What to Expect After Breast Reduction
Breast reduction is a very common procedure and we perform many at our office in Portland, Oregon. This procedure is a favorite of mine, and of many other plastic surgeons’, because the patients are so uniformly happy.
Most patients seek the operation in order to reduce the chronic discomfort of aching pains in the upper back, shoulders and neck and find those symptoms reduced or gone within a day or two of the breast reduction surgery.
But the other significant advantages include wearing a whole new style of clothes, finding it easier to exercise, looking like there was weight loss, and no more awkward social situations.
The Breast Reduction Procedure
Breast reduction surgery is an outpatient operation and done with the patient asleep under general anesthesia. The usual time spent in recovery before going home is generally no more than two hours and patients leave in comfort because Portland breast surgeon Dr. DeMars instills a long lasting local anesthetic into the tissues before placing the sutures. The sutures are placed under the skin and dissolve over several weeks so they do not need to be removed.
What is Breast Reduction Recovery Like?
Once home, the patient is able to move around the house easily but is asked to refrain from any vigorous or heavy activity for the first few days. There are some bulky gauze bandages held in place by a bra and they can be discarded in 48 hours when it is time for the first shower.
How Long Does it Take to Recovery from a Breast Reduction?
Surgical discomfort is moderate the first few days and controlled with pain pills we prescribe. By the 4th to 7th day after the breast reduction most patients are transitioning to Ibuprofen or Tylenol. Patients notice some light bruising and moderate swelling that can last 2-3 weeks after the breast reduction and lift surgery. The breast shape will not look quite right for several weeks because of the breast lift that is done as part of the reduction procedure. It leaves the breast looking a little flat on the bottom and a little wide and these changes resolve in a few weeks.
Patients with a job that does not require heavy lifting are commonly back to work in 7-8 days but it may be two or more weeks for a job that requires more physical activity.
Will There Be Scars From My Breast Reduction?
At first the scars are thin lines, then they become a pink color and feel like a stiff ridge before flattening and turning white and soft. The length of time it takes for scars to go through these stages is very dependent on a patient’s genetic makeup and may range from a few months to two years. Dr. DeMars has BioCorneum available in the office which is a silicone product that can be applied to new scars and helps to speed up the process.
Want to Know More About What It’s Like to Have a Breast Reduction?
Read about one patient’s candid breast reduction journey, from her consultation at our office through her recovery!
Contact Dr. DeMars’ office if you have questions about breast reductions or think the procedure might be right for you.
Breast reduction is a very common procedure and we perform many at our office in Portland, Oregon. This procedure is a favorite of mine, and of many other plastic surgeons’, because the patients are so uniformly happy.
Most patients seek the operation in order to reduce the chronic discomfort of aching pains in the upper back, shoulders and neck and find those symptoms reduced or gone within a day or two of the breast reduction surgery.
But the other significant advantages include wearing a whole new style of clothes, finding it easier to exercise, looking like there was weight loss, and no more awkward social situations.
The Breast Reduction Procedure
Breast reduction surgery is an outpatient operation and done with the patient asleep under general anesthesia. The usual time spent in recovery before going home is generally no more than two hours and patients leave in comfort because Portland breast surgeon Dr. DeMars instills a long lasting local anesthetic into the tissues before placing the sutures. The sutures are placed under the skin and dissolve over several weeks so they do not need to be removed.
What is Breast Reduction Recovery Like?
Once home, the patient is able to move around the house easily but is asked to refrain from any vigorous or heavy activity for the first few days. There are some bulky gauze bandages held in place by a bra and they can be discarded in 48 hours when it is time for the first shower.
How Long Does it Take to Recovery from a Breast Reduction?
Surgical discomfort is moderate the first few days and controlled with pain pills we prescribe. By the 4th to 7th day after the breast reduction most patients are transitioning to Ibuprofen or Tylenol. Patients notice some light bruising and moderate swelling that can last 2-3 weeks after the breast reduction and lift surgery. The breast shape will not look quite right for several weeks because of the breast lift that is done as part of the reduction procedure. It leaves the breast looking a little flat on the bottom and a little wide and these changes resolve in a few weeks.
Patients with a job that does not require heavy lifting are commonly back to work in 7-8 days but it may be two or more weeks for a job that requires more physical activity.
Will There Be Scars From My Breast Reduction?
At first the scars are thin lines, then they become a pink color and feel like a stiff ridge before flattening and turning white and soft. The length of time it takes for scars to go through these stages is very dependent on a patient’s genetic makeup and may range from a few months to two years. Dr. DeMars has BioCorneum available in the office which is a silicone product that can be applied to new scars and helps to speed up the process.
Want to Know More About What It’s Like to Have a Breast Reduction?
Read about one patient’s candid breast reduction journey, from her consultation at our office through her recovery!
Contact Dr. DeMars’ office if you have questions about breast reductions or think the procedure might be right for you.
