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When to avoid the breast reduction procedure
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When to avoid the breast reduction procedure

02nd Apr 2018

Breast reduction is a major plastic surgery intervention that reduces the size of overly large breasts. If your breasts have become extra large and the condition is affecting your health or self-esteem, you may opt to go under the knife. The procedure involves removal of the excess tissue, fat, and skin from the breasts, which helps reduce breast size. Breast reduction is highly invasive and entails many risks and complications. As such, not every woman can be a good candidate for the intervention.

During the pre-operative consultation, the plastic surgeon will examine your breasts, assess your health, and know your goals while determining your candidacy for the intervention. There are certain signs that indicate you should avoid the surgery.

Breast reduction and the initial consultation

If you want to know when you should avoid breast reduction surgery, you should first get yourself acquainted with the procedure itself. There is no doubt that when the breasts become very large, a range of problems can settle in, such as self-esteem problems and health issues. Overly large breasts also look aesthetically unwelcoming.

Breast reduction is an effective surgery that treats overly large breasts. The procedure starts with the pre-operative consultation, during which the plastic surgeon will determine your candidacy for the intervention. The doctor will first examine your breasts to see whether you need breast reduction surgery. If your breasts are overly large, the doctor will then ask you how the condition is affecting your life. Is it affecting your self-esteem? Does it create physical pain and mobility or posture issues for you?

The plastic surgeon will also assess your overall health to see if you are a good candidate for the intervention. It is important for the patient to share her complete health and medication history with the plastic surgeon during the pre-operative consultation. Based on your health history, the doctor will decide whether it is safe for you to go under the knife. Furthermore, the doctor will ask you questions about your goals and expectations from the surgery. If your goals are realistic, you may qualify for the procedure.

Breast reduction surgery is performed under general anesthesia. A board-certified anesthesiologist will administer the anesthesia, after which the plastic surgeon will start the operation. The surgeon will make incisions on the breasts and then surgically remove the excess glandular tissue, fat, and skin from the breasts. If needed, the nipples will be repositioned at a higher place on the breasts where they look youthful and perky. The doctor will then suture and close the incisions. The results of the intervention will slowly emerge in the following months.

When to avoid breast reduction surgery

Whether breast reduction surgery is right for you will be determined during the pre-operative consultation. There are certain signs that indicate you should avoid undergoing the breast reduction procedure, such as:

– If you have serious health problems

If you have serious health problems, the plastic surgeon may advise you to avoid undergoing breast reduction surgery. While most patients with minor to moderate health problems can qualify for the intervention, those with severe problems will be exposed to life-threatening risks.

If you have severe diabetes, the issue can create major risks and complications for you. There is a risk you will experience excessive bleeding during and after the surgery. Also, you will be exposed to infections and abnormal scarring. Your recovery period will also be prolonged, as the wounds will heal slowly. In such a condition, it is not safe for you to undergo breast reduction surgery.

Furthermore, if you have serious heart disease or have experienced a heart attack in the past, you must avoid the breast reduction procedure. The intervention is highly invasive, traumatic, and performed under general anesthesia. What this means is that you will be exposed to life-threatening conditions during the intervention.

Other health problems that can affect your candidacy for breast reduction surgery include severe respiratory issues, autoimmune disorders, a severe blood disorder, and severe hypertension. You must share your complete health details with the plastic surgeon during the pre-operative consultation so that any life-threatening conditions can be prevented.

– If you have unrealistic goals and expectations

The second factor the plastic surgeon will analyze while determining your candidacy is your goal and expectations. What do you want to achieve with breast reduction surgery? What improvements do you expect after the procedure? If your goals and expectations are not realistic and reasonable or achievable, you will be told to avoid undergoing the operation.

Keep in mind that breast reduction surgery can effective reduce your breast size and eliminate the pain associated with the condition. It can also enhance your breasts and overall body outline. However, the surgery cannot transform you into a celebrity or make you look like another person you admire. Breast reduction is not miracle or magic. It is a plastic surgery intervention that can improve your existing body but not change you into someone you are not. So, to be a good candidate for the surgery, your goals and expectations must be reasonable, realistic, and achievable.

– If you are not ready for the recovery process

There are many people who assume that breast reduction surgery is a simple and minor procedure and that there is no recovery process involved. They think they can get up and resume their routine right after the intervention. However, the fact is that breast reduction surgery is a highly invasive and traumatic intervention. This is why it is performed under general anesthesia. After the surgery, the patient is required to go through a complete recovery process that can take many weeks.

Many patients want to undergo breast reduction surgery, but they are not prepared for the recovery process. If you are not ready for the recovery, you must avoid the surgery. During the recovery period, you may experience pain and discomfort in the breasts. You must avoid sleeping on your front for two weeks after the surgery and avoid moving around. Instead, you must take sufficient rest and spend most of your time in bed. For six weeks following the operation, the patient will be required to avoid physically strenuous activities.

You can resume your work two weeks after the surgery; however, if your work involves physically strenuous activities, you must take more time off work. If you are not ready for the recovery period, you must avoid the procedure.

– If your skin quality is poor

Breast reduction surgery involves removal of the excess fat and glandular tissue from the breasts. Even though the excess skin will be removed from the breasts as well, there is a risk the breasts may become saggy after the intervention. The risk of breast sagging is higher when the patient’s skin quality is not good. For example, if your skin is not elastic enough or has a poor tone, your breasts are more likely to become saggy after the intervention. In such a condition, the patient must avoid undergoing breast reduction surgery.

Your skin quality will be checked during the pre-operative consultation. If the doctor finds that your skin quality is not good, you will be advised to avoid the breast reduction procedure.

– When the risks are more than the benefits

During the pre-operative consultation, the plastic surgeon will discuss the risks of the surgery with you. The procedure entails many risks like infection, seroma, hematoma, loss of breastfeeding capability, change or loss of breast sensation, bleeding, blood clotting, etc. You should work with your surgeon to do a risk/benefit analysis. If the risks are greater than the benefits of the surgery, you must avoid going under the knife.

– You are obese or overweight

Some patients are obese or overweight and want to undergo breast reduction surgery. Such patients are exposed to more aesthetic complications and health problems during and after surgery. Obese and overweight patients must lose weight and then consider the intervention.

Conclusion

Breast reduction is an effective procedure to reduce the size of overly developed breasts and alleviate the pain and self-esteem issues associated with the condition. However, not every woman with overly large breasts can be a good candidate for the intervention. Your candidacy for the surgery will be assessed during the pre-operative consultation. Certain factors may make the surgery more risky for you, so you must avoid the intervention in such conditions. Those factors have been discussed above.


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