I want to have a breast reduction surgery, but after seeing pictures of patients whose operation went very wrong, I got worried and discouraged. Why do some patients who have breast reduction surgery end up with dead tissue and really awful wounds? How can you prevent that? Is it the doctor's fault? If the operation goes great and the patient follows the post operation treatment correctly, can still this happen? If the doctor I'm seeing is a member of the ISAPS, can I be assured that he won't do anything wrong? Please, I'm really really worried.
Breast Reduction Recovery
Doctor Answers (33)
Most patients do quite well after a breast reduction procedure. The surgery involves removing breast tissue, fatty tissue and skin with no involvement of the muscle, which makes for a relatively smooth recovery. Most patients will take 3-4 days off work, during which time they will take narcotics before transitioning to tylenol. A surgical bra ( no underwire) will be worn for four weeks after surgery prior to a regular bra.
Activities with the arms should be minimized for the first week or so, but soon after surgery, most patients can have full range of motion of their arms and resume most regular activities. Remember, this is a much different recovery than a breast augmentation for example, where the pectoral(chest) muscle is divided and needs several weeks/months to heal.
Please consult with a board certified plastic surgeon for more information regarding breast reduction surgery and its recovery.
Many patients share your concerns, but the occurrence of complications is fortunately small.
There are factors that can increase risk, like smoking, obesity, and diabetes.
During consultation, discuss your concerns directly and openly with your surgeon to determine whether your surgery carries more than average risk.
No surgeon can guarantee surgery without complications or a specific result. Even the best experts experience complications. It does help to choose an experienced and well qualified surgeon with a known reputation for excellence in breast reduction.
Web reference: http://www.drzwiebel.com
Breast reduction surgery is very common and any major complications are low. The wound problems you are seeing can be minimized decreasing the amount of breast tissue that is removed, no smoking for three months before and 1 mo after the surgery.
Even under the most expert hands problems with wound healing can occur in breast reduction surgery as any surgery. If you see a plastic surgeon who says he does not have any of these problems then he is not being truthful with you.
Ultimately the operation is very safe AND patients are extremely happy with the way they look and feel.
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Most breast reduction patients heal well and quickly after their procedure. Absence of complications is the usual case although some minor complications may occur. Comormidities such as smoking, obesity, and diabetes cause an increase in complications.
Web reference: http://www.drvitenas.com/breast-reduction.html
Thank you for the question.
On the one hand, complications after breast reduction surgery are rare and mostly relatively minor.
On the other hand, complications can occur in the best of surgeons' hands. Membership in specific societies does not necessarily guarantee complication free surgery.
The best that you can to is to do your due diligence in surgeon selection.
Best wishes.
Web reference: http://www.poustiplasticsurgery.com/Procedures/procedure_breastreduction.htm
For the vast majority of patients, the breast reduction procedure may creat tremendous satisfaction. However, patient selection is key. During the consultation process, the board certified plastic surgeon must understand your needs, desires, lifestyle, medical condition and medical history before determing if a patient would make a good candidate.
All plastic surgeons can have a very bad result from an operation that is ordinarily safe and effective. It's part of the uncertainty of life. However, the vast majority of breast reductions patients heal uneventfully and love their results.
Now, patient selection and choice of procedure is critical. Women with smaller (but still large breasts) have lower risk than women with gigantic breasts. Smoking increases risk. Diabetes and age increase risk.
In my practice, where I have done over the years many hundreds of reductions, I can think of only 3 patients who had major wound healing problems (loss of the areola that required reconstruction). This does not mean that only three patients had unsatisfactory scars, it means that they had open wounds after surgery that required dressing changes and another operation to fix the problem.
I think you should interview several good surgeons and if you end up with the level of confidence I think you will, then definitely consider a reduction. The vast majority of women love the outcome.
Web reference: http://www.zubowicz.com/gallery_breastReduc.php
Breast reduction is one of the most common procedures I perform. It is among the highest rated in patient satisfaction. Fortunately, major complications including nipple or tissue loss are very rare. Factors such as smoking, obesity, and diabetes increase the complication rate. See a board certified plastic surgeon and discuss your concerns in the preoperative visit. He or she should be able to tell you if you are high risk for significant complications.
Typical breast reduction recovery involves:
East Alabama Plastic Surgery
Auburn, AL
Typical breast reduction recovery involves:
- Outpatient surgery (one night stay if you have major medical problems)
- Most patients use pain medication for 5-7 days
- Back to work in 4-7 days
- Follow up visits at 1 day, 2 weeks and 6 weeks
- Wear provided support bra for 4-6 weeks
East Alabama Plastic Surgery
Auburn, AL
Breast reduction surgery tends to have a high patient satisfaction rate. Not only are you able to eliminate symptoms such as neck and back pain in many cases, but also benefit from the aesthetic outcome. I use the vertical breast reduction technique that avoids the bottom horizontal scar. Since switching to this technique I have found that my patients have less pain postoperatively and are able to return to work within a couple of days with just over the counter pain medication as needed. A supportive postoperative bra is worn for 4-6 weeks and regular exercise can resume in 4-6 weeks depending on the healing.
Quintessa Miller MD FACS
San Antonio Plastic Surgeon
Quintessa Miller MD FACS
San Antonio Plastic Surgeon
Web reference: Http://www.mysaplasticsurgeon.com
Breast reduction is
a commonly performed procedure that is associated with high satisfaction rates.
This procedure improves quality of life and alleviates symptoms associated with
breast hypertrophy.
It’s important to remember that recovery varies from patient to patient. The vast majority of patients have uneventful recoveries, but occasionally patients do have complications. These are usually related to problems with wounds healing and occur for a variety of reasons.
Breast reduction not only makes the breast smaller but lifts the breast into a normal position. This requires the development of skin flaps and the removal of excess skin. These skin flaps, occasionally have compromised blood supply which can lead to wound healing problems.
Infection, obesity, diabetes and cigarette smoking have all been shown to adversely impact blood flow to skin flaps and are associated with wound healing problems. Every effort should be made to minimize the impact of these risk factors. This will ultimately result in fewer wound healing problems and less scarring.
It’s also important to make sure that your surgeon has experience performing breast reduction and is board certified in plastic surgery. Scarring in inevitable with any surgical procedure, but with proper care this can be minimized following breast reduction surgery.
It’s important to remember that recovery varies from patient to patient. The vast majority of patients have uneventful recoveries, but occasionally patients do have complications. These are usually related to problems with wounds healing and occur for a variety of reasons.
Breast reduction not only makes the breast smaller but lifts the breast into a normal position. This requires the development of skin flaps and the removal of excess skin. These skin flaps, occasionally have compromised blood supply which can lead to wound healing problems.
Infection, obesity, diabetes and cigarette smoking have all been shown to adversely impact blood flow to skin flaps and are associated with wound healing problems. Every effort should be made to minimize the impact of these risk factors. This will ultimately result in fewer wound healing problems and less scarring.
It’s also important to make sure that your surgeon has experience performing breast reduction and is board certified in plastic surgery. Scarring in inevitable with any surgical procedure, but with proper care this can be minimized following breast reduction surgery.
These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.
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