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July 6, 2023
What Breast Reduction Size Is Right For Me?
If your breast size is causing you pain or interfering with your activities, breast reduction surgery (reduction mammoplasty) can help you live the life you want.
You may also want to change your appearance with smaller and shapelier breasts. A breast reduction can help, including making uneven breasts more even. But what new breast size is right for your body?
Instead of having a cup size in mind, your consultation will discuss how breast reduction surgery can bring your breasts in proportion to your body and help improve your quality of life without the pain and symptoms you’re experiencing right now.
How Breast Reduction Can Help
If your breast size is excessively large in proportion to your body size, you may experience symptoms like:
- Back and neck pain
- Shoulder irritation from bra straps
- Rashes and infections
- Impacted participation in various activities
- Emotional pain
A breast reduction can help. This surgery reduces the tissue (in addition to reducing the skin envelope size once excess breast tissue has been removed) to bring the breast size into a more appropriate proportion to the overall body size.
How Small Can I Go?
If you’re thinking about your ideal breast shape, skip the cup size. As you know from bra shopping, there are many variables, and it’s not the most reliable source of measurement.
Instead, your surgeon will work closely with you on agreeing on realistic goals to achieve the best breast size and shape for your body. Your surgeon will also prioritize removing the maximum amount of breast tissue while maintaining enough blood supply to the nipple.
You may also feel like you have a “heaviness” in the side area, also more commonly called the “side boob” by patients. You can discuss options with your surgeon to ensure that your breasts blend in with the overall proportion of your body.
What If My Breasts Are Very Large?
If your current breast size is so large that it’s impossible to alleviate symptoms while ensuring proper blood supply to the nipple, there are options.
You can discuss a breast reduction with a free nipple graft with your surgeon. Here, the nipple is removed so this large volume of breast tissue can be removed, and the nipple is reattached as a skin graft. While the nipple is no longer functional, the skin graft helps create the appearance of normal-looking breasts.
Does Insurance Cover My Breast Reduction?
While some breast reductions are medically necessary and covered by insurance, not all breast reductions are medically necessary.
In determining eligibility, you will work directly with your insurance company and provide proof of symptomatic macromastia (e.g., when large breasts cause pain and other physical problems) through supportive documentation outlined here.
Returning to the “side boob,” insurance companies do not consider anything on the side to be breast. If this heavy side area concerns you, you can discuss it in your consultation. Your options may include a longer incision or out-of-pocket liposuction to achieve your desired appearance.
Breast Reduction Results
As you recover, you’ll have some guidelines to follow. Shortly after surgery, you’ll get a good sense of how your breasts will look, but swelling is expected and normal for several months.
Typically, you can enjoy new bra shopping after three months. Most importantly, you can enjoy things in a new way. You deserve to experience life without the pain and symptoms of disproportionately large breasts.
How Can I Book My Breast Reduction?
If you’re considering breast reduction surgery (reduction mammoplasty) to alleviate symptoms, bring your body in better proportion, or boost your self-esteem, rely on the leaders of plastic surgery in Portland, Maine. Our Plastic + Hand team has the most qualified breast reduction surgeons in Maine.
It’s time to discover the results you’ll love. The first step begins here. Call us at 207-775-3446 or submit this request form to schedule your consultation with our Patient Care Coordinator to determine whether breast reduction is right for you.
