Breast Reduction: Q&A
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Overweight and Breast Reduction Surgery: Worth Doing?
for a woman who is overweight...40+ pounds... is it a bad idea to get a breast reduction? will my weight cause them to enlargen again?
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24 Doctor Answers |
Asked by
anon
+4
Temporary fix, but it may be just what you need....
One of the most common complaints I hear is that "I can't loose this last 20-30 pounds"..."these breast are keeping me from exercising. They are heavy, painful ..." In response, I would include that the breast may or may not get smaller with weight loss. It is important to understand that the breast is comprised of both glandular tissue and adipose (fat) tissue. The mix of the two is unpredictable and therefore makes it difficult to forecast a long-term result.
Ultimately, a
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+3
Overweight and Overcharged
Many patients who were considered clinically obese have come to me despondent, after being turned away by other surgeons who refused to perform breast reduction surgery on them until they lost the weight. I find taking that position ridiculous. Altough breasts are comprised partly of fat, even a drastic weight loss won't result in more than negligible shrinkage in that area (and even then, the breasts will still be saggy). Many doctors ignore a crucial dilemma: When your breasts are so...
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+3
Do the best you can, then call your plastic surgeon
Most doctors will suggest that patients make lifestyle changes that can be sustained, i.e. starting to exercise regularly, stop snacking, cut down on carbs, etc.
However we live in a real world. If patients have truly done their best with respect to diet and exercise, it is simply unreasonable to insist they lose more weight.
Many patients find that after breast reduction, their ability to exercise, and their self esteem is greatly improved.
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Reducing your breasts may allow you to exercise more effectively
Breast reduction is a great surgery. Some of my happiest patients had breast reduction. As for when to have surgery (before or after weight loss) it is really up to you. In my view, once patients have breast reduction surgery, they are able to be more active and participate with their family and at work more effectively. Only if you gained even more weight would your weight cause your breast to enlarge. On the contrary, I think that you would actually loose more weight by having the...
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Breast Reduction Surgery for Overweight Patients
It’s not unusual for women with breast enlargement to be overweight. Breast enlargement is a disabling condition that often leads to inactivity. Women with breast hypertrophy frequently give up activities that they have historically enjoyed because of disabling symptoms. This often leads to inactivity and subsequent weight gain.
In our experience breast reduction surgery alleviates many of these disabling symptoms. Following breast reduction, women often become...
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+2
Breast Reduction and Weight
Do you tend to lose weight in your breast when dieting? If there are little changes in your breast with weight gains and loses, you could be a good candidate for breast reduction surgery. Consult with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon ( ASPS) to determine if this is for you. Best of luck!
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Breast Reduction - Overweight and Breast Reduction Surgery: Worth Doing?
Breast Reduction is normally recommended when the excess weight of the breast tissue is contributing to, or causing, neck, back and shoulder pain, bra strap grooving, intertrigo (rashes) underneath the breasts, or some combination of symptoms that can reasonably be expected to be relieved if the breasts are reduced in size (weight). Whether or not it is covered by insurance is a separate (but important) question and, in general, insurance companies are reluctant to pay for procedures...
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Being overweight is not always a contraindication to breast reduction surgery
In a perfect world, everyone would be at his or her ideal body weight before having surgery. It would reduce the potential complications or side effects of surgery and make the long-term result more predictable. Unfortunately not everyone is able to achieve their ideal body weight and therefore there are times when we have to compromise to treat conditions such as symptomatically large breasts. If patients are overweight, I ask patients to make a valid attempt at weight loss before surgery....
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+2
For the most part yes....
For any procedure, it's best to be at (or at least close to) your ideal body weight for many reasons - like decreasing your anesthesia risks, getting a better result, decreasing wound healing complications, etc. Having said that, many women who suffer from symptoms due to large breasts find they have difficulty actually exercising and losing weight. While it's possible a large weight change after surgery may cause a slight change in your breasts, it's unlikely to have a significant impact. I...
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+2
It's always best to be within 20 pounds of your ideal weight
Before considering having body contouring surgery, including a breast reduction, ideally you should be within 20 pounds of your goal weight. That way you won't develop loose skin if you were to lose weight after surgery.
In addition, in reviewing patients who have breast reductions and weigh over 200 pounds preop, there is a higher incidence of wound complications and delayed healing. Consequently, I personally won't operate on a patient wanting a breast reduction until their weight is...
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+1
Breast reduction for overweight women
It is worth doing, absolutely!
Ideally surgery is done when you are at a healthy, stable weight. Your breast size fluctutates with weight changes. It is harder to deliver an "ideal" or "preferred" breast size when you are not at your ideal weight.
However, many women find that having extremely large breasts prevents them from exercising. Some of my happiest patients are those who have undergone breast reduction surgery - comments have included delight that they no...
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Melbourne Plastic Surgeon
+1
Breast Reduction and Weight Loss?
Thank you for the question.
Breast reduction surgery is one of the most patient pleasing operations we perform. By removing “excess” breast tissue, adipose tissue, and breast skin this operation reduces and lifts the breasts to a higher position on the chest wall. By doing so, patients often find improvement in neck, back, and shoulder discomfort and find it easier to form their activities of daily living and exercise.
Timing of the operation will depend on the...
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+1
Weight loss program vs. breast reduction
There is no siimple answer. If you are overweight, but have been unable to lose weight, or your breasts make excercising miserable, then you probably should proceed with your breast reduction. I often find that breast reduction patients are both motivated to lose weight after the surgery, and that they find exercising is facilitated by improvement in their symptoms.
If you are commited to losing weight or you are in the process of losing weight, that would be ideal and would...
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+1
Losing Weight After Breast Reduction Surgery
If you are planning on losing weight you should do so prior to the procedure. If you have your breasts reduced and then lose weight, you may find that they are significantly smaller than you had previously intended them on being. So deciding on whether it is worth doing or not is a personal preference on your end.
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Do your best at losing weight but you can always do the reduction
The general advice is to lose weight first. However the problem with large breasts is the symptoms they cause e.g neck, shoulder pain, skin infection etc....
I advise my patients to set a surgery day in the near future (within 3-6 months), during that time the goal is to lose as much weight as possible. This create a goal and a time line. It usually work well and the patient ends by losing weight and performing the surgery.
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Get a reduction
A reduction is generally a good jump start for weight loss. In my practice, the average weight loss after a reduction is an additional 14 pounds. The women say that with the breasts out of the way, they become more active. Rarely, enough weight will be lost in the breast that an augmentation might later be done. This is rare however.
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Breast reduction is beneficial to an overweight woman
The short answer is yes. Regardless of weight, I find women experience significant relief of their symptoms after breast reduction such as back pain, etc.
If you are overweight there are several issues however:
1) your insurance company may not cover the procedure; sometimes they will after demonstrating attempts to lose weight are unsuccessful;
2) your risks during the surgery are increased;
3) if you lose weight after surgery, the aesthetic result may deteriorate if you lose weight from...
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+1
Maybe
Hello,
I advise my patients to have surgery when they are at the weight that they feel they can maintain realizing that losses or gains can change the result. The real question here is if you lose the weight will you keep it off? I am not a big fan of encouraging patients to lose weight just to have them gain it after surgery.
Losing and gaining weight is that which makes most women's breasts change is size
+1
Definitely worth doing, regardless of your weight
Having large, heavy, breasts that give you symptoms and being overweight are two completely separate problems.
Since your large breasts are troubling to you, you will probably benefit by breast reduction surgery. Your weight will not cause your breasts to get large again. If you do lose weight, your breasts will get a little smaller, but usually not much.
+1
Healthy, stable lifestyle changes before body contouring
Breast reduction is categorized as body-contouring. Obviously, there is some relationship between breast size/weight and body weight. However, small women can have large breasts and big womencan have relatively small breasts. First look at your lifestyle. Be as healthy and stable as you can. Determine why you think you are 40lbs. overweight. Is it because you gained the weight or you looked at a chart? Some people will always be overweight.
If you are as fit as you can be, your weight and...
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+1
A potentially good choice
If you are actively losing weight, then I would suggest holding off on the breast reduction until your wight loss is complete. The breasts will also deflate some with weight loss. However, many women find that their breasts are too large for them to be active, and sometimes breast reductions can help them get motivated and feel at ease to exercise and get into shape. It really is patient dependent.
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Overweight and Breast Reduction Surgery: Worth Doing
You would be much better off health wise if you would lose weight and get closer to your ideal body weight prior to surgery. This would help in you recovery and healing phase after surgery. Otherwise you may end up needing a revision on your breast because you have lost a lot of fat in the breast area making you deflated in breast volume and leaving you with a redundant skin envelope.
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Overweight and Breast Reduction Surgery
Sorry to hear about your battle with your weight. Ideally, a patient should be within 20 - 25 pounds of their target weight. If you have done everything possible, then consult with 2 - 3 board certified plastic surgeons to explore your options.
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Breast Reduction in patients who are overweight has some potential hazards
Insurance companies typically insist that patients be within their ideal body weight, usually defined by BMI (Body Mass Index). The argument is that if a woman reduces her weight then her breasts will shrink and she probably wont ask for a reduction. However there are several caveats for the woman whose breast is predominantly fatty. Fatty breasts don't "hold" the shape as long as fibrous breasts, so ptosis or droopiness frequently recurs. Fatty breasts may yield more frequent...
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