Breast Reduction

Symptoms and Discomforts from Large Breasts

Size does matter but big is not always beautiful or comfortable. Such is the case of having super large breasts. While some women think massive breasts are a blessing, many of those who have them think they are a curse. Back pains, shoulder pains, neck pains, and even headaches are often associated with extremely well-endowed breasts. They may also have difficulty fitting into commercially available brassieres.

If you have this problem, you may also feel self-conscious about it. You might feel paranoid that when men look at you, all they ever see are your gigantic boobs. You may try to camouflage them by wearing loose clothing or dropping your shoulders, distorting not only your body image but also your posture. Fortunately, smaller and firmer breasts are possible with breast reduction and lift surgery.

Breast reduction and lift surgery can relieve many of the discomforts by correcting excessive breast weight, size, and droopiness. The breast reduction procedure, also called reduction mammaplasty, gives overly top-heavy body shapes better proportion while preserving the nice curves that make a woman’s body feminine and beautiful.

Like breast augmentation, breast reduction is typically performed on women. However, men may also suffer from breast enlargement medically known as gynecomastia, and may also benefit from male breast reduction. Women with oversized, pendulous breasts particularly gigantomastia are also excellent candidates for breast reduction and lift surgery. Gigantomastia is a rare connective tissue disorder that makes the breast balloon to over 600 grams (the average weight of one’s breasts is estimated to be around 200 grams). Studies show that gigantomastia appears to be a result of abnormal hormonal activity.

A breast reduction is not only restricted to reducing breast size and firming up the breasts. Some women have abnormally large areola or nipples. As part of the breast reduction procedure, Dr. Chen Lee may also reduce the size of and enhance the shape of the areola.

Breast reduction surgery is performed under general anesthesia. As in all other breast surgeries, patients are advised not to smoke two weeks before their scheduled breast reduction procedure. Drinking strong alcoholic beverages and taking products containing Aspirin and vitamins are to be avoided.

Dr. Chen Lee advises most patients to plan 4 weeks off from work to recover following a breast reduction procedure. Depending on the degree of physical activity required in your work environment, it might be possible to return to work earlier following an uncomplicated breast reduction procedure. For example, a highly motivated patient with uncomplicated surgery might be capable of returning to light office work as early as two weeks following a breast reduction. Strenuous activities like workouts should be avoided for 6 weeks.