What Are the Benefits of Breast Reduction Surgery?

The Top Benefits of Breast Reduction

The way that we talk about breasts in popular culture tends to do two things: trivialize them and feminize them. In other words, breasts become (in a way) sex objects. Which means that we often don’t think of them as real objects. But they are—with both mass and weight.

That’s important because every woman that has breasts obviously feels that mass and weight (and I know we’re not telling those women anything new). But this is worth pointing out because, when you think about it, we talk about breast augmentation an awful lot more often than we talk about breast reduction.

That’s not to say that breast augmentation isn’t a wonderful procedure. It is! But the benefits of breast reduction surgery are quite potent. In fact, the benefits of breast reduction surgery have led to an incredibly high satisfaction rate nationwide.

So let’s take a look at what makes breast reduction such a popular—and effective—procedure.

Weight and Strain Reduction

As you age, gravity is subtly pulling your skin in a downward direction. The same is true of the breast tissue. That effectively stretches your skin and, over time, this can add mass and weight to the breasts. And that weight can cause havoc with your body.

Think about it this way: when you take a gallon of milk out of the refrigerator, it’s not very challenging. The milk isn’t all that heavy. But now imagine holding that milk all day long. It becomes a much more challenging prospect. The same concept is basically true of the breasts.

The only difference is that instead of your arms doing the lifting, it’s your back and neck. This constant exertion can cause significant pain in the neck and back areas. For many patients, this means chronic neck and back pain, as well as chronic headaches caused by the tension of the neck.

By reducing the size of the breasts, this pain is mitigated and reduced. The patient’s neck and back have less lifting to do, so they are less strained (and pain goes away because of that). This means that, for many patients, breast reduction represents a way to get rid of pain and get back to living their lives.

Increase in Confidence and Self Esteem

In many ways, sagging breasts are often closely associated with aging. That is, people often view them as a sign of aging. And for some patients, that can be quite distressing (in the same way that, for example, wrinkles can be distressing). Many patients, then, explore a breast reduction for the same reason they might explore a facelift: to appear a little bit younger.

This is accomplished in large part because breast reduction procedures are able to eliminate much unwanted excess skin and tissue. But it’s also accomplished because breast reductions are often combined with a breast lift procedure (we wrote about this a while back).

Breast lifts are, essentially, a way to reorient the breasts to make them appear perkier and more youthful. The effect, when the procedures are combined, is that the breasts in general will appear more buoyant and more like they did when the patient was young.

According to our Houston area breast reduction patients, this usually leads to a significant increase in confidence and self-esteem. Patients are better able to fit into their favorite clothing or simply feel more comfortable in their own skin. And that can be a significant boost for those patients.

Other Benefits of Breast Reduction

While the reduction in pain and the improvement to self esteem are the most obvious benefits of a breast reduction surgery, the benefits do not stop there. There are, in fact, a wide variety of smaller, less known benefits. Those benefits include the following:

• It’s easier for many patients to find clothing that fits better (including bras)
• Patients experience a greater degree of comfort without a bra
• Breast reduction can sometimes be covered by medical insurance
• Breast reduction can make participating in physically demanding activities (such as sports) more comfortable
• Breast reduction can minimize any embarrassment that might be caused by overly large breasts
• As mentioned above, breast reduction can lead to an increase in confidence and self-esteem

Recovery for breast reduction procedures depend on the extent of the work done (for example, if a breast lift is also performed). However, most patients are able to resume normal daily one to two weeks after the procedure (though, heavy lifting is generally discouraged for anywhere between two and three weeks).

A Popular Procedure

Breast reduction is one of the most popular plastic surgery procedures—not only in Houston, but in the United States. Patients report feeling better; not only about the way they look—they report feeling better as a whole. They experience less pain. They love the more youthful way they look. And they feel comfortable and great in their skin.

At the end of the day, that’s largely the purpose of plastic surgery. Dr. Polsen is a widely recognized, board certified plastic surgeon who has a great deal of experience with breast surgeries of all kinds. If you want to know more about what a breast reduction can do for you, contact Dr. Polsen to schedule a confidential consultation.

During this consultation, you can discuss your desired final results and the best way to achieve them. For many patients, that will mean a breast reduction.

Be sure to check the specials offered by South Shore Plastic Surgery, as we periodically run specials on various procedures, including breast procedures.

To get started, contact us right away!