These days, it seems everyone wants to have larger breasts. Canada doesn’t track cosmetic surgery numbers the same way the U.S. does, but you can assume the trends are similar. Breast augmentation was the most popular cosmetic surgery in the U.S. in 2018. In 2018 313,735 U.S. women had breast augmentation. That was a 48 percent increase from 2000.
But not everyone is of that mindset. For some women, their breasts have become a true burden, causing back and neck pain, chafing, embarrassment, and a host of other problems. For these women, smaller breasts are the goal.
If this sounds like your situation, breast reduction surgery with Dr. Frank can deliver the changes you seek.
Who could use breast reduction surgery?
Very large natural breasts are anything but desired by many women who have them. The excess weight can cause back and neck pain and even nerve damage. Bra straps dig into the shoulders. Finding clothing can be difficult. Overly large breasts can become a hindrance when pursuing certain sports and exercise routines. And the attention they merit is unwanted. This undue attention can make some women with very large breasts shun social interaction.
Breast reduction surgery is known as reduction mammaplasty. The procedure involves the removal of excess skin, fat, and tissue from the breasts. The end goal is to have breasts that are smaller, lighter, and proportional to the body.
The procedure
When Dr. Frank performs reduction surgery it is an involved procedure with the patient under general anesthesia. As with all of his cosmetic surgeries, every case is unique, but to remove the amount of sagging, stretched skin necessary, in most cases he uses the “anchor” incision. This incision circles the nipple-areolar complex, extends downward to the breast crease, and then moves outward along the crease in both directions. The nipple-areolar complex is moved upward to the desired position and excess tissue and fat are removed. The entire procedure usually takes from two to four hours.
Recovery
Patients usually return home the same day of the surgery. A surgical bra will need to be worn for 1 week to provide support and decrease swelling. This will transition to a support bra and then to a strong sports bra. Dr. Frank will stress the importance of wearing these bras 24 hours a day for at least one full month. This can seem excessive, but it eliminates placing weight and pressure on your incisions, which is important to minimize their future appearance. Swelling can persist for up to eight weeks, and a patient’s final results won’t be fully realized until six months after surgery.
If you’re ready to downsize the burden of overly large breasts, please call Dr. Frank at (403) 245-1228 to schedule a consultation for breast reduction.
