How Many Cup Sizes Can I Lose After 38DDD to C Breast Reduction?

Yes, you can go down to a C cup with a breast reduction, but it may or may not look good on you. How small you can be is really not the question, because a surgeon can remove all of your breast tissue entirely. What really matters is how small you can be while maintaining a pleasing breast shape that is in proportion to your body. Your overall height and body shape influence how different breast sizes and shapes look on your body.
There are many factors your surgeon will take into account to give you a shape and size that suit your body. There is a balance to maintain in order to end up with nice looking breasts, and includes breast size, shape, cup volume, nipple position, symmetry, chest width, torso height, etc. If you are told an expected cup size after surgery, keep in mind that is only a guess. Most surgeons do not speak in terms of cup sizes because your cup size will vary based on what brand lingerie you buy. Also, when patients describe what cup size they want, they are not just referring to the breast volume they like, but the shape that they like when the breasts are in a bra.
When the breasts are reduced, the relative proportions of the breasts, stomach, hips, etc all change. It's not just the breasts that appear different after surgery. When a large volume is reduced, some patients feel like their stomach looks bigger, or their hips look wider, or their back fat has increased, etc. It's not that the surgeon touched the stomach or hips or back, but now the breasts are smaller so all of the proportions look different. In larger women, from a side view the stomach could even stick out more than the breasts, because the breasts no longer droop over the stomach.
Patients are not expected to know all of these things, but your surgeon should be aware of all of the considerations. If you have really large breasts sometimes the nipple could be at risk for losing some blood supply, and the technique of breast reduction is important in keeping the nipples alive.
I would recommend consulting with a board certified plastic surgeon to see what is a reasonable size reduction for you.
Good luck!

Most women in my office with large breasts say they would like to be either a C or D cup after the surgery. While the actual cup size varies by manufacturer of the bra and is not something anyone can guarantee, this discussion gives us a sense of how small or not the patient wants to be. In most scenarios the anatomy of the breast allows for a reduction to a C as you desire. When you met with your surgeon he can confirm for you whether it's possible or not. typically breast reduction patients are some of my happiest patients!
-Dr. David Mattos, New York Plastic Surgical Group

Thank you for your question.As a matter of practice, I never guarantee a patient a specific cup size that they should expect to obtain following a breast reduction procedure.  I find that cup size is a fairly non-scientific term and that depending upon your bra manufacturer a 'C' cup can mean very different things!  To this end, I spend a long time discussing with the patient what they can expect to achieve based upon their pre-operative anatomy at the time of their consultation.  In discussing what the ultimate surgical and cosmetic goals are for the patient in question, I find that this approach is often more rewarding and significantly more realistic for the patient!The goal with a breast reduction is to remove some of the excess weight, heaviness and skin of the breasts to provide a patient with a more youthful and perky breast shape.  At the same time, the size of the areolae can also be reduced.  There are limitations with how much tissue we can remove at the time of a breast reduction and this can all be discussed with you at the time of a consultation.  Please consider scheduling a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon to discuss your candidacy for a breast reduction and what type of a result you can realistically expect from this procedure.  Be sure to seek a consultation with a well-experienced board certified plastic surgeon!  I hope you find this helpful and I wish you all of the best!