I am 25 years old and have had large, severely sagging, pendulous breasts since puberty. I considered a Breast reduction in the past, but decided against it. I learned that the amount of breast tissue needed to be removed would leave me unable to breast feed in the future.
Since I have managed to cope this long with large breasts, I am now considering a Breast lift to alleviate the sagging. My current cup size is 40G. Would breast lift surgery be right for me?
Based on the information you provided, it sounds like you are an ideal candidate for a breast lift and reduction surgery. Unfortunately, there are some risks and complications involved with any surgery, but it may be beneficial for you as well. I would recommend consulting with a board certified plastic surgeon to determine and discuss the best and safest possible option for your needs, as well as the risks involved in the surgery. Depending on the severity and complexity of the case, recovery time could vary. There are pros and cons of having surgery. You just have to decide whether you want to have it done or not. It is primarily your decision. For more information regarding the procedure you are interested in, check out my website and compare before and after photos of patients.
It sounds like you'd be an excellent candidate for a breast reduction surgery. Breast reduction patients are some of the happiest patients in our practice because they literally experience a huge weight lifted off their shoulders. In our practice, our priorities in breast reduction bar to remove it as much breast and fat as possible to help alleviate your symptoms and to leave enough breast tissue so that you may have a pleasing breast mound. The overlying skin is then gently draped over the remaining breast tissue enclosed in a fashion to minimize the number of scars and make sure that the scars stay thin and of good quality. Be sure to get a consultation with board-certified plastic surgeon who is well experienced in breast reduction techniques and can discuss the different techniques that he or she will use to ensure your long-term results with few scars.
At yoru current size a "G", I would recommend having a lift with a reduction. The excesss breast volume removed will alleviate many problems for you and may reduce the risk of further sagging. As for breast feeding, that is very variable.
Hi! A recent well done study showed that some women with very large breasts cannot breast feed, but your chances are the same whether or not you have a breast reduction (about 70%). In other words, surgery does not make it less likely that you will be able to breast feed.
So my advice is have a good breast reduction (which of course includes a lift). Your life will be much better.
In New York, we would not do just a breast lift on someone as large as you.
As large a breast as you have only a breast reduction would be appropriate. It will also give you the lift you desire. Doing only a lift without reducing the size of your breasts is not an option. If you are concerned about breast feeding, then you have to make a choice between having larger breasts which may be causing you back and neck pain or smaller breasts with the risk that you may not be able to breast feed. I tell my patients that if they are in the process of having children in the next year or two, then wait until you are done having children then have your surgery. But if you are not going to have children for 5-10 yrs, then it may benefit you to have a smaller, more proportionate breast size which can also help any symptoms you may be having. I have had patients with breast reduction breast feed but that is obviously a serious risk to consider if breast feeding is very important to you. Discuss these choices with a board certified plastic surgeon.
The scar pattern of a breast lift and a breast reduction are the same. The difference is how the underlying breast tissue is manipulated. In breast reduction the breast tissue is removed while maintaining an aesthetic shape to the breast. Removing both skin and breast tissue allows for appropriate tension to be placed on the skin and minimizing poor scarring. Trying to tighten skin around a 40 G size breast doesn't make much sense to me. The skin has stretched because it can not accomodate the weight of your breasts. I would also think with 40 G breasts you have some issues with shoulder grooving, neck pain and possibly rashes under the breasts. These issues would not be corrected with a lift.
Also the size of the breast doesn't dictate how effective you will be at breast feeding. Often very large breasts make it more difficult for the infant to nurse.
Any surgical procedure on the breast has the potential to diminsh your ability to breast feed. That being said, I have breast augmentation and reduction patients who have been able to breast feed after surgery.
A reduction AND lift woulld be best. A lift alone would not hold up as the skin would stretch or breakdown under the weight of the breast gland.
you should assume that you will not be able to breast feed after reduction or lift. An important finding in the recent litarature is that young women with large breasts are much more likely to get diabetes later in life.
This is a personal decision but a breast lift is designed to lift your breasts with minimal breast tissue removal. A G cup breast, as you well know, is large and would place undue tension on suture lines leading to potentially a poor result. A breast reduction does not mean you have to have a large removal of breast tissue but enough to give you a proportionate breast mound and hopefully take a little stress off your neck and upper back. The issue of breast-feeding is an important one that you will need to decise before having either surgery. Best of luck.
Dr Edwards
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You need to have a breast reduction. Without one there is no guarantee that you can nurse now. Some people with large breasts have trouble nursing and depending on the type of reduction, some people can nurse. If you have a reduction and want to nurse do not have a free nipple graft. Some form of pedicle should allow you the possibiity of nursing. Do not go in for a lift - it will not work.
Your breast are too large to have a realistic lift. The breast lift mainly recontours the breast by the use of the skin. So if you have such large breasts a breast lift is not the way to go. A breast reduction is what you need to reduce the size of the breasts and provide a lift which will be longer lasting than just getting a lift now with the 40G breasts.
Breast reduction does not necessarily interfere with breast feeding but you are correct that it may affect your ability to breast feed later.
Learn more: http://www.feplasticsurgery.com/
These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.
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