Can I choose my new breast size if I’m getting a breast reduction?

Thank you for your question,              
The Bellesoma Method is a current technique to lift and/or reduce breasts without using implants or the ugly vertical scars.  The incisions are hidden around the areola and in the inframammary crease. The vertical incision has been completely eliminated. The areola incision heals almost invisibly due to the fact that there is hardly any tension on the closure. With this particular technique, ducts are preserved along with nerve supply maintaining nipple sensation and the ability to breast feed. Because the breast is reshaped internally and is secured to your chest muscles, upper pole fullness is possible without an implant. Attached is a patient who underwent The Bellesoma Method. Please note that her tissue was used to create upper pole fullness and cleavage without any foreign materials (mesh, implants, etc).  It is a proprietary technique that only surgeons that have been trained by me can perform. I hope this helps. 
Best wishes and kind regards, 
Dr. Gary Horndeski

Thank you for your question. This is a very common question before a breast reduction. The short answer is.....kinda. With a breast reduction surgery, you want to remove enough tissue to relieve the patient's symptoms, but you also want to leave enough tissue behind so that the patient is left with something that fits their frame and looks good. In addition, you have to leave enough tissue behind to provide blood supply to the remaining skin and breast. So there is often a range within these parameters that is possible. In other words, if you are a G and wanted to be an F or an A cup, this would not be possible. But if you were shooting for something in the B-D range, then this would likely be reasonable. Make sure you discuss your size expectations with your board certified plastic surgeon before the procedure. Good luck!

In general, it is not possible to absolutely predict bra cup size after breast reduction surgery. There are many factors that influence the final result such as your current breast size, the amount of breast tissue that your insurance company requires to be removed if you are using insurance, and the limitations of breast reduction surgical techniques. My recommendation would be that you schedule a consultation with a board certified and experienced plastic surgeon to learn about your options.

You can to some degree, but not completely. Your size and anatomy will create some limitation about what is possible. My advice is not to talk in terms of cup size and much as percentage removed. I think that is a more accurate form of communication. I also recommend purchase a "goal bra" in the bandwidth that fits them comfortably now, with a cup that looks like what they would want post operatively. While hitting the "goal bra" size may not be possible, it is best to have this discussion before surgery so your expectations and your surgeon's goals are clear.

but you can let your surgeon know to be aggressive in the resection versus the usual procedure if you want a smaller cup size.  No one can guarantee achieving a specific cup size with a reduction procedure.

Thank you for the excellent 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.
  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) and computer imaging are very helpful. For example, I have found that the use of words such as  "proportionate” or “D cup” 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. 
Once you have communicated your goals carefully, your plastic surgeon will be able to provide you with an estimation of how much tissue will need to be removed, in order to achieve your desired outcome.
Best wishes with your breast reduction procedure; hopefully you will be very pleased with the outcome of the procedure performed.
 

Hi and thanks for your questions. After reviewing your description, it seems that that you would be a good candidate to have a breast reduction and lift using the Bellesoma technique.   
Bellesoma is a new breast reduction and lift technique that seems like it would be a great fit for you.  This procedure utilizes 3-D volumetric scanning and a multi-point measuring system to design a precise surgical blueprint exactly tailored to your body and the reduced breast size that you desire. The Bellesoma procedure reduces the sagging and weight of your breast, lifts your breast and reduces areola diameter, preserves the nipple sensation, and looks as full and perky as if an implant had been placed without using any implant, so no need to compromise.  One of the huge positives of this technique is that there is no vertical incision traveling down the front of your breasts.
Some of the differences between Bellesoma and the traditional breast reduction/lift techniques:
-Bellesoma creates upper pole fullness that traditionally needed an implant to achieve.
-There is NO vertical scar, only well-hidden scars in the fold under the breast, and around the areola.
-The breast is dynamically supported by attaching it to the muscle, so there is no recurrence of sagging which are expected with traditional lifts or reductions.
-The entire central portion of the breast is undisturbed, so nipple sensation remains intact and is very unlikely to be compromised.
-For absolute best results, patients should have a stable weight and have a BMI under 30.
The procedure is accomplished by using the skin of the lower pole of the breast (the part below the nipple that sits in the bra cup) to shape the whole breast into a perky dome, then straps are made of the extra skin, anchoring it to the underlying chest muscle so that there is virtually no chance of repeat sagging.  The skin that above your nipple and below your collar bone is utilized to cover the perky, lifted dome that has been created and then a new (usually smaller) circular opening for the areola is placed at the high point of the cone, creating your new lifted, full and shapely breast.
From your description, you seem to be a very good candidate for this new technique and should really get the look that you are desiring without implants or unnecessary visible scars. I would recommend that you search for an ABPS board certified plastic surgeon who is also a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons in your area or an area that you would like to travel to on holiday who offers the Bellesoma technique to discuss your breast reduction and possible results.
Best wishes!
Daniel Brown, MD, FACS Diplomate, American Board of Plastic Surgeons MemberAmerican Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons MemberAmerican Society of Plastic Surgeons Real Self Top 500

Cup sizes are very inaccurate ways to try to discuss size after reduction. No manufacturing standards exist as to cup size. You must keep enough tissue to have enough blood flow preserved to keep the nipples alive. Only if you take the nipples and areola off at the start and put them back at the end as a skin graft (so called "free nipple graft") can you get down to really small sizes. But FNG nipples don't always survive and are always numb and can never breast feed.