Breast Reduction of 500 Grams Too Much for Dd Cups?

Breast Reduction is a complicated procedure that is best done by those with the most training and experience. It is very difficult to determine the resultant cup size and shape based solely on the number of grams that are removed from your breast to best match your ideal breast image without an examination by a board certified plastic surgeon. Not just any board certified plastic surgeon, but one with many years of frequently performing breast reduction and lift surgeries, including different approaches, techniques and even fat transfer and implant choices if you are lacking superior breast fullness.This is because several measurements—not to mention breast characteristics such as density—are needed to determine how much and where to remove breast tissue to meet your goals. Without knowing your existing breast shape, dimensions, and the density of your breast tissue, it would be difficult to make this determination. For example, the same volume of breast tissue will weigh different amounts (measured in ounces or grams) in different people depending on its density. The existing base width of your breast and what you will ultimately want to look like will determine, in many cases, the maximal volume and weight that will need to be removed for the best result.Please click on the link below for more information!

                        Patients often speak
in terms of cup size. Unfortunately, cup size is not always helpful because
manufacturers of bras label their products differently and women don’t wear
their bras the same way. For many women, their bra size becomes their breast
size even though they may not be directly related. For these reasons,
discussions of cup size can often lead to confusion.

 

         In your case, both
your spine surgeon and pain specialist agree that a 500 gram reduction is
necessary on each side to alleviate your symptoms. Under these circumstances,
your options may be limited. Although you may ultimately be happy with your
breast size, this type of situation may require compromises between relief of
your symptoms and your aesthetic goals.

 

         In your case, the
removal of 500 grams on each side would most likely result in a B or C cup.
Again, this depends upon each individual patient’s interpretation of cup size.

Not all D cup breasts are the same. In some this is due primarily to fat while in others it is due to gland. The latter is more dense and will weigh more for the same volume. Furthermore, the breasts can be shaped very differently. Frequently, women who have large breasts also have tissue that wraps around the chest to the back (bra strap roll) which can effect the overall appearance and volume of breast tissue removed. Discuss your concerns with your surgeon. He/she could easily modify and take out only 400. In any event this is just an estimate and is frequently adjusted intraoperatively. Of course, after surgery, you may fit into one brand's C cup while you fit into a different brand's D cup.

Hi,
It's hard to answer your question completely accurately. If you are truly a DD cup, a 500 gram reduction will likely place you somewhere in the C cup range; if you're closer to a D cup, you'll end up even smaller.
That being said, you'll probably derive significant benefit from reduction mammaplasty. If you're only 22, and having such significant problems with pain, breast reduction will likely make a huge difference in the quality of your life. It's hard to know without seeing pictures or examining you, but it's highly probable that you'll get a nice shape and lift to your breasts with a reduction.
Your best bet is consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon. Best of luck!

Not all patients who report having D cup breasts are created equal. It is important to see a board certified plastic surgeon who can evaluate you and explain the implications of removing 500 grams, which is the baseline for many insurance companies. Generally, in young women, I will reduce them to B cups because it is unlikely that you will weigh at 30 or 35 what you weigh today. Too small a reduction will not be covered by insurance but may also, particularly with your history of back surgery, leave you with recurrence of symptoms. A full C reduction from the size you currently wear would be considered cosmetic by most insurers.

Unfortunately, no one can give you a precise answer to your question.

It is however, 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.
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 the use of pictures very helpful in improving the chances of achieving the patient's goals as consistently as possible ( although no system is 100% accurate).

Best wishes.

A "D" cup are not all the same. A good physical exam will allow for a more accurate approximation of the relative volume that can be removed safely to provide you with a nice shaped breast. 

The best way to get an idea of what the 500 grams is like is to look at breast implants. That will give you some idea as to what has to be removed. It is also impossible to predict cup size with a breast reduction. You should also know that regardless of size most patients are very happy they had their breast reduction both because the way they look and the way they feel.
If you are overly concerned have the surgeon take out what he thinks he should and if the insurance company does not pay, you pay.

We get questions similar to yours frequently.
Inherent in your question is the very false implication that bra cup sizes standardized are just like any other volume unit - but they are NOT. As you well know some bras fit you better than others. Each manufacturer has different standards (IE volumes) in cup sizes AND some actually fib - there is a VERY well known underwear manufacturer out there whose D bras are actually C's in other lines (Nothing like puffing things up...but we digress).
The question before you SHOULD be : Do I want a Breast Reduction or a Breast Lift?
A breast Reduction is done to relieve shoulder, neck and back discomfort (but a breast lift is thrown in in the process). The relief of the pain is what the medical insurers pay for. If your goal is a slight breast tissue removal and mainly a Breast Lift, you are asking for and should pay for -- a Mastopexy (breast Lift).
I suspect that if indeed you do have very large breasts (D or DD) - 500 gm should not be disabling and could still give you the range of a breast that C cup bras accommodate. The fact that BOTH your pain doctors and spine doctor ate advising you to do it tells us that you REALLY SHOULD. A Breast Reduction will have a HUGE improvement in your quality of life, mobility, exercise etc. BUT - there is NO SCIENTIFICALLY ACCURATE WAY to predict post-op bra cup sizes and although unlikely, you may end up with a smaller breast yet.
See a Plastic surgeon member of the American Society of Plastic Surgery (www.PlasticSurgery.org). You will not regret it.
Good Luck.

Hi.
I would not do it. I understand that you really want a breast reduction, and you probably cannot afford it without insurance. But you will be unhappy with tiny breasts.
You can have surgery in a teaching hospital done by residents under supervision for very little money. This is usually a safe option. In New York City, we train residents and fellows at Lenox Hill Hospital, and they do good work.