Breast reduction is surgery to reduce the size of the breasts.
Alternative Names
Reduction mammoplasty; Reduction mammaplasty
Description
Breast reduction surgery is done under general anesthesia. This is medicine that keeps you asleep and pain-free.
For a breast reduction, the surgeon removes some of the breast tissue and skin. Your nipples may be moved higher to reposition them for cosmetic reasons.
In the most common procedure:
- The surgeon makes three surgical cuts: around the areola (the dark area around your nipples), from the areola down to the crease under your breast, and across the lower crease of your breast.
- Extra fat, skin, and breast tissue are removed. The nipple and areola are moved to a higher position. Often the areola is made smaller.
- The surgeon closes the cuts with stitches to reshape the breast.
- Sometimes liposuction is combined with breast reduction to improve the shape of the breast and armpit areas.
The procedure can last 2 to 5 hours.