I'm a Shy Girl Nervous About a Consultation Visit for Breast Reduction, What Happens Specifically?

Rest assured, you are not alone. Many young women have anxiety about taking off their bra during the exam. First, my practice is for my administrator, who is female, to speak with the patient and get a good history of symptoms and treatment, because we know that this will be required by the insurance company. She views the breasts to get an idea of the size and make an assessment as to insurance coverage, and then explains the operation and what I will do in consultation in great detail. The exam consists of measuring the nipple to infra-mammary crease distance and nipple heights and taking photographs, which contain the breasts only (no smiles!) I also perform breast examination to rule out masses or other pathology. Then I discuss the surgical approach, risks/benefits and followup procedures. I hope this helps to alleviate your concerns. Breast reduction is a wonderful procedure with an incredibly high patient satisfaction rate and, if you believe that you could benefit from the procedure, you should certainly see a board certified plastic surgeon in consultation. You may be more comfortable with a female surgeon under these circumstances and, these days, there are many women in our field.

It is understandable that you would have anxiety about your consultation for breast reduction.  Hopefully it will be a much simpler process for you than you are dreading.  The consultation will include a general history and physical exam.  The physical exam is brief and simple.  Possibly photos will be taken.  Most of the consultation is simply discussion about what you are a candidate for and what to expect after breast reduction. 

Although I can understand patients having anxiety about undergoing breast examination, I think you will find that the process is generally “painless”. I would suggest that you seek consultation with well experienced board certified plastic surgeons. During the consultation plastic surgery will obtain a history and perform an examination.  This  examination will likely include measuring the distance from the sternal notch to the nipple/areola complexes. Again, the physical examination is generally quite brief; don't be surprised if you find that the anxiety you're experiencing  was really not necessary.  Sometimes patients wish to bring a friend or family member as “moral support”.  Generally speaking, most plastic surgeons will likely have a female staff member present during the examination.

Keep in mind, assuming that you are a good candidate for breast reduction surgery, that breast reduction surgery is one of the most patient pleasing operations we perform. The anxiety surrounding the consultation experience will be a “small price to pay”.

Best wishes.