Possible to Reduce my 38DD breasts to a B cup? I'm 5'6 and Weigh 160 Lbs.

Yes with a breast reduction mammoloplasty operation. Best to see a boarded PS in your area to in person discuss your options. 

Hello,

 

There are reduction size limits to assure good preservation of sensation and optimal wound healing. Your prospective reduction sounds a bit extreme.

 

Best Regards,

 

John Di Saia MD

If you are truly a DD cup size, it is possible to reduce the breasts but to a "B"?  Usually it is not easy to get it that small because the skin flaps as well as the pedicle of tissue that supports the nipple areola require a fair amount of tissue with good blood supply  for things to heal nicely.

It is definitely possible in a breast reduction to go from a 38DD to a B cup size. However, to accomplish that there may be tradeoffs and risks that you may find unacceptable. Furthermore, do you really want to be a "B" or is it really a "C"? That is, your interpretation of what constitutes a "B" may in actuality be a "C".

Reviewing photos and discussing with your plastic surgeon in great detail exactly what it is you want, may better help you obtain the desirable postoperatively. It is more the look rather than the cup size since these are proprietary and not an exact size.

Yes it may be possible to achieve a significantly smaller breast  cup size.  On the other hand, it may be necessary to do 2 operations  (staged) to get results you're looking for safely. Removing too much tissue during one operation may compromise the blood flow to the breast tissue and/or the nipple–areola tissue.

It is 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 “natural” or “C cup” or "fake looking" means different things to different people and therefore prove unhelpful. The patient's goal pictures are hanging on the wall, and allow for direct comparison.
Also, as you know, cup size varies depending on who makes the bra; therefore, discussing desired cup  size may also be inaccurate.I have found that this system is very helpful in improving the chances of achieving the patient's goals as consistently as possible.

I hope this helps.

There are limits to how small you can go with a reduction.

Yes, yes, I know for many of my large breasted patients they want them off. Gone.  You are done with the whole breast thing.  I get that.  But there are two basic reasons you can't or shouldn't go super small.

1. Technically, the breast reduction is usually done with a breast pedicle.  In English, this means the blood supply to your nipple areola is coming from a chunk of breast tissue.  The droopier you are, the bigger and longer the pedicle.  You need this to keep the blood supply adequate so your nipple areola lives. 

2. Aesthetically.  What is a B cup? A C cup?  When you talk about size, it is hard to distinguish exactly what size you are currently and what size you want to get to.  A B cup is a pretty small breast.  I think one basic thing to think about is proportion.  When you have been large breasted your entire life, you are used to the proportion that gives.  Your belly never has looked large because your breasts are larger.  You may really want to be small in the chest.  Find photos of the "ideal" size you like.  Look at your body.  Strap down your breasts in a really tight bra and imagine they are gone.  Do you like how you look?  My advice is always to err too large, not too small.  We could always remove a little with lipo after.  It is hard to add some back.

The final cup size cannot be guaranteed but I would tell you that you probably have too much base width in the breast (this doesn't change with a reduction) to ever be much small than a C.  Also, trying to go that small will increase the risk of numbness and even blood flow problems which can lead to tissue loss and delayed healing nd even nipple loss.  If you lost any weight after you would deflate to almost nothing too.

  There are limits to the amount of tissue which can be removed during a breast reduction which relies upon remaining tissue to provide blood supply to the remaining breast tissue (specifically the nipple-areolar complex). If you are willing to have a permanent loss of nipple sensation, then the nipple-areolar area can be removed and replaced as a full thickness skin graft, enabling the removal of a larger volume of breast tissue.