Will You Perform Breast Reduction Surgery As an Outpatient Procedure?

Breast reduction has evolved from an inpatient procedure with a 1-3 night hospital stay as recenly as 10 years ago to a routinely outpatient procedure. The factors involved are:

better anesthesia (more propofol, less inhalational anesthesia) which helps speed recovery and reduce nausea
The routine use of local anesthesia with epinepherine injection at the initiation of the procedure decreases blood loss significantly. For example, when I was in training it was fairly routine to have a patient donate blood a few weeks before the procedure in preparation for a possible transfusion. Now my blood loss is literally a teaspoon or two.
The above allows many plastic surgeons (such as myself) to do the procedure without hardly touching the cautery device. Less burn = less swelling and pain.
Quicker procedures = less anesthesia
Routine use of premedication for nausea

For patients whom are paying out of pocket, I do this procedure in my clinic operating room (unless there are contraindications) with deep sedation with an anesthesiologist and excellent local anesthesia. These patients often feel ready to go home 15 minutes after the procedure, although I keep them longer for monitoring.

Hello and thank you for your question.
Most breast reduction surgery is done as an outpatient procedure. Schedule a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon to discuss your options. Best wishes!

The simple answer is no. Breast reduction is a surgical procedure performed on an inpatient basis under general anesthesia. I require my patients to stay 2 nights at the hospital after their operation. Surgical drains will be inserted into the soft tissue of your breasts to drain the excess fluid and blood build-up. Therefore, it's better for you to stay at the hospital and be taken care of by professional staff. You will be monitored often by the nurses as well. Best wishes.