Dallas Breast Reduction - Procedure Information

• Introduction
• Am I a good breast reduction candidate?
• What should I expect from my breast reduction consultation?
• What does breast reduction surgery entail?
• Are there safety concerns associated with breast reduction surgery?
• How should I prepare for my breast reduction surgery?
• What will happen the day of my surgery?
• What should I expect from my recovery?
• What can I expect from my results?
• How long will I continue to see my plastic surgeon?
• Choosing a plastic surgeon
• Make sure your surgeon is board certified
• Ask about the surgeon's hospital privileges

Introduction

If you are a woman who feels her breasts are too large, for cosmetic or physical reasons, breast reduction surgery may be a beneficial option to consider. Many women find having the procedure gives them far more than just smaller, firmer breasts. They also report such benefits as relief from neck and back pain, a new freedom of movement allowing for more exercise and physical activity, and the ability to wear many clothing styles they've avoided in the past. In fact, of all plastic surgery procedures, breast reduction ranks among the highest in patient satisfaction.

Breast reduction (reduction mammoplasty) surgically removes excess skin and breast tissue, making your breasts more proportional to the rest of your body. During the procedure, the dark skin around the nipple, called the areola, may be reduced in size and repositioned as well.

Though basic breast reduction information is provided on this website, the best way to get answers to specific questions about your needs is to schedule a personal consultation with a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. For women in the Dallas area considering a breast reduction, Dallas plastic surgeon, Dr. White, is ABPS certified and will gladly address any questions and concerns you may have during consultation.

Am I a good breast reduction candidate?

Breast reduction offers benefits to women all ages, though waiting until breast development is complete is recommended. Since pregnancy and breast-feeding can affect your breast reduction results, many choose to postpone their surgery until they've stopped having children. If you do plan to breast-feed in the future, you should discuss this issue with Dr. White. Due to problems caused by overly large breasts, some women choose to undergo the procedure even if they plan future pregnancies.

Good candidates for breast reduction may have some of the following conditions:

• Body disproportion caused by breasts that are too large
• Chronic neck, back or shoulder pain caused by excessive breast weight
• Heavy, sagging breasts
• Deep shoulder indentations caused by pressure on bra straps
• Skin irritation beneath the breasts
• Restricted exercise and physical activity due to breast size
• Self-consciousness over large breast size
• Breast asymmetry with one breast larger than the other

What should I expect from my breast reduction consultation?

A personal consultation with your surgeon is the first step for any patient considering breast reduction. Fort Worth plastic surgeon Dr. Steven White believes in careful patient consultation to assess your physical and emotional health, discuss your aesthetic goals, and address any questions or concerns you may have.

Issues you should be prepared to discuss during consultation with Dr. White include:

• Medical conditions, both past and present
• Current medications, including nutritional supplements and herbal remedies
• Previous surgeries
• Weight loss history and goals

During consultation, Dr. White will examine your breasts, evaluating their shape, size, skin elasticity nipple position. He may also take photographs and measurements may for your medical record.

Some health plans cover breast reduction surgery when performed to relieve medical symptoms; however, coverage often depends on a significant amount of breast tissue being removed. Your insurance company may require a letter of predetermination prior to surgery. Dr. White's office staff will help you with insurance matters related to the procedure. If you are seeking a purely cosmetic change, however, insurance will not cover it.

What does breast reduction surgery entail?

There are many variations to breast reduction surgery. The technique Dr. White uses with you depends upon your individual features, physical needs and aesthetic goals.

The most common method, which offers the most significant level of reduction and lift, involves three incisions: One around the circumference of the areola. Another runnning vertically from the areola to the breast crease. The third following the natural curve of the crease beneath the breast.

Through these incisions, Dr. White removes the excess breast skin and shapes the remaining breast tissue. The nipple and areola, which remain attached to the underlying tissue, are then shifted to a higher position. The areola can also be reduced in size for better proportion. You should understand that you may not be able to breast feed after breast reduction surgery, although in some cases if may be possible.

Depending upon the amount of reduction needed, the horizontal incision running along breast crease may be avoided in some cases. Though this modified technique is not appropriate for all women considering breast reduction, Dallas plastic surgeon Dr. White does perform this option when appropriate.

Are there safety concerns associated with breast reduction surgery?

Though thousands women undergo breast lift surgery each year and experience no major complications, the procedure does carry some degree risk. It is important you be well informed of these risks when considering breast reduction. Dallas cosmetic surgeon Dr. White sees the discussion of potential risks and complications as one of the most important aspects of patient consultation. During your consultation, he will discuss these potential complications with you, listen to your safety questions, and offer instructions on how to minimize your risk.

How should I prepare for my breast reduction surgery?

It is important to follow Dr. White's instructions when preparing for breast reduction surgery to ensure the best possible results. Those instructions may include:

• Refraining from smoking for several weeks before and after surgery
• Avoiding certain medications
• Arranging for help following surgery, such as a ride home and in-home care for the first 24 hours
• Undergoing a baseline mammogram

What will happen the day of my surgery?

For your comfort and convenience, Dr. White maintains privileges in several hospitals in the greater Dallas/Fort Worth area. Breast reduction surgery may require a short, one-night hospital stay, though some are performed on an outpatient basis, allowing patients to return home the day of surgery.

During surgery, medications will be administered to ensure comfort. General anesthesia will most likely be used to allow you to sleep during the procedure. Dr. White uses only doctors (anesthesiologists)-not nurses (CRNA's or anesthetists)-to administer anesthesia to his Dallas cosmetic surgery patients. He will carefully monitor your physical status throughout the operation and during your recovery.

What should I expect from my recovery?

Directly after surgery, you'll be taken to a recovery area. You will have gauze dressing over your breasts covered by a supportive bra. To aid healing and prevent fluid accumulation, small drain tubes will be placed beneath the skin.

On the day of surgery, you will be encouraged to get out of bed for short periods of time. The post-operative discomfort you feel during the first few days will be controlled with pain medication.

Though everyone heals at a different pace, you can expect your recovery to roughly go as follows:

Within the first week

• You will begin to move about more comfortably
• You may feel up to resuming some non-strenuous work
• Your dressings will be changed
• Any surgical drains used will be removed
• You should notice relief from back, neck and shoulder pain

After several weeks

• Swelling and bruising will diminish
• All stitches will have been removed
• Nipple sensation should gradually improve
• You may resume to most normal activities, including light exercise

After a few months

• Your breasts will start settling into a more natural shape
• Incision lines will begin to fade

What should I know about my results?

Breast reduction surgery offers a high rate of patient satisfaction. Women often report better body proportion, more freedom to enjoy physical activities and joy at being able to wear clothing styles they've avoided in the past.

Though breast reduction surgery does entail permanent scarring, these scars can be easily concealed beneath clothing, swimsuits and tank tops and will fade significantly over time. Most women find the trade of scarring for their dramatic change in body proportion well worth it.

In most cases, your new breast size and shape should remain for several years to come. Factors such as weight fluctuation or subsequent pregnancies, however, can affect the longevity of the results. Over time, the effects of gravity may change the shape or your breasts. If this happens, you may choose to undergo breast lift procedure to help restore their more youthful contour.

How long will I continue to see my plastic surgeon?

Dallas plastic surgeon Dr. White believes in the importance of follow-up visits, to answer any questions you may have and monitor your healing process. Rather than delegating all of these visits to a nurse, he enjoys seeing his patients as they heal over time. Your first post-operative visit will be scheduled after the initial healing period, during the first few days after surgery. In the following months, Dr. White may ask you to return for periodic checkups. Keeping these appointments is important to allow him to assess your long-term results and address any questions or concerns you may have.

Choosing a plastic surgeon

When considering undergoing breast reduction, Dallas plastic surgeon Dr. White believes choosing a qualified surgeon to perform it is one of the most important factors. Though it's hard to believe, not all physicians who perform cosmetic surgery have had formal surgical training. It's important to research the credentials of all surgeons you consider for your procedure. Dr. White is fully trained in Plastic and Reconstructive surgery as well as Otolaryngology (head and neck surgery). He invites potential patients to fully explore his training, experience online or during a personal consultation.

Make sure your surgeon is board certified

Find out if your doctor is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Surgeons with this certification have completed a minimum of five years of surgical training following medical school, including a plastic surgery residency program. During this intensive program, surgeons learn to perform surgical procedures for the entire body and face. At the same time, they develop their technical skill and aesthetic judgment. After training, a surgeon must pass comprehensive oral and written exams before being granted certification.

Both the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery require their members to be certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Plastic surgeons with this certification have completed approved training and examinations in plastic surgery including both cosmetic and reconstructive procedures.

Dallas plastic surgeon Dr. White is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery as well as the American Board of Otolaryngology / Head and Neck Surgery. He is one of the few plastic surgeons in the United States certified by both of these boards.

Ask about the surgeon's hospital privileges

It is very important to find out if your surgeon has operating privileges in an accredited hospital for the procedure you are considering, even if you are planning to undergo surgery in your doctor's office or at a surgery center. Before granting privileges, hospital review committees evaluate a surgeon's training and competency for specific procedures.

Dr. White maintains surgical privileges at several area hospitals in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

To find out more, click on Making Sense of Certification.

Click here for Breast Reduction Patient Comments

For more information on cosmetic eyelid surgery, or to schedule a consultation with Dallas plastic surgeon Dr. White, call 214.696.6676 or contact us online at usaplasticsurgery.com.

       

STEVEN J WHITE, MD
PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL OF DALLAS
TEXAS HEALTH PRESBYTERIAN DALLAS
PROFESSIONAL BUILDING 3, SUITE 814
8230 WALNUT HILL, DALLAS, TEXAS 75231

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