What to Expect
Breast reduction surgery is performed as outpatient surgery, which means patients return home the same day of surgery. You will need to have someone drive you to and from surgery, as you will be recovering from anesthesia and unable to drive yourself home following the procedure. All patients need to have a recent mammogram (breast x-ray) before surgery. Also, patients that are interested in breastfeeding may wish to postpone breast reduction until breastfeeding is completed.
Due to the high postoperative complication rates in patients who are smoking or are very obese, pre-operative smoking cessation for six weeks and dieting may be recommended. Complications from this procedure are rare, but can include slight asymmetry, nipple loss (extremely rare although smoking increases this risk dramatically), nipple sensation changes or loss of nipple sensation (about a 5% risk), and wound healing problems (including hypertrophic scars if you are prone to developing them). Most patients can resume non-strenuous work in less than one week and resume physical activities after three weeks.