A quick glance at celebrity magazines or lingerie ads gives the impression that large breasts are desirable. Indeed, breast augmentation has been the most popular cosmetic surgical procedure for a number of years. However, women with overly large breasts may be unhappy with their appearance and the physical symptoms that they produce. In addition to unwanted attention and comments, women with large breasts struggle to find clothing and bras that fit. Furthermore, overly large breasts can cause medical problems ranging from ruts in the shoulders due to poorly fitting bras, shoulder and back pain, and difficulty breathing due to the weight of the breasts. In fact, a breast reduction procedure is one of the few plastic surgeries that can be considered medically necessary. Dr. Paul Pin has performed many of these procedures to relieve medical symptoms caused by overly large breasts.

Breast Reduction Procedure

A breast reduction procedure removes excess breast tissue and skin. Depending on the amount to be removed, one of two incision patterns will be used. The lollipop incision pattern involves a circular incision around the areola (the darkened skin around the nipple) and a second incision from the bottom of the areola down to the inframammary crease (the area where the underside of the breast meets the chest wall). An anchor incision pattern adds a third incision following the inframammary crease. Dr. Pin will then remove excess breast tissue and close up the incisions.

Below are some before and after photos that show the results that can be achieved with a breast reduction procedure.

Before and Afters

DDD-cup to a C-cup: This patient is a classic case in which the breasts are too large for her frame. The Before image shows that the breasts have become elongated and droopy. In addition, the nipples and areolas not only point down, but have fallen below the line of the inframammary crease. In the After images, the breasts have been restored to a fuller, round shape with a nipple structure that points straight ahead instead of down.

60-year-old Patient: In this case, not only are the breasts very large, but they have also become extremely elongated. For this patient, Dr. Pin performed a lift and reduction technique to reposition the breasts higher on the chest wall while reducing their size. The After picture shows that the breasts have been restored to a fuller, more rounded shape that sits higher on the chest.

12 grams of tissue removed: This is an extreme example of overly large breasts (hypertrophy). As a result, the patient suffered from serious back and shoulder problems. The before photo shows that the breasts not only have drooped far below the inframammary crease, but that the nipple structure points directly down. Once she had more than 1,200 grams of breast tissue removed, her symptoms considerably improved.

Women with overly large breasts need not suffer from medical issues or be the target of stares or comments from strangers. A breast reduction procedure may dramatically improve their well being. To find out if you're a good candidate, contact our practice today.