What to Expect from Pregnancy After Breast Reduction

Patients with large breasts that are disproportionate to their body frames can suffer from neck and shoulder pain. Breast reduction surgery is an effective solution to alleviate discomfort and health issues caused by having sizable breasts.

Breast Reduction: How does it work?

Breast reduction, or Reduction Mammoplasty, is a surgical procedure that reduces the size and reshapes the breasts. The surgery removes excess tissue, fat, and skin while reshaping the breasts into a cup size proportional to the rest of the body.

In some cases, breast reduction is combined with other procedures, such as breast lift, tummy tuck, and liposuction. This is often an option for women who have experienced aesthetic problems following pregnancy or after significant weight loss.

Breast Reduction and Pregnancy

Breast reduction can be done post or pre-pregnancy. But since it is an invasive procedure, it is necessary to have at least one year between the surgery and pregnancy. This will allow the mammary system to heal naturally through processes known as recanalization and re-innervation. This is especially true if the surgery involves severing the connection between the nipple-areola complex and the mammary system, which is essential during breastfeeding.

Effects of Pregnancy on the Outcome of Breast Reduction

The outcome of breast reduction is permanent, but the effects of pregnancy on the breasts are inevitable even after the surgery. It does not prevent the remaining breast tissue and fat from being affected by pregnancy. The changes in the breasts, specifically their size, will still be visible. However, its extent may be proportionally lessened depending on several factors, including:

• Amount of breast tissue after surgery
• Techniques used during surgery
• Hormone levels during and after pregnancy
• Breast size before and after pregnancy
• Skin elasticity
• The integrity of breast ligaments (Cooper’s ligaments)
• Genetic makeup

Pregnancy will not change the outcome of a breast reduction. But despite its reduced size, post-reduction breasts will still experience some degree of engorgement, mainly when producing breast milk.

The overall repercussions of pregnancy on post-reduction breast size may or may not be sufficient to need revision surgery. This is taking into consideration the fact that the alterations may be short-lived. The breasts tend to return to their post-reduction size as the body settles to its postpartum conditions.
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Breast Reduction and You

For women who are suffering from having sizable breasts, breast reduction is more than an aesthetic procedure. With realistic goals and the expert guidance of a board-certified plastic surgeon, it becomes a means to enjoy everyday life without the discomfort associated with disproportionately large breasts.