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If I Lose Too Much Weight Can I Still Have a Breast Reduction?

asked 1 year ago by MsLoraine in Holyoke, MA
Latest answer by Tom J. Pousti, MD
Question viewed 895 times
Tags: 210-229 lbs, 5 ft 4 in to 5 ft 7 in, weight loss, candidate, G cup

I am 5'4" and 210lbs. I know that I have to lose weight before a reduction so I won't bring it up until I do. My breasts are at a 38G. My neck and back CONSTANTLY hurt and I have scars from my bras. I've always had a larger chest but I've not always been this overweight and I guess my fear is if I lose too much weight will I not be able to get a reduction? Will my breast already be small to the point where I can't get one done. My insurance will have to pay for it because I cannot afford it.

17 answers to If I Lose Too Much Weight Can I Still Have a Breast Reduction?

Lose weiht befor breast reduction.

Lose the weight. Get good photo documentation. Work hand in hand with your doctor. Once you get to the weight that is correct you will still need a substantial reduction of breast and skin along with a lift . Your insurance will cover if you document, document, and document and your doctor does the same.

George Commons, MD
Palo Alto Plastic Surgeon

Breast reduction and weight loss

I think that your best best bet is to see your HR person first, to see what your insurance requires. After that, you may want to visit your plastic surgeon. You may also want to consider bariatric surgery for the weight loss. sek

Scott E. Kasden, MD
Dallas Plastic Surgeon

Weight loss before breast reduction

Loosing weight before you undergo breast reduction would be beneficial in a number of regards. Being closer to your "ideal body weight" will make surgery safer. It is unlikely that you would loose so much weight in your breasts that your symptoms resolve without a breast reduction. Good luck with your weight loss efforts. If you are struggling with weight loss, consider asking your doctor for a referral to a nutritionist.

David Greenspun, MD, MSc
New York Plastic Surgeon

Weight loss and breast reduction

While weight loss will certainly cause some decrease in your breast size, I doubt that you will decrease in size to a point of not needing a reduction. Most women with very large breast often lose weight in other areas first and the breast tend to be the last thing to decrease in size. Lets say that you lose 50-60 #. You will likely be smaller than the 38 G you are now, but still likely a 36/38 DDD. As you get close to your goal weight (20-25#), go see a local PS and... more

Delio Ortegon, MD
San Antonio Plastic Surgeon

Breast Reduction Hurdles?

Thank you for the question and pictures. It sounds like you are an excellent candidate for the breast reduction procedure; it is one of the most patient pleasing operations we perform. You are doing the right thing by losing weight first. Doing so will maximize the chances of achieving the best results possible and minimize the chances that further surgery will be necessary in the near future. Given your concerns regarding health insurance coverage you may want to... more

Tom J. Pousti, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

Weight loss, breast reduction, and insurance coverage

Insurance coverage for breast reduction tends to be based on the schnurr scale. This takes into account your height and weight. When you lose weight, you lose in the body and breast. As you lose weight the amount we "need" to remove for insurance changes. I have a link to the body surface area BSA and schnurr scale on my website- it is my original blog on breast reduction. Insurance coverage also depends on symptoms. If you have back pain, rashes, etc, document your issues. What... more

Lauren Greenberg, MD
Palo Alto Plastic Surgeon

Breast Reduction - Weight Loss and Insurance Coverage

Hi MsLoraine in Holyoke, MA, It sounds (and looks) to me like you can lose some weight and still obtain insurance coverage for a breast reduction. However, it doesn't matter what I think - what matters is what your insurance company thinks. In order to find out, you need to work with a plastic surgeon. Specifically, he or she will need to take some photos of you and submit them to your insurance company and then find out what the criteria are in your specific case... more

Alan Engler, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

Weight loss nad reduction

There is no question you should get to your ideal weight.will your breast be smaller? Yes will you still need a reduction? Probably yes as well.

Robert Brueck, MD
Fort Myers Plastic Surgeon

www.beauty-by-brueck.com

Will losing weight reduce my chances of obtaining approval from my insurance company for breast reduction surgery?

It would be prudent for your health, ultimate result from a breast reduction surgery and anesthesia risk to lose substantial weight prior to undergoing the procedure. From your photos, it would be highly unlikely that your breasts would shrink so much in size that your insurance company would not provide coverage for the procedure. Many of them will correlate your weight with a specific minimum of breast tissue that needs to be removed. Therefore, at a lower weight, they will require... more

Steven Turkeltaub, MD
Scottsdale Plastic Surgeon

www.turkeltaub.com

Will losing weight shrink breasts too much to keep from being approved for breast reduction?

Based on your photos I doubt that your breasts will get too small with weight reduction. They look quite a bit out of proportion to the rest of your body and they likely will stay that way. I'm sure that you will feel better with the extra weight off.

Kenneth L. Stein, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Breast reduction surgery

Congratulations for your plan to lose weight! It will make you feel better and breast reduction surgery will be easier and safer. Even though with weight loss your breast will be smaller but they will be still "out of proportion" and I would imagine your insurance may cover for the procedure even than.

Guido P. Gutter MD
Evansville Plastic Surgeon

Lose weight before reduction

Your primary issue in my opinion is your truncal obesity. This is a much more serious problem than your large breasts. Your truncal obesity puts you at a much higher risk for a long list of diseases. A breast reduction will do nothing to address your obesity, although you make look a little slimmer afterwards. Obese patients also have a much higher risk of post-operative problems like infection, delayed healing and blood clots. You need to put your overall... more

Lisa L. Sowder, MD
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

If I Lose Too Much Weight Can I Still Have a Breast Reduction?

Regarding: "If I Lose Too Much Weight Can I Still Have a Breast Reduction? I am 5'4" and 210lbs. I know that I have to lose weight before a reduction so I won't bring it up until I do. My breasts are at a 38G. My neck and back CONSTANTLY hurt and I have scars from my bras. I've always had a larger chest but I've not always been this overweight and I guess my fear is if I lose too much weight will I not be able to get a reduction? Will my breast already be... more

Peter A. Aldea, MD
Memphis Plastic Surgeon

Breast reduction and weight loss

More than likely your breasts will get smaller with weight loss and this will make the surgery go easier, but you would have to check with your insurance company about whether or not it is covered.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

You should have your breast reduction!

There is no real reason to loose weight before undergoing breast reduction. Breast reduction usually resolves back, neck and breast pain right away as well as rashes and infections. Often people end up kick starting their weight loss with breast reduction because it is easier to move/run/excercise once your breasts are a more manageable size. It is easier to find sports bras that fit! The first thing you should do is make an appointment with a plastic surgeon. ... more

Bivik Rajnikant Shah, MD
Columbus Plastic Surgeon

Lose weight first and then have the breast reduction

It is in your best interests to lose the weight first and then proceed with the breast reduction once you have achieved a stable and healthy weight.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Weight Loss Before Reduction is Beneficial

There is no reason to be worried about losing weight before undergoing your breast reduction. This will be very beneficial for your recovery. It should not affect insurance coverage of your procedure especially since you state that your breasts were very large before your weight gain. Also ins.cos. look at amount of tissue removed in relation to your body weight; so a smaller amount of tissue will need to be removed if you have a significant weight loss. more