A breast reduction is performed to improve a woman’s quality of life, to improve her ability to do physical activities, and to enhance the cosmetic appearance of her breasts. Breast reduction surgery always includes a reshaping and a lift of the breasts, in addition to reducing the size and weight of large breasts; reducing the diameter of the areolas; removing excess skin; reducing fat rolls around the sides of the breast and in the armpit (“axillary roll”) region; and redraping excess droopy skin.

Common reasons women may consider undergoing a breast reduction include physical symptoms related to large, dense, heavy, and pendulous breasts. These symptoms can include:

• Back, neck, or shoulder pain
• Overall breast discomfort
• Formation of deep shoulder grooves from the weight of heavy breasts pulling on bra straps
• Chronic rashes under the breasts
• Poor posture
• Inability to perform many activities of daily living

Other practical reasons women seek a breast reduction include genuine lifestyle difficulties such as the inability to exercise, run, jump, or use their upper body effectively due to the large size and weight of their breasts; experiencing difficulty fitting clothing because they are a large size on their top but a much smaller size on their bottom; unwanted attention due to their large breast size; self-consciousness and body image concerns; and general dissatisfaction and unhappiness with the appearance, size, and droopiness of their breasts.

Ultimately, women interested in a breast reduction are both old and young; they are studying in school, working full time, stay-at-home moms or retired; they can be overweight, of normal weight, or thin; and they are postpartum or they may not yet have started having children.

My breast reduction patients uniformly have a similar story about why they are considering breast reduction surgery and each want to feel better, to use their bodies better, and to look better if possible. I educate my patients that breast reduction surgery can achieve EACH of these goals and more!

– Dr. Karen Horton, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

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For more information about breast reduction surgery, or to schedule a consultation with Dr. Horton, please contact us today.