Breast Reduction

Weighty, pendulous breasts that are disproportionately large can cause significant physical strain, leading to a host of potential medical problems and lowering the quality of one’s life in general. Fortunately, feeling self-conscious and physically uncomfortable because of your large breast size are issues that can be addressed with breast surgery.

To schedule a consultation with board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Joel Beck to discuss his San Francisco breast reduction services, please call Bay Area Aesthetic Surgery at 650-249-3169. The breast reduction procedure removes excess breast tissue and sculpts the breasts into a perkier, smaller size and shape. Breast reduction also has the advantage of improving symmetry between the breasts.

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Breast Reduction Candidates

We encourage you to view our breast reduction before-and-after photos of past patients to see what results look like. If one or more of the following statements apply to you, then you may be a great candidate for breast reduction:

Your breasts cause pain in your back, neck and shoulders.
Your breasts make you feel self-conscious and less confident.
The size of your breasts causes bra straps to dig into your shoulders.
You have difficulty finding adequate support in lingerie and sports bras.
Exercise and other physical activity is uncomfortable because of your breast size.
You have difficulty finding tops that fit you properly and that are flattering to your figure.
Rashes or irritation develops in the crease beneath your breasts.
Your breast size leads to poor posture.

Your breasts are larger than you'd like and one is larger than the other.
Your nipples or areolas are unattractively positioned near the breast crease
Your breast development has reached full maturity
You do not plan on a major change in your body weight anytime soon
You do not plan on getting pregnant or breastfeeding anytime soon
You are in good physical and mental health
You understand that surgery will lead to improvement, not perfection
You are a non-smoker, or are willing to quit well in advance of surgery

You and Dr. Beck may decide to incorporate liposuction into your breast reduction procedure. Liposuction is an effective way to further shape and sculpt the breasts by removing excess fat in the underarm and breast area. When performed as the main means of breast reduction, however, liposuction is only ideal for those with more moderate reduction needs who have maintained skin elasticity and who do not suffer from undue breast ptosis (sagging).

The Breast Reduction Procedure

Breast reduction works by removing excess tissue and fat in the breasts, then sculpting the remaining tissue into a more shapely, perkier breast. Depending on the specific things you and Dr. Beck decide to accomplish in your procedure, incisions may be made in one of the following fashions:

Around the areola – This approach favors those who require light breast reduction and for whom breast ptosis is minimal. It is the least invasive technique, and leaves the least amount of scarring, as the incisions are naturally camouflaged within the areola’s darker pigmentation.

In an anchor-like shape extending around the crease of your breast and around the areola – This inverted T design affords the surgeon the greatest amount of access to the breast tissue, and is therefore best suited to those with severe ptosis, asymmetry or excess fatty tissue. While some scarring may be visible, most clients find these marks fade within a year or so, while bras and swimsuits conceal them nicely.

A keyhole-like shape, extending vertically from the bottom of the breast and around the areola – Also called a lollipop or vertical incision, this incision is well suited for clients with mild to moderate reduction needs and an average amount of breast ptosis. The surgeon gains access to recontour the breast while simultaneously repositioning it for a more youthful, graceful aesthetic. Scarring is minimal, and can be hidden within a bra or bikini.

When recommending an incision, Dr. Beck will consider the degree of breast sagging and what needs to be accomplished during your procedure to reach the desired final results.

Using the incisions, Dr. Beck will remove excess fat, skin and tissue, and then reposition the nipples on the newly shaped breasts. The nipples remain attached to the blood vessels and nerves even though they are repositioned, so sensation in your nipples should be unaffected. The results of breast reduction will be long-lasting, though aging and weight fluctuations may slightly change breast size and shape. The only way to know if you are a good candidate for this procedure is to discuss your goals and your options with Dr. Beck.

Recovery

Breast reduction patients can expect to go home the same day as their surgery, after a short “wait and watch” period supervised by the doctor. Clients are typically fitted with a compression garment, which helps to reduce swelling and preserve the breasts’ new, improved shape.

As with most major surgeries, it is not uncommon to experience discomfort, bruising, and sensations of tightness or constriction. These tend to lift within the first week of recovery; however, Dr. Beck will provide you with the appropriate pain medications as part of a comprehensive aftercare regimen. You can also use ice packs and cold compresses to help relieve pain by placing these atop your bandages during early recovery.

Most of Dr. Beck’s breast reduction clients find they can return to work and normal activity within 7-10 days. More strenuous exercise such as weight lifting or aerobics is discouraged for at least 3-4 weeks.

Note that because each breast may heal at a different rate, asymmetry may be present during the first phase of recuperation. Final results will vary, but will generally be complete at 2-3 months post-op, at which point you can confidently begin to replace your wardrobe.

If you are searching for an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon to provide a greater San Francisco breast reduction procedure, please call Bay Area Aesthetic Surgery at 650-249-3169 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Joel Beck, who provides some of the most beautiful results of breast reduction San Jose has to offer.

Breast Reduction

Breast Reduction Candidates

The Breast Reduction Procedure

Recovery

Video Testimonial