Can Your Stomach Get Larger After BR Surgery?

I was once scolded by a large busted woman who had undergone breast reduction for creating a big tummy.  It was always there, she just couldn't see it over her large breasts.  The reduction removed the visual obstacle.  Thank God for pre op photos.

For a short period of time after your breast reduction procedure, the abdomen may look larger secondary to fluid retention and/or “constipation”. However, in the longer term, your abdomen may appear to be larger because the breasts are now smaller.

 Because the breasts are now smaller, the abdomen may look proportionately larger and/or may become more visible from the patient's time point without the visual obstruction of the large/low breasts.

 I hope this helps.

Assuming your weight remains the same, the answer is NO.  You may have fluid retention after surgery that resolves with time.  And you will have the illusion of a larger tummy when your breasts are smaller.  But your tummy does not get larger following a breast reduction.

Hello,

The most common situation is that as the breasts have gotten smaller the abdomen becomes proportionally more visible.  The size of the abdomen has not gotten bigger rather it is just more noticeable.

All the best,

Dr Remus Repta

It is not likely that your stomach has gotten larger after your breast reduction, unless you have put on more weight. The more likely explanation is that your large breasts looked in better proportion to your stomach and after reducing the breasts, the stomach appears larger compared to the breasts. 

This is a common concern I hear from my patients which allows me to discuss healthful lifestyles and nutritional counseling.

Assuming you have not gained or lost weight after breast reduction, your stomach will not enlarge.  It is quite common for patients to think they have a larger stomach after breast reduction due to the fact that the breasts are now proportionately smaller after surgery.  Also with smaller breasts, one can now see more of their stomach.  Hope this helps to answer your question.

Without a bit more information it is difficult to answer your question specifically. In general, however, although the size of your stomach is unlikely to change, there can be some swelling particularly in the upper stomach after the surgery just above it. This will resolve over the first few days to a week after surgery. The other possibility and I have seen this in several of my patients, with the breasts reduced to a normal size, the abdomen appears relatively larger. I think that some women with large breasts have a large stomach to help balance out their proportions and then when the breasts are more normal sized, the stomach appears too big. A number of my breast reduction patients do end up losing weight after their surgery so their proportions are more normal. So what you are experiencing is normal. Good luck to you.