There are many different methods by which breast reduction surgery can be performed. As with any surgical procedure, every technique has its pros and cons; ultimately, the procedure that you and your plastic surgeon settle on will depend upon your breast size and shape, as well as your aesthetic preferences.
Today I’ll discuss two different breast reduction methods: liposuction and the inverted-T reduction.
For some women, liposuction is the obvious choice for their breast reduction: it requires very small incisions and minimal downtime following surgery. Liposuction, however, is only useful for relatively small reductions in breast size because it decreases fat volume but doesn’t offer the lift that more involved breast reduction surgeries do. For someone with very elastic skin who doesn’t want an extreme reduction, then, liposuction is an excellent option; for anyone who has very large breasts and has sagging or excess skin in the breast area, or who wishes to significantly decrease the size of their breasts, the inverted-T operation is almost certainly a better choice.
The inverted-T method is the most commonly performed breast reduction procedure. In this procedure, a horizontal incision is made in the crease beneath the breast, a vertical incision is made that extends from the crease beneath the breast to the areola, and a small, half-circle incision is made around the bottom of the areola. These incisions allow your plastic surgeon the access he or she needs to remove excess skin, breast fat, and glandular tissues, and then bring together the remaining tissue to shape the breast. This obviously means more scarring than liposuction would, but it also means that your surgeon will be able to lift your breasts–and, necessary, reposition your nipples–for a better overall aesthetic result.
If you have any questions about breast reduction techniques, please don’t hesitate to contact my San Francisco office and schedule a confidential consultation with me!
