Is the breast reduction a common procedure?
Breast reduction is a relatively common operation due to the incidence of breast hypertrophy or gigantomastia in young and mature women.
What diseases are treated with breast reduction?
This procedure is recommended for women with excessive breast volume for their chest contour and with the following problems:
- cystic breast infections
- Pain in neck, shoulders or back.
- Trouble sleeping or poor posture due to the large size of the breast
- Stretch marks and infections under the breast
- Groove on shoulders due to the weight of the bra strap
Does breast reduction has aesthetic or pathological reasons?
Usually it is performed due to health problems, either tingling in the hands and chronic back pain, either psychological, psychosocial, dermatological, etc. problems. It is also done for aesthetic reasons.
Has the intervention a procedure similar to breast augmentation?
This operation is slightly more complex than breast augmentation. There are different techniques but they are all based on the vascularization of the nipple, which determines the resected tissue of the breast.
Scars are also different. They may appear around the areola, a vertical scar and even a horizontal groove in cases of a large volume. There are also drains placed on the sides of the breast and a bandage for at least the first 24-72.
What postoperative measures should the patient follow?
During the postoperative period, the patient is required to wear a sports bra day and night for six weeks. They should be restricted sports activities, and even the first week take it easy because of general weakness.
Antibiotics should be taken during the first 5 to 7 days of operation as well as analgesics and proton pump inhibitors. We are in favor of the showers from 24 hours of the operation, provided the scars are well dry and iodine is applied daily on the steristrips
At 2 weeks postoperatively, massage and moisturizing scars with aloe vera or rose hips up to 4 times a day for the first 6 months is recommended.
After 6 weeks, and you can start wearing a regular bra. However, for as long as the patient is at home or at work, it is preferable to use sports bra.
Driving is not recommended during the first weeks after a breast reduction because complications can occur from a blow to the seat belt in an accident. Specifically, you can produce a hematoma in the affected breast and if so, an emergency intervention would be necessary.
Dra. Hurtado-de-Mendoza
