Due to the negative side effects entailed by having overly large breasts, many women seek help from plastic surgery to correct this issue very early in life. The breast reduction procedure, unlike other cosmetic interventions, can be performed even on adolescents with one indication: the mammary gland development needs to be complete. In other words, teenagers as young as 15 or 16 years old can undergo the procedure without any fear. However, as is the case with any surgical procedure, there are long-term consequences and potential complications that can occur after breast reduction surgery.
Before discussing the consequences entailed by the intervention, we need to see what actually happens during the operation. In most cases, the patient will get general anesthesia for the breast reduction surgery, especially if the procedure is deemed as a complex or lengthy one. The duration of the procedure is dependent on the amount of mammary gland, skin and fat tissue to be removed and whether the procedure is associated with other cosmetic interventions or not. In the case of breast reduction surgery, it is not uncommon for the patient to undergo liposuction of the area under the arms and even on the back during the same operation.
As a result of this surgery, the size and weight of the breasts are reduced and the patient can enjoy the benefits as soon as she wakes up from the anesthesia. The first results and the complete elimination of back, neck and shoulder pain are visible immediately after the surgery, but the final results of the intervention will be noticeable within a year’s time after the surgical incisions have healed and matured.
When discussing the long-term consequences of the breast reduction surgery, we need to mention breastfeeding. Patients interested in undergoing this procedure need to be aware and accept the fact that breastfeeding might be impossible in the worst case scenario or just difficult compared to a woman who didn’t undergo this procedure.
As we have mentioned before, during surgery a part of the mammary gland is removed. This means that the milk ducts that were in that area of the gland are also removed and the milk duct network has been sectioned and injured. If the pregnancy occurs sooner than two hours after breast reduction surgery, the chances are that the breastfeeding won’t be possible if a significant amount of tissue was removed. But if the procedure was performed more than two years before getting pregnant, there is a possibility for the patient to be able to breastfeed. Keep in mind that the plastic surgeon can’t make any guarantees when it comes to your ulterior ability to breastfeed. This is a risk that you need to take willingly and accept the long-term consequences of breast reduction surgery.
Another consequence that might be a turn-off for some patients is the scarring left by breast reduction. Unlike the breast augmentation procedure, breast reduction can leave behind significantly big scars.