Breast Reduction in Houston, Pearland & Clear Lake, TX
Breast Reduction surgery, also known as reduction mammoplasty, results in a more proportional breast size and reduces symptoms associated with heavy breasts. Patients will find clothes better fitting, and exercise may become easier. Dr. Kimberly Carpin serves patients in Houston, League City and Clear Lake, TX and surrounding areas.
Who is a candidate for breast reduction surgery?
Macromastia (enlarged breasts) can cause problems for many women. The excessive weight of the breast can lead to shoulder, neck, and upper back pain. Persistent rashes can occur under the breast, as well as shoulder grooving from bra straps.
Breast Reduction – Before & After
Breast Reduction Procedure
Surgery is performed under general anesthesia in the hospital. The procedure typically lasts 4-5 hours. The skin incisions are made around the areola and under the breast. Excess skin and breast tissue are removed. The areola is reduced and lifted. The breast is reshaped and lifted. Sutures are placed and the breast is wrapped in a light dressing. After observation, patients are released home on the same day of surgery.
What is Recovery like from Breast Reduction?
Patients commonly feel discomfort, swelling, and bruising. Patients typically return to work in one week to two weeks. Most patients begin to feel back relief soon after surgery. Heavy exercise is permitted by four to six weeks in most cases. Scars fade over the course of six to twelve months.
Patient Testimonial
“Dr. Carpin is very professional. She performed a breast reduction after I could no longer handle the pain and inconvenience of having large breasts. She will never know how grateful I am and how my confidence has skyrocketed because of her.” -April
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Breast Reduction FAQs
How long do results of breast reduction surgery last?
What can I expect after surgery?
Smaller, well- proportioned perky breasts.
Symptoms such as back pain and shoulder grooves from bra straps will improve with breast reduction surgery.
What are the most common benefits from breast reduction surgery?
Women having overly large natural breasts seek reduction surgery for both physical and psychological reasons. The physical burden of large, heavy breasts can be daunting. Overly large breasts can create these physical problems:
- Backaches
- Neck and shoulder pain
- Shoulder bra strap grooving
- Recurrent breast rashes
- Spinal problems
- Difficulty with exercise
- Trouble fitting in bras or clothing
- Poor posture
Neck pain is usually tied to nerve compression in the cervical spine, where the nerves servicing the arms and hands are exiting the spine. If the spine is tilted forward, due to the continual weight of large breasts, these nerves can become compressed, leading to serious pain.
Large breasts can be equally daunting psychologically. They attract unwanted attention in both social and professional situations. This can make a woman avoid certain social situations. They can be equally intrusive when performing sports or doing exercise.
After this surgery, many women feel a new level of self-confidence. This highly effective surgery immediately reduces breast heaviness, and often times the backaches and neck pain are immediately relieved. Women no longer feel the need to “cover up” and are thrilled eliminate the physical burden of heavy breasts.
What conditions will improve with breast reduction?
The improvements to a patient’s breasts with this surgery are similar to a breast lift. Flattened, sagging breasts will be lifted and reduced. The nipples, which may have actually pointed downward, will be lifted and the size of the areola, or colored skin around the nipple, is reduced. If desired, Dr. Carpin can reduce the size of the nipples. The breasts will be smaller and perkier.
What size will my breast be after breast reduction surgery?
Many women have a specific size request for breast reduction surgery. In general, most women desire a C cup breast size. However, larger women may need to consider a D cup, as a smaller size reduction may look poorly proportioned to the rest of their body. It is important to match the breast to the rest of the body proportions. Finally, bra cup sizes vary between bra cup brands, so no guarantee in bra cup size can be made.
What is the age requirement for a woman to have breast reduction?
While there isn’t a “legal” age restriction for breast reduction surgery, there are several reasons to consider waiting until you are at least 18 years old. One is that the breasts are generally fully grown by this time, so the full size and weight of the breasts is apparent and regrowth after surgery is minimized. Scheduling surgery earlier than 18 years of age warrants special consideration. The patient must have confirmation of stable breast size and height, demonstrate psychological maturity, and have parental consent.
What are the risks involved with breast reduction?
In general, breast reduction surgery is safe, and women are highly satisfied after the procedure. However, breast reduction with Dr. Carpin is major surgery, so it involves risks inherent to all surgery: bleeding, anesthesia risks, poor wound healing, etc. The main risk of breast reduction surgery is scars under the breast and around the areola. For several months after surgery there is a risk for some loss of nipple sensation or overall changes in breast sensation. In most cases, sensation returns. Also, the ability to breastfeed can be impacted by this surgery. Dr. Carpin evaluates each patient and strives to minimize risks associated with surgery.
What will my scarring be like from reduction surgery?
The scars associated with breast reduction surgery are determined by the amount of excess breast tissue and skin. In most cases, Dr. Carpin uses what is called an “anchor incision” for the reduction of tissue. This incision circles the areola, drops down to the breast crease, and extends outward in both directions along that crease. In smaller breast reductions, the incision can be limited to a “lollipop incision”, where the scar does not extend under the breast. The scars will lighten over time, and most women are not bothered by the scaring.
Are the results of my breast reduction permanent?
Breast reduction is a permanent downsizing of your breasts. While your breast size can fluctuate somewhat with weight gain and loss or hormonal changes, the overall size of your breasts will be much smaller.
Will I be able to breastfeed after breast reduction surgery?
Dr. Carpin makes every possible effort not to impact the milk glands and the patient’s ability to breastfeed. However, because the nipples usually need to be relocated to a higher position on the chest, there is always a risk of affecting the milk glands. In most cases, the patient should be able to breastfeed, but it is important to understand that there is a risk of impacting this ability.
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