Although it is possible to undergo breast reduction surgery if you are overweight, most surgeons will advise that you lose weight before going ahead with the procedure. High-weight patients with a body mass index (BMI) of over 30 are at greater risk of surgical complications when compared to women with a healthy BMI.
What is significantly overweight? Once you get beyond 10%- 15% over your ideal body weight you would be much better off to delay any proposed breast reduction procedure. There are technical and common sense reasons for this.
Your weight should be stable. If you plan on losing weight it is better to do so before surgery. Your BMI is 35 (based on your height and weight) it is considered best practice to operate on a patient that has a BMI of less than 30. A weight of 190 or less would be a BMI of less than 30.
Guidelines are in place for Breast reduction surgery. Your weight and height will be measured to calculate your Body Mass Index score (BMI), which should be less than 26, with an anticipated volume reduction of 500 grams. If you do not reach the BMI target, it is unlikely that you will be considered for surgery.
Most surgeons say that your breasts don't need to be a certain size to be a candidate for breast reduction surgery.
It is certainly possible to reduce your breast size, regardless of size.
How long should I wear a supportive bra? Everyone recovers at different rates, and your unique procedure will determine your length of recovery. However, you should plan to wear your bra for around 6 weeks after surgery. You should wear it as much as possible (even while sleeping), but can remove it to shower.
If you have your reduction before losing weight, it could impact the results of your surgery. Losing a lot of weight after a reduction operation could result in you having smaller breasts than you want. It may also cause changes to the skin changes and the overall shape of the breasts.
Typically, most reductions bring the cup size down one to two sizes, though in cases of extremely large breasts, more drastic results may be achieved.
Because of the changes in the skin after major weight loss, the cosmetic outcome of a previous breast reduction can change. In some cases, women who lose their excess weight first find that they simply need a breast lift instead of a reduction.
Someone with a BMI of 25 to 30 is considered overweight and a BMI over 30 is categorized as obese. Most Plastic Surgeons recommend that patients who are considering plastic surgery have a BMI below 30.
Body mass index (BMI).
Some insurance companies will deny breast reduction surgery unless the BMI is <30, others <35, while others need to see documentation that the patient has attempted to lose weight in the past through diet, exercise or weight loss surgery. This is because breast size may decrease with weight loss.
Conclusions: Reduction mammaplasty is a safe surgical procedure, even when performed on obese patients. However, patients with higher BMI have a greater risk of surgical site complications.
If you are willing to sacrifice the feeling in the nipple, then going flat is possible. If you want to maintain the sensibility of the nipple, then your surgeon can make you as small as possible, but it may not be completely flat.
Breasts that have an excess of at least 5 pounds of breast tissue. Extra breast tissue that equals more than 3% of your total body weight.
C cup breasts weigh around 1.1 lbs (the equivalent of 3 bananas each breast), D cup breasts weigh around 1.7 lbs (the equivalent of a guinea pig per breast), DD-E cups weigh around 2.2 lbs each (about a pineapple each breast), and DDD-F weigh about 2.6 lbs each (about a quart of water each breast).
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.
Breast reduction directly impacts a woman's overall proportions and it can appear as though women have gained weight following surgery. With larger breasts, a woman's torso and hips actually appear smaller. When breasts are reduced, it can actually make the hips and torso appear larger.
After your reduction surgery, your breasts will be swollen and appear larger. As the swelling resolves, they will settle into their new size. It's normal for one breast to look bigger during recovery if it's more swollen than the other.
On the basis of published data and results from this study, it is recommended that patients with a cup size>or=D or a bra size>or=18 could be categorized as having large breasts, with all other patients considered average in size.
Take it easy for one week. Take short walks, move slowly, take care of yourself, eat healthy foods and drink plenty of water. Do not try to exercise, diet or do anything more than rest and recover. You will need to sleep on your back for at least 2-3 weeks.
You will probably be able to go back to work or your normal routine in 2 to 3 weeks. This depends on the type of work you do and any further treatment.
Patients are commonly given a surgical bra to wear for two weeks after surgery, 24 hours a day. At your follow-up visit, your care team will let you know if you should continue to wear the surgical bra or if you can wear a similar support garment of your choice.
Will Medicare help fund breast reductions? Yes if you meet the criteria outlined below. The rebate itself is around $1000 but importantly, you must be entitled to the Medicare number to ensure that your private health insurance to kick in. The Medicare item number to check with your health fund is 45523.
Breasts that seem to be out of proportion to the rest of your body. Pain in the neck, back, and shoulders caused by the weight of your breasts. Grooves in the tops of your shoulders that have been caused by your bra straps. The weight of your breasts adversely affecting your posture.