Breast Reduction Surgery (Mammoplasty)

Breast reduction, or mammoplasty, is a surgical procedure to reduce the size of your breasts. It reshapes and reduces large, heavy breasts, improving their appearance, reducing back pain and improving posture – and giving you more choice when it comes to buying new underwear.

Aurora is now part of The Private Clinic, please click here to find out more about Breast Reduction Surgery and The Private Clinic. World-renowned plastic surgeon Mr Adrian Richards is part of The Private Clinic expert team.

Considering Breast Reduction surgery?

Most of our patients who come to us seeking breast reduction surgery suffer from a range of issues caused by their large breasts. These can include:

  • Back pain
  • Neck pain
  • Postural problems
  • Recurrent infections in the fold under the breasts such as impetigo

Some patients also find that their nipples sit quite low, making their breasts sag. During a breast reduction procedure, the excess tissue is removed to reduce the size of your breasts and the areola (the dark area around your nipple) can also be reduced in size and repositioned to give you a more pert, uplifted look.

If you suffer from breast asymmetry, with one breast larger than the other you may also be suitable for a unilateral breast reduction. If you prefer your smaller breast, then breast reduction surgery can be performed on the larger breast to reduce that side and make you more symmetrical.

How will it impact your life?

If you suffer from large or uneven breasts this can cause you distress, pain, or leave you feeling very self-conscious. You may have spent years feeling uncomfortable due to the excess weight and struggled to do certain activities such as high-intensity sports. Our previous patients have said how breast reduction surgery changed their entire life. They felt thinner and in proportion and could wear a wider variety of clothing, particularly when buying bras and swimwear.

Is Breast Reduction surgery right for you?

During a breast reduction procedure, your surgeon will carefully make a cut in your breasts. This is normally a curved line, following the contour from your areola down to the crease beneath your breast. The excess fat and glandular tissue will then be carefully removed, along with some of your skin. The amount of fat, tissue and skin removed will depend on the final size that you have agreed with your surgeon. The areola and nipple are then repositioned and the skin is drawn into and around the areola to define your new shape.

Depending on how much volume you would like to lose, you may need liposuction below your armpit to withdraw additional fat. You will wake up with a surgical bra on and may have small surgical drains inserted. The operation will take between 2 and 3 hours, and is performed under general anaesthetic with a one night stay in the hospital.

It is important to note that this type of surgery cannot reduce excess weight from areas other than your chest, such as the torso or waist. If you wanted to slim these areas, your best option would be to consider liposuction.

After your surgery and beyond…

You will need to wear a special bra for several weeks following your operation. This helps to support your new smaller breasts as they heal. Most people do not find the procedure to be particularly painful, though as with any surgery, there may be a short period of mild discomfort immediately afterwards. This can normally be controlled very effectively with medication such as paracetamol. You should take 1-2 weeks off work following your operation, and allow around 6-8 weeks to fully recover.

This operation is considered a permanent solution to reduce the size and weight of overly large, heavy breasts. You should remember, however, that if you gain weight in the future, your chest is likely to increase in size again. So managing your weight is a very important part of maintaining your results in the long term.

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The next step

We always encourage people to do as much research as they can when considering cosmetic surgery, so for more information on breast reduction surgery:

If you would like to book a breast reduction consultation with one of The Private Clinic’s specialised breast surgeons, please get in touch on 0333 920 2471 or request a consultation through our website.