Breast reduction can be performed at any age on a healthy woman, but it is usually recommended to wait until the breasts are fully developed. Some women decide to wait to have the surgery until their childbearing is over since childbirth and breastfeeding can cause unpredictable changes to the breasts and breast-feeding may not be possible after breast reduction surgery.

The Procedure: As with the Breast Lift operation there are several different techniques and incisions that can be used to reduce the breasts. The most common procedure
involves an anchor-shaped incision that circles the areola, extends downward, and follows the natural curve of the crease beneath the breast. The surgeon removes excess glandular tissue, fat and skin, and moves the nipple and areola into their new position. The doctor then brings the skin from both sides of the breast down and around the areola, shaping the new contour of the breast. Liposuction may be used to remove excess fat from the armpit area.

Breast Lift's or Reductions - Throw away the anchor!

The exciting news in breast surgery today is what has
been euphemistically called the "Scar Wars." Formally
breast reductions and most breast lifts were done with
what had been called an inverted T or anchor scar. This
placed an incision around the nipple-areola, one
vertically downward from there and one in the fold. This
operation very predictably enhanced the shape of the
breast while reducing and/or lifting it. However, some
patient's formed very visible scars following this operation
that did not resolve over time. This left the patient with a
better shape but with scars on her breast that may be visible in lingerie, bathing suits and low cut tops.

In an effort to eliminate big scars, operations have now
been developed in the USA, Europe and South America
to limit the amount of scarring while preserving a youthful
contour to the breast. In most cases the scar can be either limited to around the nipple-areola complex, or for larger
breasts a short vertical scar going down from the areola.
With this technique the incision under the breast has now
been done away with. Throw away the anchor scar!

Very few surgeons in the United States have adopted or
are even aware of this technique, but we have been using
it in our office for several years now. We have had very
exciting results with patients who have been very
happy that they have gone with this newer technique.