Breast Reduction Types of Breast Reduction
There are a number of different techniques used for breast reduction surgery. Which one you have will be determined by the size and shape of your breasts. Learn more about breast reduction before and after pictures and watch our breast reduction video here.
The three most common Breast Reduction Surgery techniques are:
• Traditional or ‘anchor’ incision breast reduction
• Vertical incision breast reduction surgery
• Scar-less breast reduction
Traditional or ‘anchor’ breast reduction
The anchor incision method is a standard breast reduction technique where, the surgeon begins the procedure by making an incision around the nipple, vertically down to the crease of the breast, and horizontally along the crease in an anchor shape.
The surgeon will remove skin, fat, and tissue from the lower breast area to reduce the mass of the breast. The nipple and areola will be moved to a higher location on the breast, but not removed from the breast mound itself. There are a small percentage of patients that may experience loss of sensation and feeling in the nipples. This still remains one of the most common breast reduction risks. With extremely large breasts, it may be necessary to entirely detach the nipple and areola from the breast, and graft it to the upper half of the breast. The only downside to this is that you will lose all feeling in the nipple area. After the nipple is moved to its new position, the skin above the nipple is brought down and around the swell of the breast, and then stitched back to close the original incision.
Vertical incision breast reduction surgery
The vertical incision breast reduction surgery is a new technique, which is less invasive and has the benefits of fewer scars, and results last for longer. However many doctors don’t offer this incision technique yet. If you are interested in this procedure, be sure to choose a breast reduction surgeon with the experience and abilities to perform the technique. In a vertical incision breast reduction, your doctor will make a ‘lollipop incision’ around the areola and down the breast. After removing breast tissue and skin, the surgeon will then stitch up the incision by pleating the excess skin over itself on the breast. The nipple can still be moved up in a method similar to that of the standard procedure, but not more than a few millimeters. This incision technique is generally a good idea for women with moderately large breasts, but may not produce the best results for patients with extremely large bust lines.
Scar-less breast reduction
Scar-less breast reduction surgery, involves using liposuction to remove breast tissue through very small incisions. The resulting scars are only a few millimeters wide and are discreetly located in the crease of the breast or in the armpit.
If you have a large proportion of fat in your breasts compared to glandular tissue you could be suitable for scar-less breast reduction. The benefits if this technique are fewer scars, less trauma to breast tissue, and a reduced chance of possible breast reduction complications. Liposuction only removes fat tissue, not connective tissue, and is generally not considered for thinner women with large breasts. It is also not recommended for women with pendulous, or very large, dense breasts. Depending on your breast size and shape, and the surgical incision chosen, your surgery should produce positive breast reduction result
Talk to one of our plastic surgeons who specialise in breast reduction and book a consultation at one of their U.K clinics today by going to our find a specialist section on MyFaceMyBody.com
