... more

A: Depends on the skin laxity

Robert M. Jensen, MD

Most peoples breast will "settle" after surgery. The amount of sagging after surgery is mainly a function of your skin elasticity. The worse the skin quality the more the sag.  Breasts with very good skin elasticity will sag very little after surgery. 

A: It depends how the operation is done

George J. Beraka, MD

To OOPRUYAA, Hi! The right way to do a breast reduction is to shape the breast tissue from the inside with deep stitches. If the new shape is created just by pulling on the skin, then the breasts will sag after a breast reduction because skin stretches.

A: yes....

Andrew J.L. Gear, MD

Breasts that undergo a reduction or lift will sag with time.  How much depends on the technique used, age, skin quality, and time.  The Vertical reduction technique seems to be more durable in terms of maintaining projection although in the wrong hands it can create a rather unattractice breast shape... more

A: Some breast ptosis

Hisham Seify, MD, PhD

The breast will sag a little after a reduction due to the effect of gravity and the skin stretch.The only way for you to determine that is to look at the pre and post operative pictures taken over time. 

A: Breast area usually lifted after reduction

Steven Wallach, MD

After a breast reduction, the breast volume is reduced and the breast area is usually lifted. However, over time the breast will sag again as it would for any aging.

A: Some laxity is expected after breast reduction

Marcus L. Peterson, MD

Breast reduction surgery is a major breast lift at the same time. The length of time that the breast will maintain in the elevated position is dependant on the quality of your skin and the weight of the tissue. All skin will continue to age and allow some stretching and laxity, this will let the breasts soften... more

Comments

DrDellinger
5 posts
2 Feb 2009

This is a very common issue. The fact of the matter is, the the long term results are based on three things: 1) the surgical technique used; 2) the elasticity of the patient's skin and 3) the amount of breast tissue vs. fat the patient has. In regards to surgical technique, I prefer methods that re-suspend the breast tissue on the chest wall. Hopefully the breast tissues will attach themselves to the pectoralis fascia and resiste the effects of gravity. The degree of elasticity is high patient dependent. I have some younger patients with very elastic skin and the breasts tend to 'drop' quite a bit in the first few months to 1 year after surgery. On the other hand, I have some patients with very taught skin that resists the efftects of gravity. Finally, a breast is composed of both actual breast tissue and fat. Patients with a higher ratio of fat have a tendency to have flatter, droopier breasts whic are more likely to sag, while on the other extreme, some women have firmer fuller breasts which stay 'high' on the chest after surgery. The bottom line is this: time, gravity and the aging process all kick in as soon as the surgery is over. All women will have some degree of 'drop' after a reduction. Some women have the expectation that they will have full 'augmentation' results from a breast reduction, which would be a mistaken assumption.Not infrequently reduction patients show me breast augmentation pictures and say they want those results. This is an 'apples to oranges" comparison and is a cause for concern in doing surgery on these patients.

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