Overly large breasts can often lead to serious emotional and physical issues as well as chronic pain. If your overall quality of life has been diminished due to the size of your breasts, Grossman Plastic Surgery can help provide you with the relief you deserve through a breast reduction procedure.
Am I a Candidate for Breast Reduction?
Many women with very large breasts experience the following symptoms:
- Back, neck, and shoulder pain
- Headaches due to neck strain
- Numbness due to stretching of breast skin
- Grooving of shoulders from bra straps
- Poor posture
- Rashes, skin inflammation, and irritation
- Difficulty breathing later in life
- Inability to exercise or participate in organized sports
- Difficulty examining for breast lumps
If you suffer from any of the above-mentioned conditions, or if you simply would like to enjoy life with a more manageable breast size, then you are most likely an ideal candidate for breast reduction.
Dr. Grossman and Dr. Capraro are often asked about what the right age is for a breast reduction and whether women should wait until they have had a family before undergoing this surgery. The answer is not easy. Very large breasts pose both physical and emotional difficulties on adolescents and young women. The limitations and mocking that can result from having very large breasts may be reason enough to perform breast reduction even before a woman is married and having children. The presence of scars from surgery needs to be weighed against the potential emotional scars in making a decision.
The Breast Reduction Procedure
Denver plastic surgeons Dr. John A. Grossman and Dr. Philippe A. Capraro perform your breast reduction procedure using general anesthesia. An incision will be made around the areola which extends downward and along the fold beneath your breast. Dr. Grossman and Dr. Capraro will then remove surplus skin, fatty tissue, and excess glandular breast tissue, while taking great care to preserve the blood supply of the nipple and areola. In certain cases, Dr. Capraro uses the SPAIR technique, which reduces the length of the scar.
Before closing the incision, your nipple and areola will be repositioned (not removed) to provide a more youthful result. Under rare circumstances, the nipple must be completely separated from the milk ducts before being moved to its new position. In these cases, you may experience a loss of nipple/areolar sensation, and you most likely will not be able to breast feed in the future.
Recovery and Follow-Up Care
At the end of surgery, a waterproof dressing is placed over your stitches so that you can shower. You will need to wear a supportive bra immediately following breast surgery. Drainage tubes are sometimes inserted during the breast reduction procedure and emptied several times a day. These will be removed in our office after a few days, and the dressings will be changed at this time. If you have stitches, they are removed at 7-10 days. But often, Dr. Grossman and Dr. Capraro will not use any external stitches, and therefore there is nothing to remove. Your sutures will be removed 7 days after surgery. You can begin resuming regular activity shortly after surgery, but you will need to refrain from heavy lifting and vigorous arm movements for two to three weeks. You may return to work in approximately 10-14 days.
Athletic activities can be resumed in about 3-4 weeks, although it may take several months before you are completely healed and your breasts have assumed their new shape.
Exceptional Breast Reduction Care
At Grossman Plastic Surgery, we are very sensitive to the issues caused by overly large breasts in women and men, and we take great care to ensure that your procedure will alleviate these issues. Dr. Grossman and Dr. Capraro do not approach your breast reduction from the perspective of a technician. Rather, they view the operation from the keen eye of an artist in order to provide you with an aesthetically beautiful result that enhances your unique physical characteristics and body contour.
Please contact our Denver breast surgeons today to schedule your initial consultation. Grossman Plastic Surgery serves patients in the Denver, Colorado area.
