Breast reduction complications can make otherwise flawless reduction mammoplasty results turn into big problems for any woman who has risked it all to endure this invasive surgical procedure.
Breast reduction surgery is one of the most drastic and invasive operations in the cosmetic surgery arena and demonstrates considerable risks for virtually any patient.
Make sure to understand these risks and discuss them with your care provider prior to deciding if reduction surgery is right for you. This guide will help you to identify risk factors and makes it easier to discuss these negative considerations with your physician.
Typical Complications of Breast Reduction
The most common complication associated with surgical reduction is certainly breast scarring. The nature of the procedure makes it virtually impossible to hide all the incision scars, forcing most women to endure some degree of permanent marking of their breasts.
All reduction mammoplasty operations feature periareolar incisions, which surround the nipple, and vertical incisions, which bisect the breast from the nipple to the inframammary fold. Most reductions also feature full inframammary incisions.
Scarring can be drastically reduced by choosing a skilled surgeon, but some amount of permanent marking is normal and expected.
Uncommon Reduction Mammoplasty Complications
The following complications are less common, but may still affect a significant number of women who undergo breast reduction every year:
Infection can be minor or severe and may require follow up surgery to bring under control.
Breast asymmetry is a somewhat common result of imperfect surgical procedures.
Incision-related complications, like continued bleeding, incisions which open up or hematomas, are all somewhat common.
Serious health risks, such as stroke, allergic reaction to anesthetic, cardiac arrest or death may occur in extreme cases.
Advice on Breast Reduction Complications
Breast reduction procedures are not for the meek, unhealthy or faint of heart. The nature of the operation is invasive to the extreme, and although the surgery demonstrates fantastic patient satisfaction statistics, the ordeal of recovery can be brutal.
Most women will have considerable post-operative pain and will be physically limited for weeks. Full healing takes many months and some women may develop issues with pain management addiction or drug interactions.
Be sure to discuss all these possibilities with your physician and talk to more than one surgeon before making up your mind about reduction surgery. Avoid any doctor who tells you the procedure is “no big deal”, since these care providers are obviously not being completely honest.
