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Home > breast reduction > after breast reduction surgery

After breast reduction

What can I expect after breast reduction surgery?

Your breasts will be wrapped with gauze bandage, plus a tighter bandage for protection and support. You also may have small drainage tubes coming out of the incisions, to help drain some of the excess fluid.

It is important to take the medication prescribed to you by your doctor. Someone will need to drive you home, and you may need assistance at home over the next couple of days.

If your breast skin is very dry following surgery, you can apply a moisturizer, but be sure to keep the suture (stitches) area dry.

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What is the recovery period like after breast reduction surgery?

Your bandages will be removed after a day or two, and you will continue wearing a surgical bra around the clock for several weeks, until the swelling and bruising subside. The stitches will be removed in one to three weeks.

Light activities can be resumed within a few days, although your chest will be sore. You may also be instructed to avoid sex for a week or more, since sexual arousal can cause your incisions to swell. Routine physical activity and exercising (especially lifting, pulling and pushing motions) should be avoided for at least 6 weeks. This will help the scars to heal. Your doctor will advise you on the level of physical activity that is appropriate for you.

Some women experience random, shooting pains for a few months, especially around the time of menstruation. Expect some loss of feeling in your nipples and breast skin, caused by swelling. This usually fades over the first few weeks, but occasionally lasts a year or more.

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What is the long-term outcome like for most people?

Of all plastic surgery procedures, breast reduction has the most immediate dramatic results. The chronic physical discomfort is gone, the body is better proportioned, and clothes fit better. Some women find that as much as they have desired these changes, they need time to adjust to their new body image. After this adjustment period, most women are very happy with the results.

Your surgeon will make the incisions as inconspicuous as possible, but the scarring from this surgery is fairly extensive and permanent. These scars are long, and they remain pink or brown for several years. For some women, the scars become wider; but for others, they fade and become less noticeable. (Poor healing and wider scars are more common in smokers.) Fortunately, the scars are placed in areas that are not seen unless you are topless, and can be hidden by most bathing suits.

Future breast-feeding may not be possible, since the surgery removes many of the milk ducts leading to the nipples.

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How long does breast reduction surgery last?

The breasts will remain smaller forever than they would have been if surgery had not been performed. Unfortunately, gravity continues to work, and the breasts will sag again with time. In addition, the remaining breast tissue will continue to respond like any breast tissue: it will get bigger if you gain weight, take hormones, get pregnant, etc.

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