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Traditional and Scarless Breast Reduction
Breast reduction (mammaplasty) is a surgical procedure that reduces, lifts and reshapes the breasts. Women seek breast reduction to lessen pain and discomfort; as well as to improve the appearance of their breasts.
TRADITIONAL BREAST REDUCTION:
The process:
The process:
The most common procedure involves an incision which is normally in a keyhole pattern: a circle around the areola and two incisions down the breast which will be closed to form one line. The doctor then removes the excess glandular and fatty tissue. Then the nipple and areola are repositioned to a higher position and the excess skin from beneath the breast is removed. The skin is then drawn together and down around the areola, providing a new shape to the breast.
In most cases, the nipples remain attached to their blood vessels. However, if the breasts are very large, the nipples and areolas may have to be completely removed and grafted into a higher position. This results in a loss of sensation in the nipple and areolar tissue.
Post surgery:
The recovery from traditional breast reduction procedure can be time taking.
- Sleep on your back to avoid pressure on your breasts.
- Sexual activity should be avoided for a week or two.
- Avoid strenuous activity for several weeks.
You may return to work in a fortnight. Bruising and swelling will take up to six weeks to heal up, and it may take up to a year or two for the scars to fade.
Complications:
- Infection, hematoma (blood retention), seroma (fluid retention), fat necrosis (accumulation of fat lumps).
- Scarring has also been reported.
- Diminished nipple sensation and at times poor shape.
- The inability to breast feed.
This procedure has its list of drawbacks. Patients desire relief from these complications and also want procedures with low risk, quick recovery, and minimal scarring. This has led to focus on shortening the scar in a new technique called lipoplasty or scarless breast reduction.
SCARLESS BREAST REDUCTION LIPOPLASTY:
The process:
As compared to traditional technique that involve incisions up to the centre of the breast, in this, the incision (about ¼ inch) is made only in the breast fold. Through this incision, the surgeon inserts a thin surgical tube, called a cannula, in order to suction out excess fatty breast tissue. This technique is done without interference to the nipple area. The technique is called scarless breast reduction procedure because the scars are minimal and usually invisible.
Advantages:
- It preserves a woman's future ability to breastfeed.
- It also causes no disturbance in nipple sensation.
- No blood transfusions, no skin removal and no general risks of surgery.
- It is particularly helpful in adjusting asymmetrical breasts without leaving a visible scar.
- Good surgical option if one breast is out of alignment with another.
Breast reduction surgery using liposuction is not a good option for slender women with large breasts. Women with excessively large or dense breasts are good candidates as these women tend to have more glandular tissue than fat.