Is It Possible for One Breast to Swell Up More Than the Other After a Breast Reduction?

Swelling after breast reduction will cause a temporary increase in the size of your breasts and may also not be exactly the same amount on both sides. 

It is important to understand that swelling varies greatly from patient to  patient, and also from breast to breast in the same patient. 

For this reason, I cannot say how much smaller your breasts will be when the swelling resolves, but your surgeon may be able to give you some idea as he completed the surgery before the swelling developed.

 

The most important question is the time frame when the uneven swelling started.  If it was noted immediately after surgery (within 24 hrs) and is associated with skin tightness and some increased pain  then this would most likely due to excessive bleeding with in the enlarged side.  If the is noticed  2 to 4 days after surgery,and is associated with redness and warmth of the breast,  then this could be secondary to a possible infection.  If the swelling occurs after one to two weeks then this could be because of excessive use of the the arm on that side.  An example of this delayed swelling usually presents with a phone call from the patient stating that she has noticed encreased swelling on her dominant hand side and it started 3 weeks after her procedure. The earlier the onset of uneven swelling is a cause for concern and should be evaluated immediately.