Breast Lift Q&A

84%

WORTH IT RATING

219 Reviews

Ask a Question

View Before and Afters

Average Breast Lift Cost: $7,800

Learn about Breast Lift

1,232 people and 670 doctors are talking about Breast Lift

Get Free Email Updates

My Breasts Are Still Huge Post Surgery.

asked 11 months ago by Ali in New York in New York, NY
Latest answer by Tom J. Pousti, MD
Question viewed 400 times
Tags: 1 week post-op, DD cup, final result, smaller, swelling

I'm 26, 5'4'' and 112 pounds and I was a 32DD, and wanted a reduction. I had surgery 6 days ago; my doctor called it a 'lift,' and said he removed a lot of skin and 100 mgs of tissue. They are still HUGE. I would have traded all these scars, recovery time, and pain, for the small breasts that I've wanted for a decade, but not for nothing! Is it possible that this is just swelling, or is 100 mgs per breast really nothing and did he decide himself that I only needed a lift? After reading about grams, this seems like nothing. I'm devastated. I'm one week post-op and still feel lots of weight there. It it possible he's right and the skin was to blame? I'm about to lose my mind with that fear.

12 answers to My Breasts Are Still Huge Post Surgery.

Breast Lift or Reduction?

Thank you for the question. Sounds like you and your surgeon had a serious miscommunication. Basically you had a breast lift done when you're hoping to have a breast reduction performed. If revision surgeries aside upon it will be very important to communicate your size goals with your surgeon. In my practice, the use of photographs of “goal” pictures (and breasts that are too big or too small) is very helpful. I have found that the use of words such as... more

Tom J. Pousti, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

Breast reduction tissue weight is difficult to estimate

Breast reduction tissue weight can vary depending on the technique used to do the breast reduction. I've found that vertical breast reductions tend to remove less breast tissue than other techniques applied to the same patient. It sounds like there was some difference in understanding between your doc and you regarding the amount of breast tissue to be removed and the post-operative size estimate that you were interested in. Allow your tissues to heal at least 6 months before attempting... more

Scott Sattler, MD
Bellevue Plastic Surgeon

Breast reduction

A 100 gm reduction is basically a lift. It sounds like a communication error between you and your surgeon if you did not want to stay so large as you state.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Breast lift vs. breast reduction

It is most important to have a clear line of communication between the patient and the doctor. It is quite clear that you had a breast lift and not a reduction(with only 100 grams removed from each side). Perhaps your doctor did not understand what you really wanted, perhaps he tried to explain that you only needed a lift and not a reduction. But somehow there has been a big misunderstanding. At 6 days after surgery, there is a lot of swelling to settle. So there is still a small chance... more

Anindya Lahiri, MBBS
Birmingham Plastic Surgeon

My Breasts Are Still Huge Post Surgery.

Based upon your description you have some issues. First, a lift is not a reduction or removal of breast tissue or parenchyma. Second, communication and the consents you signed should explain in detail your operation, if it is a lifting than it will describe skin removal with very little breast tissue removal. If a reduction the consent describes tissue and skin removal in larger amounts. So which or what did you sign? Finally, these informed consents are very important and if your chosen... more

Darryl J. Blinski, MD
Miami Plastic Surgeon

100gm is not a reduction

100gm of tissue removal does not qualifiy as a reduction but is often the the volume of tissue removed to shape a breast with a mastopexy (breast lift). There appears to be a communication gap resulting in disparity with your desired outcome and the intervention objectives. You should discuss this with your surgeon.

Chen Lee, MD
Montreal Plastic Surgeon

Breast lift or breast reduction

It does sound like you had a breast lift with a very small amount of tissue removed rather than a true breast reduction. If your surgeon called it a "lift" rather than a "reduction", then that sounds like what you had. Once in a while there can be technical factors that restrict how much we can safely reduce a breast and still maintain good blood supply to the nipple and the skin flaps. However, if you had a true DD cup, in most cases more than 100 grams... more

Robert M. Grenley, MD
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

It sounds as if you had a breast lift, not a breast reduction

Removal of 100g from each breast canno be considered a reduction. That is probably the weight of the skin removed during a breast lift or mastopexy. It is impossible to know exactly what conversations you had with your doctor but clearly the two of you were on very different pages. Any swelling you have certainly will not make a big difference in your breast size. You need to have a discussion with your doctor and see exactly what happened. Unfortunately, if you want your breasts to be... more

Matthew Schulman, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

Breast reduction will remove over 300 grams

Even at 300 grams the reduction would be considered a small one and average breast reduction surgery will range 450 to 650 grams. The reduction of 100 grams per breast is not 'much' and it seems that your procedure was breast lift rather than reduction. Best of luck, peterejohnsonmd

Peter E. Johnson, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

The average reduction is more than 100 gram

There have been a misunderstanding between your expectations and your surgeons surgical planning. You need to wait at least three months and then if not happy with the size get a redo. Your surgeon and you need to have a frank discussion and do not lose your trust in your surgeon till you have given him the opportunity to reduce your breasts to the size that you want.

Kamran Khoobehi, MD
New Orleans Plastic Surgeon

My Breasts Are Still Huge Post Surgery

I am sorry to hear about your experience; after breast reduction surgery, you should be able to see and feel an difference immediately. I doubt that you have so much swelling that it makes you look/feel large. You will likely need a secondary surgery. The only thing a lift does is just that, lift the breasts!

Amy T. Bandy, DO
Newport Beach Plastic Surgeon

Relax and recover

Obviously it is impossible for me to know what went on between you and your doctor. It sounds as if it is unfortuate that you two might not have been looking at the same page. Understand that things can still be done to make you the size you want, if you are still too big after you have healed.