Breast Reduction Questions and Answers

For many women, the burden of a large chest can be too much to bear. While there are society-based positive aspects to having a sizable bustline (certainly the prevalence of implants speaks to that truth), there are a host of negatives that tend to go along with it. For many women, the negatives are not nearly outweighed by the positives and they choose to have a breast reduction because of it. If you are a woman who is considering the surgery for your own reasons, here are some common questions and their answers.

Will It Affect Breast Feeding?

One thing many women want to know before considering either implants or a breast reduction is whether it will interfere with their ability to breast feed their children. The simple answer is: maybe. Several studies have been done on the subject, but there is no widespread consensus just yet about how the operation might affect milk production. In some cases, the type of operation and how it is done can have all the impact. It is best to discuss this directly with your doctor.

Can It Lead To Breast Cancer?

For good reason, women are concerned with breast cancer. It is one of the most common killers of women in the United States and anything you could do to increase that risk would certainly have to be avoided. To answer this, it’s important to realize what is happening in a breast reduction operation. Tissue is being removed. Studies have shown now that tissue removal may actually decrease the odds of a woman getting cancer. So the answer on this one is no, and in fact there may even be a reduction of incident.

Will Weight Gain Negate The Results?

It depends from patient to patient. Women looking for breast reduction, however, typically are the type that carry a lot of fat in their chest. Therefore, subsequent weight gain will likely increase the size of the chest past the point of the reduction results. The opposite problem is that some women get their chest to the perfect size and then lose weight, which further decreases the size, much to their surprise and consternation. The best way to be prepared for this is to get very close to your ideal, stable weight before having plastic surgery so that you can be assured the ability to enjoy the results for some time to come. Having plastic surgery of this type is generally safe, but there are always risks. Better to have a procedure performed once rather than multiple times.