Breast Lift and Breast Reduction Surgery

Breast Reduction (Reduction Mammaplasty)

While some in our society think "bigger is better", women with excessively large breasts experience symptoms of back and neck pain, bra straps that dig into their shoulders, and recurrent rashes.

Breast reductions are common operations that decrease the size of the breasts by removing extra skin, fat, and breast tissue. Incisions are made around the areola (the pigmented area around the nipple), vertically connecting the areola and the crease under the breast, and horizontally under the breast. The nipple is elevated to an appropriate position, and the skin is closed, holding the breast in a more youthful position. While some people remove the nipple during the procedure and sew it back on after contouring the breast, I leave the nipple attached to the breast tissue at all times. With my technique, sensation and the ability to breast feed is usually maintained.  The procedure is performed as an outpatient under general anesthesia.  Surprisingly for the size of this operation, there is usually minimal pain after surgery and women can return to work in 1-2 weeks. I use Dermabond to close the skin incisions, decreasing the pain of stitches and improving the cosmetic appearance. Only 3 stitches are placed through the skin. These are removed by 2 weeks. No drains are needed.

Medical symptoms are usually relieved after this surgery. For these reasons, sometimes health insurance will pay for a portion of the procedure. Most women are thrilled with finally being a "normal" size after surgery and being able to wear a larger variety of clothing.

The truth about "Short Scar Breast Reductions"

No plastic surgeon wants to leave big scars. The vast majority of plastic surgeons perform a typical "inverted T", or "Wise pattern" breast reduction, keeping the scars as short as possible. A small number of plastic surgeons perform vertical scar only reductions, but the many women who have that procedure require second procedures to remove the "dog ears" from the surgery, ultimately resulting in the creation of a horizontal scar. Scars are usually very acceptable when the breast reduction is performed properly, and long term dissolving stitches are placed on the inside of the breasts and Dermabond is used for the final closure.

Breast Lifts (Mastopexy)

Breast Lifts often use identical incisions as breast reductions but no breast tissue is removed. (If a woman has asymmetric breasts, the larger one is usually reduced to match the smaller one during this procedure.)

Like a breast reduction, breast lifts are performed as an outpatient under general anesthesia. Extra skin is removed and the skin is redraped over the existing breast tissue, elevating both the breast and the nipple/areola. Various procedures are used, depending on the amount of droop. The simplest leaves a scar around the areola. The most complex leaves the same scars as a breast reduction. The operation chosen depends on your wishes and anatomical needs. The overwhelming majority of women who have breast lifts say, "why didn't I do this sooner?"

Since pain is minimal after these procedures and the operation is traditionally hidden under clothing, most women can return to work in a week or two.

I perform breast lift and breast reduction consultations and aftercare at my Park Avenue office in Manhattan and at my office in Franklin Park, New Jersey. Surgery is performed in a surgicenter or hospital in New York or New Jersey.