Breast Reduction

Breast size and/or sagging is usually seen in women in their forties and beyond or rarely in younger women.

Breast size can be an aesthetic priority as well as a condition that can cause back pain, skin rashes under the breast and reduce the quality of life. In this case, breast reduction is very successful and beneficial. Breast size is also a condition that makes early diagnosis of breast cancer difficult. Examining excess breast tissue by touch and mammography is diagnostically less successful than a normal sized breast.

Breast reduction should address the important criteria listed below:

1. Reducing breast volume to achieve a tapered and attractive breast dome
2. To be able to remove excess skin with minimal scarring, leaving enough skin to cover the surface of an attractively sized breast
3. To move the nipple to the anatomically correct position (midway between the tip of the dome of the breast and the midline of the humerus). It is important not to damage the sensation, nutrition and milk ducts of the nipple as much as possible during this move.
4. Understanding the cancer risk of breast tissue during breast reduction and detecting a cancer that is too small to be diagnosed.

Breast sagging is a very similar condition. In this case, the breast looks saggy, deflated and sometimes wrinkled.
In this case, the following components may underlie it:

1. Excess breast skin (large envelope) and low tissue volume. In fact, the main cause of breast sagging is the mismatch between breast volume and envelope. If the volume is insufficient and the skin is excessive (including sagging), then the breast skin is collected (breast lift surgery “mastopexy”) and the breast volume is supported with an implanted silicone prosthesis.
2. The nipple is located at the bottom, that is, the breast skin is excessive and downwardly it has crept along with the breast volume. If the volume is sufficient, only breast lift surgery is sufficient.
3. Sometimes the breast volume is insufficient but the envelope is slightly larger and the nipple does not sag down. This is called pseudo-sagging and a silicon prosthesis is usually sufficient.

In breast lift surgery, there is usually a vertical scar around the nipple and a vertical scar. The lower horizontal scar is usually not left

Are You a Good Candidate for a Breast Lift or Reduction?

If you are unhappy with the size or symmetry or sagging of your breasts and you admit it to yourself and are considering surgery, you are a good candidate.

Smoking may impair nipple nutrition and may cause undesirable results by impairing wound healing. Diabetes and the use of blood thinners are also important in terms of wound problems.

What to Expect from Breast Reduction and/or Lift Surgery? What to Fear?

There will always be scars after breast reduction surgery. The shape of these scars varies depending on the technique used: a circle around the breast crease and a vertical scar towards the lower edge is the most common. This is usually accompanied by a horizontal scar under the breast. However, breast reduction surgery is a very satisfying procedure, and the resulting scars are rarely considered a problem by patients. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Complications during surgery include hematoma (blood accumulation), wound healing problems, nipple sensation loss, and nipple loss, which are rarely observed. In these cases, there is usually an underlying disease or smoking. Informing your doctor correctly minimises these risks.

Breast cancer is very rarely detected in breast tissue that has been removed. This actually means early diagnosis and effective treatment. Although it may seem frightening, it is life-saving.

In breast lift surgery, the nipple is relatively safer. Since no tissue is removed, there is no possibility of a cancer diagnosis.

Before and After Surgery

Smoking should be stopped two weeks before surgery. If the patient has diabetes, surgery should be decided upon after a thorough evaluation. Surgery may also be postponed in cases of anaemia.

The patient stays in hospital for one or two nights. Sterile tubes are usually used to drain the blood, and these are removed painlessly the next day or the day after. It is recommended that the patient wears a special bra for one month after the operation. If the patient does not have to do heavy work, they can return to desk work after one week. The surgeon monitors the scars and takes precautions as needed. This helps prevent the scars from becoming raised or discoloured.

After breast lift surgery, patients generally stay overnight or stay for one night. Drains are not usually used in this surgery and blood loss is minimal.