Before and after bilateral breast reduction and liposuction of the axillary rolls in a 55-year-old woman. Her large, heavy, pendulous breasts caused severe shoulder grooves and chronic pain and tightness in her neck, upper back and shoulders.
Pain is a common reason middle-aged women seek a breast reduction, while younger women often seek surgery to help with body image, ease with exercise and finding tops that fit well. There is no ideal age to have breast reduction and lift surgery – at least one month of downtime is recommended, and three months of healing before a major event like a tropical vacation.
The primary goal this patient had for seeking breast reduction surgery was resolution of pain; she was elated to learn that our goal is primarily aesthetic for our breast reduction patients, since it is a given that they will feel better after surgery – we focus on the absolute best aesthetic results!
During surgery, over two pounds of breast tissue was surgically removed from each breast. Tissue is always sent to the Pathology lab at California Pacific Medical Center for analysis. Although finding an abnormality is extremely rare, it is vital to ensure all tissue removed is without evidence of disease such as cancer or pre-cancerous changes.
In a breast reduction, the remaining breast tissue is lifted and reshaped using the auto-augmentation technique, where the breast is moved lifted on the chest wall and formed into a rounder shape. In addition, for this patient, liposuction removed nearly two liters of fat from her bra rolls and armpit regions.
Follow up photos are shown 5 months after surgery. She is doing scar therapy, and her incisions are starting to fade. There is still more swelling on her left side since she is left-hand dominant. Over the next 6-12 months, any residual surgical swelling will resorb, and her scars will continue to mature, revealing her final results.
*All photos are actual patient photographs and are for illustrative purposes only. Individual results may vary.
