I wear a 44ddd bra. How much of a reduction could i expect?

Far more important than the technique is the skill and experience of your plastic surgeon. Choose your surgeon rather than the technique and let them explain why one technique may be better than another. See the below link on some suggestions on finding the most qualified Plastic Surgeon for a breast reduction. Also known as reduction mammoplasty, this is an operation intended to reduce the size of a woman’s breasts and improve their shape and position. Frequently, the areola (dark skin around the nipple) is also made smaller. Functional symptoms (medical disorders) caused by excessive breast weight may be relieved or improved by this operation.Women who have large, heavy breasts, which may be the cause of movement difficulties, back, shoulder and neck pain, poor posture, bra-strap indentations and chafing under the breasts will benefit from reduction. Women with excessive breast size, which may decrease a sense of attractiveness and self-confidence, are candidates.Large breasts that interfere with normal daily activities or with exercise will be more comfortable when reduced.

“Typical” patients who present for breast reduction surgery are women who have disproportionately large breasts, causing problems such as neck/back/shoulder discomfort, postural changes, bra strap grooving, skin irritation/rashes under the breasts, and/or difficulty with activities of daily living and/or exercise etc. Among the areas most relieved with this type of surgery include the upper back, neck, and shoulder areas. There may be both physical as well as psychosocial “stress” alleviation after reduction of the disproportionately large breasts.Other than the presence of symptoms, the “ideal” patient for breast reduction surgery is one who is psycho socially/emotionally/financially stable, has an excellent social support system surrounding him/her, is capable of arranging enough recovery time, does not smoke and who has reached a long-term stable weight. Patients considering breast reduction surgery should also consider the potential downsides (risks/complications) associated with the procedure as well. Poor scarring, for example may be associated with the procedure.With the goal of improving communication with my patients (determining their goals in regards to breast size after breast reduction surgery) 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” etc. 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.When it comes to selection of plastic surgeon, I would suggest starting with the American Society of Plastic Surgery and/or the Aesthetic Society of Plastic Surgery to obtain a list of well experienced board-certified plastic surgeons.Then, I would suggest you visit a few surgeons whose practices concentrate on aesthetic surgery. Ask to see lots of examples of their work and preferably speak/see patients who have had similar procedures done.You will find, while doing your due diligence, that there are many different “specialties” who will offer their services to you; again, I strongly recommend you concentrate on surgeons certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.I hope this, and the attached link, helps.

One test I instruct patients to do before surgery is to cradle their breasts in their arms when they have the pain and discomfort in their neck, shoulder, or back. If this relieves the symptoms, there is a good chance the reduction will as well. If it doesn't, they could have intrinsic joint or spinal disease. Of course the breast reduction has to mirror the weight reduction when doing this test and the surgeon should gauge how much tissue should be removed to relieve the symptoms and still produce a aesthetically pleasing breasts as defined by the individual patient.Robin T.W. Yuan, M. D.