Breast reduction is usually covered by insurance when the surgery is performed as part of a medically mandated procedure to treat neck, back, or shoulder pain or other problems related to the spine.  Recently, managed care has adopted stricter standards for coverage, so these problems have to be thoroughly documented in writing by your primary care physician and plastic surgeon.  They may also have to submit photographs.  Even then, you may be required to seek a second opinion from a chiropractor, physical therapist, or orthopedic surgeon.

Breast reduction surgery removes excess breast tissue and reshapes the contour of the breasts so that they are smaller and perkier.  I commonly use a minimal incision technique (Le Jour), eliminating the need for large scars while providing a pleasing breast contour and shape that is proportionate to the patient’s body.  This Le Jour technique can now be used on a wide range of sizes and results in a perky, conical breast that many women find desirable.  The resulting incision from this procedure looks like a lollipop with the incision around the areola and down to the fold in the breast.

To perk up a drooping breast, your surgeon will remove excess skin, reposition the nipple, and redrape and tighten the remaining skin to support the breast.  The areola may also be reduced in size.  A mastopexy (breast lift) raises droopy breasts from one to several inches and excess skin is removed.  If you're sagging or asymmetrical, and are looking for perkiness, you'll need a lift - or, if you also want more volume, a lift and implants.

A breast lift raises droopy breasts from one to several inches and excess skin is removed.  If you just want to go bigger, the only way to do that is with implants.  The great thing about these techniques is that they can now be down with minimal scarring and performed as an outpatient procedure without the need for general anesthesia.

When women with saggy breasts want to go bigger, I usually advise doing a breast lift along with the implants.  Otherwise, the implants create what we call a “double bubble,” where the breast droops off the end of the implant like a sock.  Some of my patients, however, don’t want a lift because they want to avoid additional scarring, so sometimes implants alone can fill out the skin and eliminate the saggy appearance.

Breast Reduction

I can’t stress it enough: A cigarette habit greatly compromises healing. Smoking damages skin, keeps incisions from repairing and worsens scarring. Moreover, nicotine, which gets into the bloodstream, can cause blood clots. Smoking triggers the release of skin-damaging free radicals, increases swelling, worsens scarring, and impedes healing by limiting blood flow to the skin.

If you smoke, you should refrain for at least two weeks before your procedure and two weeks after. I’d far prefer it, of course, if you started cutting back well before that two-week mark. It’s a bad idea to be smoking regularly before you have surgery, and an even worse idea after.

 

Breast Augmentation

I can’t stress it enough: A cigarette habit greatly compromises healing. Smoking damages skin, keeps incisions from repairing and worsens scarring. Moreover, nicotine, which gets into the bloodstream, can cause blood clots. Smoking triggers the release of skin-damaging free radicals, increases swelling, worsens scarring, and impedes healing by limiting blood flow to the skin.

If you smoke, you should refrain for at least two weeks before your procedure and two weeks after. I’d far prefer it, of course, if you started cutting back well before that two-week mark. It’s a bad idea to be smoking regularly before you have surgery, and an even worse idea after.

 

Breast Augmentation

If you have a history of a chronic disease, such as hypertension or diabetes, you may still be able to undergo elective surgery. While surgery can be stressful, and any kind of stress can have a negative effect on your health, most contemporary plastic surgery ( particular lip augmentation and liposuction) doesn't require the use of general anesthesia, and is followed by a quick recovery so it is not likely to put you at any increased medical risk. It's best to speak to your primary care doctor about these issues beforehand. Of course, be forthright with your

Liposuction