What size might I be after my breast reduction? 32G (Photo)

You have a good question.  At the end of every breast surgery I want my patients to be happy with their breasts size.  Time is spent talking with patient to determine if she wants to be on the larger side of size or the smaller side.  There is a range of breast sizes that look good for a given chest size and where each of us wants to be in that range can differ.  After discussion and examination with my patients helps me determine that size for each person.  That being said I cannot custom tailor an exact size for a patient.  Bra sizes are difficult to predict or tailor a reduction result to because you could be different bra sizes in different brands of bras.  But bra sizes are what we all know for reference and are often used and can help with a consultation.

Thank you for your question and photo.  From what I can see, you will benefit from a breast reduction.   500 grams is a significant reduction and should alleviate your symptoms.   Without an in-person exam, it is difficult to predict the weight of the removed tissue as some women have more fat (weighs less) in their breast and less breast gland tissue.   I find that many women are not sized appropriately with the band size number.  Changing the number changes the cup size for the same sized breast:  for example a 34C = 32D.   I ask patients about their goals:  Do you want to be as small as possible or would you rather me leave a little extra behind?  Because postoperative cup sizes are so unpredictable, this question gives me a better idea on the patient's final goals.  In my practice, I remove enough tissue to improve the symptoms, but still leave behind enough tissue to provide cleavage in a bra.  The vast majority of reduction patients are very happy with their surgery and can usually find a bra that fits them well.  Try not to focus on the final bra size, but rather the shape and position of the breast after surgery and the improvement in symptoms.  

Glad to hear about your decision for breast reduction. From the one photo, it appears you are an excellent candidate. Regarding amount of breast tissue that is anticipated to be removed, it largely has to do with what your goals are for maintaining size and proportion. Breast reduction is reconstructive but also aesthetic in nature, with the goal to reduce and elevate the breasts to more normal anatomic proportions for YOUR body. For that reason, only an estimation of volume reduction can be mentioned, but more only more acurately determined at surgery. The discussion of what size you would like to achieve after surgery should be made with your surgeon early on in consultation, and reaffirmed right before surgery, so you and your surgeon are on the same page. For most women, final size and shape isn't apparent for 3 months. Good luck!

Thank you for the question and congratulations on your decision to proceed with breast reduction surgery; this operation tends to be one of the most patient pleasing operations we perform.

As you can imagine, much will depend on your current breast size (cup sizes can be quite arbitrary…) and goals.   

If I were seeing you in consultation, I would ask to look at your goal photographs; after doing so, I would be able to help you with a prediction of what you might expect in terms of anticipated weight of tissue removed. Keep in mind however that there is no specific/reliable correlation between the amount of tissue removed and cup sizes achieved.

With the goal of improving communication with my patients I find the use of photographs of “goal” pictures (and breasts that are too big or too small) very helpful. I have found that the use of words such as “natural” or “C cup” means different things to different people and therefore prove unhelpful. Again, as you know, cup size varies depending on who makes the bra; therefore, discussing desired cup size may also be inaccurate.

In your case, given the concerns, I would suggest that you meet with your plastic surgeon again.  Ultimately, you will want to feel comfortable that you are both on the same page when it comes to desired outcome.  Again, careful communication is key.

 Best wishes.