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Is Breast Reduction Very Painful?

asked 11 months ago by morning jog in Cambridge, MA
Latest answer by Tom J. Pousti, MD
Question viewed 547 times
Tags: pain, recovery

15 answers to Is Breast Reduction Very Painful?

Breast Reduction Painful?

Thank you for your question. Each patient is different with how they tolerate pain but because no muscle work is performed for breast reduction surgery, it not normally not considered a "painful" surgery. You will have pain medication prescribed to you by your surgeon to use after surgery. Best Wishes!

Tom J. Pousti, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

Painful breast reduction

Pain is definitely a subjective thing and everyone is different. Since reduction techniques do not injure muscle, the pain is usually manageable and after 2-3 days significantly better. I hope this info helps.

Ronald H. Stefani Jr, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

How Painful is a Breast Reduction?

In general, a breast reduction is not painful. Most patients are kept comfortable with pain medication and usually only need it for a couple of days. Many of my patients have commented that they feel immediate relief after surgery from back, and neck pain, which more than makes up for any temporary discomfort from the surgery. see video

Miguel Delgado, Jr., MD
San Francisco Plastic Surgeon

www.dr-delgado.com

Breast reduction and pain

In general, breast reduction or breast lift surgery is not that painful. Most of my patients state that if 10 were the worst pain and 0 was no pain, it is about a 4 out of 10. Breast augmentation ( implants) are usually like a 6, tummy tucks are like an 8., c-section like a 9/10.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Breast Reduction Surgery is Very Well Tolerated

Pain is a very subjective feeling, but most patients tolerate breast reduction very well. Most take oral narcotic medication for 2 – 5 days following surgery, and then may continue on acetaminophen or ibuprofen for a few more days. I have even had a few patients who have not taken any oral pain medication past the first few hours post-op. Post-op compression and support is very important in helping to reduce patient discomfort, and I usually have patients wear a bra for eight weeks... more

Kenneth Dembny, II, MD
Milwaukee Plastic Surgeon

Vertical breast reduction is not particularly painful - 3.3/10

First of all, not all breast reductions are created equal. I use a vertical technique, which has less scarring and better shape than the obsolete inverted-T. We did surveys with our patients and the average pain rating was 3.3 on a scale of 1 to 10. That compares to 5.9 for breast augmentation. So a reduction hurts less than an augmentation (because there is no submuscular dissection). In fact, patients often feel better right after surgery because the excess... more

Eric Swanson MD
Leawood Plastic Surgeon

Pain after breast reduction

Most patients report tolerable pain after breast reduction which wanes be the third to fifth day pos op. The pain is well controlled with oral medication. I have always been amazed that within the first 2-3 days after surgery, and despite the swelling that occurs from surgery, most patients tell me that they can feel the difference in the loss of weight from their shoulders, neck, and breasts.

Ricardo Izquierdo, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Breast Reduction Recovery

I am frequently impressed with how little pain my breast reduction patients have following surgery. Patients comment that they experience relief almost immediately from the burden of carrying heavy breasts. Many say that it is even easier for them to breathe because a weight has been lifted off of their chests. Of course there is some soreness associated with breast reduction surgery, but this is counterbalanced by the dramatic relief of symptoms from having lighter breasts. more

David Stoker, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Breast Reduction - Is It Very Painful?

Hi morning jog, In general, this procedure is, perhaps surprisingly, relatively un-painful. Of course, there's a wide variation from patient to patient and it's hard to make any absolute statements, but this procedure is usually tolerated extremely well. For one thing, many patients have such a dramatic reduction in weight and volume that, despite the normal post-surgical discomfort, they actually have less pain overall within 24 hours of the surgery. For another,... more

Alan Engler, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

Is breast reduction painful

Patients usually tolerate breast reduction surgery very well and take oral pain medication for about 2 or 3 days. Since there is no dissection of the chest muscles during the surgery, the pain is not very severe at all. In fact, since the breasts are being reduced in size, many patients experience immediate improvement in their neck and back pain which was present due to their breast size. Compared to breast augmentation, breast reduction is generally less painful. Best wishes... more

William Bruno, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Discomfort after breast reduction is managable

Breast reduction pain and discomfort are easily managed with a support bra and oral pain medication. In our practice all breast reduction is done without any hospital stay or observation. Most feel quite well after two to three days, and drains also are a thing of the past. Best of luck, peterejohnsonmd

Peter E. Johnson, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Post-op Pain With Breast Reduction

As mentioned below, pain is very subjective and difficult to measure. I have had patients with breast reductions taking only Tylenol on the night of surgery and others who were still requiring some narcotic analgesics 2 weeks post-op. If this is a major concern, ask your surgeon if you can speak with someone who has had the procedure in the past. Over this group of patients are extremely happy and almost all would do again.

John Whitt, MD
Louisville Plastic Surgeon

Breast reduction is a well tolerated procedure

I've had a lot of patient report that they notice relief of neck and back pain in the recovery area after breast reduction surgery - I've found the procedure to be one of the most tolerable operations in plastic surgery, in terms of need for post-op pain medication and return to work.

Scott Sattler, MD
Bellevue Plastic Surgeon

Is Breast Reduction Very Painful?

Great question, but "pain" is a very subjective feeling. After 34 years of doing breasts reductions the majority of patients have pain for a few days to a week which is easily controlled by prescription medications.

Darryl J. Blinski, MD
Miami Plastic Surgeon

Pain after breast reduction

In years of practice and thousands of reductions, I would say that it is a very well tolerated procedure and usually less painful than the patients expect that it would be.