Breast reduction traditionally has been performed by cutting away excess breast tissue and strategically preserving enough tissue to supply blood to the remaining breast including the nipple and areola. But because large breasts usually have an abundance of fatty tissue, a relatively new approach is to reduce breast size by liposuction.
One advantage of liposuction compared to traditional breast reduction is that it involves virtually no scarring because the liposuction instrument can be introduced through two or three tiny incisions. Another benefit of removing fat by suction rather than by excision is that there is less chance of losing blood supply to the nipple and areola. And because liposuction is quicker and easier than traditional breast reduction, the cost is less and recovery easier.
A concern about liposuction of the breast has been the possibility that some of the remaining fat may become hard, or calcified, which could theoretically make future mammograms more difficult to interpret. But calcifications seem to be no more common than with traditional breast reduction and whatever calcifications may appear have a different appearance than those sometimes associated with breast cancer.
Because many large breasts sag, another concern about liposuction was that once the fat was removed the breasts would droop even more. But without the weight of the additional fat, the breast skin may actually shrink to some degree, reducing the amount of sag and allowing the nipples to rise a bit higher. Nevertheless, breast reduction by liposuction alone does not leave the breasts with a perky appearance. However, this can be addressed by performing a simultaneous mastopexy, or breast lift. While a breast lift does result in additional scars on the breast, such scars are limited to the borders of the areolas and the underside of the breast, where they usually fade well over time. The Helium Balloon™ breast lift, developed in our Valencia office to minimize breast scarring, has proven to be particularly well suited for this purpose.
Some younger women with very dense breasts and some thin women with large breasts may not be candidates for liposuction breast reduction because the breasts do not contain enough fat to allow a significant reduction. But breast reduction by liposuction, with or without a simultaneous breast lift, is a welcome addition to the treatment choices available to many women who suffer from uncomfortably large breasts.
For more information, please call Edward Pechter, MD, at 661-255-2151, e-mail drpechter@aol.com or visit www.drpechter.com . The office is located at 25880 Tournament Road, Suite 217 in Valencia.