Before and after bilateral breast reduction and lift with liposuction of the axillary rolls in a 29-year-old woman with true macromastia. Her breasts had grown to be unmanageable in her late teen years. They limited her from exercising without wearing three sports bras, caused pain and strain in her shoulders, neck and back, and made her look and feel matronly and top-heavy.
A breast reduction removed over a kilogram (two and a half pounds) from each breast! Liposuction further removed a liter and a half of fat from her bra rolls. Her remaining breast tissue was reshaped and lifted using the auto-augmentation technique.
After surgery, she took a full month off work, gradually going back to the office and exercising when she felt ready. Follow up photos are shown 1 year after surgery. Scars in dark-skinned patients tend to remain darker than the surrounding tissue for several years, gradually fading over several years. This is due to increased melanin production (the skin pigment) during healing, called “post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation”.
The last image shows the fat that was suctioned out of her bra rolls and armpits – that in itself is impressive! We always add liposuction to a breast reduction when there is a significant collection of fat in the axillary roll region. Liposuction enables the scar in the fold under the breast to remain shorter, since we are debulking the bra roll under the skin rather than chasing this fullness surgically with an incision. It also provides more definition to the sides of the breasts.
*All photos are actual patient photographs and are for illustrative purposes only. Individual results may vary.
