Breast reduction
Get that weight off your chest
Breast reduction surgery is like a perfect wedding between aesthetic and reconstructive surgery. Not only is it a very rewarding surgery, as you are immediately relieved from neck and shoulder pain, but it also allows me to recreate a beautiful breast shape that is in perfect harmony with your body. On a reconstructive level, I aim to restore the correct breast proportions, shape, and volume. At the same time, I strive to create a natural, aesthetic breast mound, with a gentle upper pole slope, a curved lower pole and beautiful projection. A breast reduction may give you an amazing functional and aesthetic life improvement, which makes it for me one of the most rewarding surgeries I can offer to my patients.
The essentials
A breast reduction is a procedure to reduce the weight and volume of the breasts, while at the same time improve the breast shape and aesthetics.
The end goal of breast reduction surgery is to recreate natural, aesthetic breasts with beautiful projection, symmetry and proportions.
A breast reduction is a very grateful surgery to improve neck and shoulder pain, enhance breast symmetry, improve daily sports and make you fit better in clothing.
Breast reduction surgery tackles both the excess breast volume and stretched skin. The necessary incisions are either in a circumvertical or an inverted T pattern.
Consider a downtime of 1-2 weeks with easy wound care. Avoid physical activity for 6 weeks.
Respect the recovery time well and you will profit from the transformation for the rest of your life.
What is a breast reduction ?
Although heavy breasts may come in all different shapes and sizes, they share some common characteristics that may sound familiar to you:
They often cause pain or strain in the neck, shoulder, or upper back.
The weight and size of your breasts are limiting daily activities and sport
You cannot find proper and fitting clothing
The nipple-areolar complex is positioned too low and sometimes pointing downwards
There is a loss of sensitivity in the nipple-areolar complex
The breast proportions are distorted with an empty upper pole and overfilled, heavy lower pole
The breast cleavage is underfilled, despite the breast volume
You have irritated and/or red skin under your breasts
When performing a breast reduction, I aim to address each of these complaints and concerns. I need to remove a part of the volume to reduce the overall breast weight, but at the same time I remodel the remaining tissues of the breast. This will restore the correct breast proportions, improve the breast shape and fill up the deflated cleavage.
Besides the excess volume, there is also excess skin that needs to be removed. The weight of the breast slowly stretched out the skin. This caused the nipple-areolar complex to hang low, but also adds to the feeling of heaviness and strain on the neck and shoulders. During the pre-operative drawing, I precisely mark which skin to excise, which will allow me to move the nipple-areolar complex upwards in a more natural position. During surgery, I remove the skin as planned and redrape the remaining skin over the remodelled gland. I suture everything meticulously to give you the least visible scars as possible.
The pre-operative design is very specific to each breast. I apply a very patient-tailored approach for this type of surgery. During the consultation, I will explain to you the procedure in more detail, with pictures and photographs, as well as which scars to expect and the post-operative care that will be needed. You can expect a down time of 1-2 weeks, with light dressings.
A successful breast reduction reduces both the breast tissue and skin in order to improve breast volume, shape, and proportions. At the same time, the nipple is placed in a better position.
Which incisions are needed for an optimal breast reduction ?
I am aware that a lot of patients are concerned about the scars that they will have after a breast reduction surgery. As both gland and skin need to be tackled, I am obliged to perform the necessary incisions in order to give you the beautiful breast shape and form that you desire. There is no way around it. But my experience has taught me that patients truly appreciate the amazing and positive effect of breast reduction surgery on their daily life. The scars are then a very small price to pay to get the changes you wish to have. In addition, I am very strict on a meticulous, seemless skin closure to ensure the least visible scars as possible. Most patients even forget about the scars after a while, as they are so happy with their new breasts and the scars themselves become practically invisible.
During the consultation, I will draw for you the pre-operative design and the incisions that I plan for your particular body. The design depends on a couple of factors: the current breast volume and shape, the amount of skin elasticity, the current nipple position, and the desired volume you wish to have after the operation. It is clear that a small reduction of breasts with good skin elasticity do not require the same amount of incisions as very large breasts with overstretched skin. In general, most designs will result in one of these 2 scar patterns:
A circumvertical scar: 1 fine line around the areola and a fine line down to the breast fold
An inverted T scar: 1 fine line around the areaola, a fine line down to the breast fold, and a
fine line that falls right inside the breast fold
Circumvertical scar
Inverted T scar
Whenever I can, I will try to give you the first option. My mentor, Prof. Hamdi, is a world-expert in this surgical technique. He has taught me all the tricks to get the least amount of scars as possible. However, if I need that extra incision in the breast fold to give you that perfect breast shape, I am not afraid to do so. My goal at the end of the consultation, is that you really understand what I will do, why I do it, and which results you can expect.
What are the benefits of a breast reduction ?
A breast reduction is one of the most rewarding surgeries, as the patient truly experiences the immediate and beneficial effect. Even the day after surgery, most patients already feel like a huge weight has been lifted off of their shoulders (literally). It is one of those surgeries that really changes people’s lives for the better. You can expect the following benefits:
Enhanced shape, size and projection of the breasts
Significant volume reduction of the breasts
Significant reduction of neck and shoulder pain
No more restrictions in your daily life activities or during sports
Easy clothes fitting
Improved breast symmetry
Improved inner breast volume (cleavage)
Restored proportions with a correct position of the nipple-areolar
complexImproved balance between breast volume and chest wall
Natural and long-lasting result
Are you a good candidate for a breast reduction ?
If you recognise one or more symptoms or concerns that I mentioned before, you probably will benefit from a breast reduction. There is no specific age requirement, as women of every age can suffer from heavy breasts. It may be after puberty, pregnancy, breast feeding, weight loss or in a later stage of your life. The only decision we need to make, is whether you are the best candidate for a breast reduction or a breast lift. You can read all about a breast lift here. The key difference is this: in a breast reduction, I reduce both the amount of gland and skin to give you lighter, more balanced breasts. In a breast lift, I only remove skin, and remodel your gland to restore the shape and proportions of the breast. The decision between both surgeries is based on your wishes, your expectations, your current concerns, and the clinical investigation. At the end of the consultation, I assure you that we both will have a clear idea of what the best option is for you.
In general, you are a good candidate for a breast reduction if:
You suffer from neck, shoulder or back pain due to the weight of the breasts
At some point in your life, you gained a significant amount of breast volume (for example, after puberty or breast feeding), which is cumbersome during your daily activities or while playing sports
You feel that your breast volume does not match your body proportions and overall contour
You feel insecure about the shape and size of your breasts
You have a hard time finding proper clothing
You experience skin redness and irritation under your breasts
If you recognise some of these signs, I recommend you to plan a consultation in order to see how we can improve your breast aesthetics and bring a positive impact to your life.
