Frequently Asked Questions about Breast Reduction Surgery

“Achieving the perfect breasts’ shape and size based on one’s body and lifestyle may require breast reduction surgery also alleviate discomforts associated with heavy breasts!”

Q. What do I need before scheduling a breast reduction appointment?

About one month before your breast reduction surgery, you must have got medical clarification report regarding any chronic illness, or specific medication use, such as aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs, and herbal supplements. The use of specific medications should be stopped before surgery to control bleeding during surgery. Secondly, you are required to have six months of documented medical conditions, i.e., chest pain, shoulder pain, neck pain, back pain, or skin breakdown. Finally, you may be asked to undergo a blood test, a urinary pregnancy test, and other tests to confirm you are in good health for your surgery. If you are over 55, this may include an ECG and mammogram. Dr. Karishma Kagodu highly recommends you fill any prescriptions prior to the day of surgery.

NOTE: If you are a regular smoker, you must quit smoking at least 6-8 weeks before your surgery; smoking can cause compromised healing and increase the risks of complications.

Q. What are the best questions to ask a breast reduction surgeon?

Before attending an introductory consultation with your board-certified plastic surgeon, preparing the list of essential questions is inevitable to understand the pre-and-post operation planning, benefits, complications/ side effects, cost, recovery, and results. Better planning of breast reduction surgery will help achieve the best outcomes possible.

A quick listing of questions is enclosed here for your better consultation as follows:

ü What are your plastic surgeon’s credentials?

ü At what locations can you perform the surgery?

ü Is breast reduction right for me?

ü How can it improve my quality of life?

ü What surgical technique do you recommend?

ü What are the risks involved with this procedure?

ü What will recovery be like?

ü What will my breasts look like over time?

Q. Why is breast reduction surgery done?

Breast reduction surgery alleviates the discomforts caused by heavy breasts. If you are not happy with your breasts’ size, which is too big or heavy and doesn’t match your body and lifestyle, you must undergo breast reduction surgery. Breast reduction surgery, also called reduction mammaplasty, helps remove excess fat, breast tissue, and skin from the breasts, eases discomfort associated with heavy breasts, and improves appearance and lifestyle.

Breast reduction surgery helps improve the following conditions caused by heavy, large breasts:

·       Chronic neck, back, and shoulder pain

·       Chronic rashes or skin irritation under the breasts

·       Nerve pain

·       Difficulty doing certain physical activities

·       Low self-esteem due to large breasts

·       Trouble fitting into bras and clothing

Q. Do men get breast reduction surgery?

This is called male breast reduction surgery and is medically known as gynecomastia surgery. Gynecomastia surgery reduces the size of enlarged male breast tissue and helps improve the appearance of a masculine chest by removing excess breast fat and tissue using liposuction. Dr. Karishma Kagodu performs gynecomastia surgery under local anesthesia using high-definition Laser and 4D VASER liposuction in combination with gland excision to achieve optimal results. VASER 4D liposuction employed during gynecomastia surgery gives you scarless, permanent results with minimal pain, less bleeding, and without the hassle of unwanted discomforts.

Q. Do you recommend having a breast reduction before kids or a breast reduction after kids?

This is an essential question to ask during your introduction reduction mammaplasty consultation. Breastfeeding after breast reduction surgery can be affected, as it limits the lactation capability of a mother, but it doesn’t have a relation to prohibiting breastfeeding. However, breastfeeding after breast reduction is not a concern for every woman. While there is a lot of conflicting scientific research, the bottom line is that not all patients are able to breastfeed after breast reduction. Thus, it is good to talk to your plastic surgeon about possibly becoming pregnant after breast reduction surgery to do successful breastfeeding. Moreover, breast reduction may limit your ability to breastfeed, particularly if a large amount of breast tissue is removed or if the milk ducts are affected by the reduction mammaplasty surgery.

Q. How long is the recovery time?

Recovery from breast reduction surgery may take approximately one month. But one must note that every patient heals differently. So, recovery timeline may vary from patient to patient based on the extent of the problem, general health, and the amount of breast tissue and fat to be removed. However, most women can resume normal activities after 3-4 weeks.

If you want to know more or looking for breast reduction surgery in Bangalore, call Dr. Karishma Kagodu, MS, M CH., a board-certified plastic surgeon, at +91 8042036382, +91 9108969006, +91 7624809006 and schedule your consultation today.