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Does Liposuction Breast Reduction Work?
For close to 75 years, breast reduction surgery has been successfully used to aid women who have suffered from the symptoms of overly large breasts. These symptoms may include such issues as persistent back, neck, and shoulder pains, grooving of the shoulders from pressure by the bra straps, skin rashes and irritations, postural changes, arthritis of the neck, fatigue, breathing difficulties and even discomfort precipitated with a multitude of physical activities. In addition, many women experience emotional and confidence issues.
Breast reduction surgery involves the removal of excess glandular tissue, fat, and skin along with the recontouring and elevation of what remains so as to reduce size, improve shape, and rejuvenate the appearance. There are various techniques available to facilitate this with the most common ones employing an anchor shaped incision. Though the results can be stunning and extremely rewarding, they do come with the price of visible scarring.
So, an alternative to traditional breast reduction surgery was developed in order to dramatically minimize the amount of incisions needed and, therefore, the total length of scarring produced. This technique has become known as liposuction breast reduction.
What Is Liposuction Breast Reduction?
As the name suggests, this procedure uses liposuction to reduce the breast size. Through a few ¼- to ⅜-inch incisions in the breasts, excess fat is removed in order to decrease the size and affect the shape. However, there is absolutely no removal of the associated excess glandular breast tissue or the redundant, stretched out skin. No direct lifting or tightening procedure is performed.
Are You a Candidate for Liposuction Breast Reduction?
Though this sounds like a fantastic option to reduce large breasts by employing only tiny incisions, the reality is that liposuction breast reduction is a highly specialized option.
Translation:
This is a procedure that is virtually never the best choice for any woman seeking a breast reduction.
Why?
Because liposuction does not remove any glandular breast tissue. It does not tighten or remove excess and inelastic skin. And it does not adjust the placement/elevation of the breasts, including the nipple-areolar complexes. There is no refined contouring, elevation, or rejuvenation. Furthermore, breasts that are more youthful and consist largely of glandular tissue, will only be able to be reduced to a limited extent.
In essence, a liposuction breast reduction will result in a shrunken down version of one’s present breasts.
So, Who Can Potentially Benefit From a Liposuction Breast Reduction?
An “ideal” candidate would be a women who:
- Wants a relatively very small amount of reduction in size and who also generally has minimal to no breast sagging (ptosis),
- Has at least a moderate amount of breast fat
- Wants little scarring and is not concerned about the lack of positive change in shape or firmness
Another possible candidate is a woman with highly “fatty” breasts who just wants them to be smaller to some extent, insists on minimal scars, and doesn’t care what they look like.
Again, this type of limited outcome is rare.
If you are considering breast reduction surgery and want to find out if it can benefit you including if you may be a candidate for liposuction breast reduction, call Dr. Turkeltaub at the Arizona Center for Breast Surgery at 480-451-3000.