If you are interested in breast reduction surgery, you should keep in mind that the procedure has become very common in our Westchester, Long Island, and NYC practice among women with breasts that are not in concomitance with their body frame. Overly large breasts present both physical and psychological problems that are often hard to overcome. Large breasts cause pain in the back, neck and shoulders and this pain is as a result of the excess breast tissues pulling forward. It also causes unnecessary attention and cuts down the self-confidence of the woman that has it.

If having smaller breasts are what you wish for, then you should contact a good plastic surgeon. Before embarking on breast surgery, you need to contact your surgeon. You need to provide health details to him or her. These details include: If you have had a lump removed from your breast in the past, if you suffer from any ailment that affects your breast and your family’s medical history.

It is recommended that you be very open with your surgeon and discuss past health conditions openly. The surgeon might need to take a few pictures of your breast, measure them and tell you how much tissues that would need to be removed to achieve your preferred breast size. You would need to quit smoking before and after the surgery so as not to complicate the healing process.

Tips for Maximizing Recovery from Breast Reduction Surgery

It is a straightforward procedure where the excess tissues are removed as carefully as possible and if necessary, the skin over the breasts would get tightened too. Some of these tips include:

• Avoid over-the-counter medication at first: The aftermath of the surgery causes discomfort for the patient. Different patients have different tolerance levels. Some might hurry to get pain killers. Instead of waiting to find out how much pain you can handle, take the prescribed medication as given by your surgeon.
• Wear the right type of bra: For a few weeks after the operation, you should avoid your regular bra. Sports bra should be used so as not to disrupt the surgical site. You can also get surgical bras too. At first, it should be worn at all times, then afterwards, you can shuffle in between surgical bras and sport bras.
• You can skip showering for a few days: After the surgery, it is normal to feel reluctant about getting into the shower. The soreness should stop after one or two days and you can go back to being your clean, old self.
• Give it a few weeks before working out: “When can I go back to working out?” is the most common question patients ask. If you engage in strenuous activities, you may develop complications. It is best to avoid working out for at least four weeks.
• It is normal to have an emotional reaction: Some people tend to have emotional reactions after the completion of the surgery. The most common is the feeling of depression. It is normal to feel this way but you should discuss your concerns with your surgeon.

It is normal to have scars after surgery. The scars would fade overtime but would not completely disappear. Lifting heavy objects sooner than you should could lead to severe complications like inadequate healing around the nipple area which would result in the patient revisiting the hospital for skin grafting.