Women with extremely large breasts face loads of challenges throughout their lives. Working out is difficult, clothing options are limited, and bra straps leave depressions on the shoulders; not to mention the excruciating back and neck pain. While many women dream of bigger breasts, there is reason why breast augmentation surgery is one of the most popular procedures in the plastic surgery field worldwide, people often forget to think about those downsides of having breasts of this size. Fortunately, there is now the option of breast reduction in Singapore which enables people to deal with the problem.
It is a personal decision and it can change everything. Thus, before you go under the knife, familiarise yourself with the facts. To help you out here is more information about the procedure. We’ll have a look at every aspect, from recovery to breast reduction surgery cost, consultation fee, and more. Keep reading.
Table of Contents
What is Breast Reduction at its Core?
The procedure is termed reduction mammaplasty in medical speak and is focused on removing excess skin, breast tissue, and fat deposits from the breasts. The main goal, as you know, is to reduce the size of the chest so that the person feels more comfortable with it.
Breast reduction surgery gives the body better symmetry, improves one’s self-esteem, and also allows for physical activities that cannot be performed otherwise. Some people confuse it for mastectomy, but that is an entirely different procedure.
Being an operation, it is carried out by a cosmetic or plastic surgeon at a certified clinic. A hospital stay may not be needed as many patients are discharged after the intervention is over.
Yet, it is important to acknowledge that you will be ‘sidelined’ for a while after that. It will take a few weeks for your body to recover. And even though you will be able to go back to your normal activities pretty soon, the healing process might continue into the sixth month’s mark.
Preparation
You don’t just drive to the hospital and get everything done overnight. First of all, you have to schedule a consultation with a specialist, ideally a plastic surgeon, and get your goals loud and clear. The doctor will ask you why you want to have surgery to make sure you are 100% confident you want it. They will also:
- Create a medical record by taking photographs of your breasts
- Talk about the procedure in details, from what it entails to what risks it carries
- Inquire about your expectations
- Do a physical check-up and any blood work if necessary to examine your overall health
- Measure your breasts
- Discuss the type of anaesthesia they will likely use during your intervention
- Show you photos of previous patients
You will be discouraged from going through breast reduction surgery if you are overly obese, have different health issues, or are a smoker.
Breast Reduction Procedure
Surgeons use one of two techniques to reduce breast size or sometimes a combination of both. One is liposuction. It tends to vacuum excess fat from the subcutaneous layer through small incisions in the skin. The problem is, it cannot deal with excess skin or lift the breasts.
That’s why the specialist will often have to manually cut out and reposition breast tissue as if it were an actual operation. In many cases, this means that the nipple and areola have to be removed and placed back at a higher position so it creates a balanced look.
Another important step is to make both breasts relatively symmetrical. Although this is difficult to achieve as a whole, your surgeon will try their best to make the chest visually proportionate.
Breast Reduction Recovery
Once the surgery is complete, your wounds will be covered with bandages or gauze dressing to keep them from getting infected. The medical staff will give you something for the pain as necessary. You may be prescribed antibiotics.
If there is no need for a drainage tube, you will be released from the hospital immediately after you come back to your senses. It is vital to have someone wait for you so they can give you a ride home. Understandably, you will not be in a good state to drive yourself home. You should rest for two weeks and restrict your physical activity to allow your body to regain strength and recuperate.
Results of Breast Reduction Procedure
The satisfactory rate of breast reduction is high. The majority of patients feel better afterwards and are able to do things they weren’t before. Their back pain resolves and skin irritation dissipates. A woman may lose about 10-20 pounds (5-10 kg) within the first six months post-op.
What Dictates the Desire for Breast Reduction Surgery?
In most cases, it’s things like severe asymmetry and back pain but there tend to be other factors as well. Every woman wants to have beautifully shaped breasts large enough to be noticeable but when they are too big, this can become a problem. Other than back and neck pain which could get worse over time, there may be skin irritation, inability to get your hands on a bra that fits, and bra straps that torture on the daily.
What is more, social embarrassment is a big deal. And in rare cases, the breast folds are prone to infection, which is the last thing you imagine you’d be dealing with when it comes to that area.
What Do I Need to Know about Breast Reduction?
Breast reduction surgery is no walk in the park. Even though it’s a day procedure that allows patients to go home right away without spending the night at the clinic, it’s still surgery. And surgeries could bring about various problems.
Breastfeeding might be a problem later
When you undergo breast surgery, regardless of whether you insert implants or cut out extra fat and tissue, this could impact your breastfeeding capacities. It’s not possible to say who will experience this. There is a 50% chance of facing the problem. The reason for this is that during the procedure the milk ducts might be affected, which could make breastfeeding difficult later on.
There may be loss in nipple sensation
Some patients get decreased sensation in the nipple area right after the surgery and that’s anything but unexpected. Gradually, things will come back to normal but it may be impossible to restore full sensitivity in the region.
Breast reduction leaves scars
Like any other surgery that involves incisions into the skin, you will be left with some scarring after the wounds heal. This process is inevitable. What you need to know, though, is that the marks will be tiny and almost invisible. It mostly depends on the skills and techniques adopted by the plastic surgeon, so make sure you pick a good one. Will there be any change in the appearance of breast reduction scars after 1 year? Yes, for sure. They will begin to fade but will never fully disappear.
You may not obtain the cup size you desired
Before you make up your mind to have your breasts reduced, you should first come across with the facts. The composition and size of your breasts will determine how much tissue you can have removed. Of course, your goals will be taken into consideration too. However, in most cases, you will go down a maximum of two cup sizes.
You will get breast reduction with lift
When you have large breasts, extracting fat can make them saggy and unappealing to the eyes. There is more to the procedure than meets the eyes. As explained above, in many cases part of the skin has to be cut away and the nipple repositioned. All these steps will ultimately create a breast lift.
Breast Reduction Singapore: Cost
The price of breast reduction surgery is quite different on a global scale. In Singapore alone, it varies from $5,000 to $13,000. In some areas, it can even reach $20,000 if the procedure involves reconstruction, lifting, and additional corrections. In other words, the more complicated the procedure is, the more expensive it will be.
Keep in mind that the estimate may or may not include consultation fees, surgical fees, anaesthesia, follow-up check-up, medication, etc. If you want to know the total numbers, ask for a quote.
It’s worth noting that the treatment is covered partially or fully by medical insurance in certain cases. You might qualify for it if you need to remove over 250 gm on each breast and you need to relieve skin problems or back pain.
You should consult your surgeon about this option. They will do a medical check-up, write down all the measurements and information for your case, and send it to the insurance company for inspection. It will take a while before you receive a reply, so be patient.