Breast Reduction
Overview of Breast Reduction
One of the most satisfied patients in plastic surgery is the one who has had a breast reduction. People who don't have large breasts don't understand the tremendous inconvenience and pain associated with them. The average person thinks that large breasts are a blessing, something that most women want. Large breasts can actually be a significant handicap. Often, they prevent the woman from wearing normal clothing, cause back and neck pain, make it difficult or impossible to exercise, and create a whole host of other problems.
After a breast reduction, the patient feels as if a burden has literally been lifted off her shoulders. Gone are the bra strap marks across the shoulder, the rashes, and the burden of carrying around all that extra weight. It is a tremendous relief.
It is not uncommon that the patient with large breasts is also overweight. It is best for these patients to try to lose as much weight as possible for several reasons. Not only because losing weight is healthy, but because it makes the operation technically easier. Another reason is that an insurance company may not pay for a breast reduction in a patient who is significantly overweight. Often in this circumstance, an insurance company will refuse to pay anyway and the patient will be forced to pay. The only way to find out is to have the procedure approved prior to the operation. It is safe to say that if the procedure is mostly cosmetic, insurance will not pay for it.
There are several ways to perform a breast reduction. Dr. Cruise is a big advocate of what is called the "short scar " breast reduction. This type of breast reduction is somewhat more technically difficult but it has the huge advantages of a shorter scar and more breast projection and cleavage. Dr. Cruise will elaborate more in the section Dr. Cruise's philosophy. It is important to point out that this procedure is not simply a reduction procedure but it is a cosmetic procedure as well, or at least it should be. Breasts are very important to most women and it is important to add an artistic quality to the reduction so that a sexy, feminine result is obtained.
Although Dr. Cruise has the ability to perform breast reduction with a shorter than normal scar, a scar is inevitable. The scar goes completely around the areola and travels down the breast to the level of the fold underneath the breast. (If your breasts are exceptionally large, a short scar within the fold may be necessary; however, this is uncommon.) The scar usually becomes quite red the first 2 months after the operation but fades within 1 year. The patient considering breast reduction must be prepared to accept the scar as a tradeoff for lighter, perkier, more attractive breasts. In reality, these scars are not noticeable even when a woman wears highly revealing clothes.