Breast Reduction before surgery?

I am interested in looking into a breast reduction before surgery. I am 20 years old. My boobs are a 48DDD right now and I am 5'5. I know that doesn't sound too bad but I am having severe back problems because of it. I can't stand up for very long periods and that is a problem because I am trying to get a job that involves standing in the same place for long periods. I am on the right track for surgery but I am just wondering what I need to do in order to strengthen my back. I am fixing to move to Knoxville, Tennessee and my apartment complex has a fitness center and free zumba classes. I currently weigh 334.5 and I am trying to get down to at least 300 maybe 290 by the time of surgery which will be around the beginning of January. I just am unsure if having a reduction before surgery would be a good idea. I plan on getting breast implants regardless and I wasn't sure if getting the reduction out of the way would be better to do now or if I should wait until after surgery and I get to my goal? Any info would be great. Also I haven't had any kids yet and I was told that having plastic surgery before having children isn't a good idea. Thanks for any information/suggestions!

Good questions. Have you also posted this on the plastics board here on OH? They may have some good insight.

--gina
 

You could also send a PS an email asking their opinion.  You can send Dr Sauceda an email about this at [email protected]
You can take pics from the front and sides and send them with your email.

Just know that you may lose a lot of your breast tissue from your weight loss.

I noticed that after the scale read 310 my back started hurting more and more while doing any standing longer than 5 minutes. It may not be your boobs at all, it may just be the excess weight. (I am only a C cup, so I doubt my breasts would have caused the back pain.) Also, if I were in your situation, I may consider waiting until after WLS. Your boobs may shrink as a result of losing weight- and really, do you want your body to go through that much surgery so close together? I hope that everything works out for you. Good luck!

You are right. I have a compressed disk in my back supposedly and insurance wont do an MRI or catscan or whatever so that I can get it looked at. It probably does have a lot to do with the weight gain though. When I was even at 275 I didn't notice my back pain as much even when I lose about 10 lbs it isn't as severe or when I exercise. Thanks for your info!

IMHO this is not a good idea. There is no way to know what your breasts will look like, whether they will remain large or shrink to nothing, with your wls. If you mess with them now, they could end up not only not looking good, but it could make future breast surgery (life and/or implants) both more difficult and more risky in terms of poor blood supply to the remaining skin.

Get your wls done. You'll lose a lot of weight, see how your breasts turn out, consult with a plastic surgeon with experience with wls patients and see what you want done at that point. You are much more likely to end up with a good result that way.

Larra

PS Also, many reputable plastic surgeons won't do a breast reduction on someone who is MO for the reasons above, and also because the complication rate is higher than with a normal or close to normal sized patient. I'm sure if you go doctor hunting you can find someone who would do it, but it's not a good idea.

Larra

Hi,

I have no direct experience but I don't think I would consider plastic surgery before the DS. First there is the issue of having that much surgery close together. However the real issue is you have no idea how much breast tissue/weight you will lose. Many people go on to have plastic surgery after the DS weight loss and that would be the time to consider the breast reduction, etc...

I would also just ask your doctor and see what they say. I can't imagine they would say to do it before but you never known.

Best of luck, Terri

 There's no way I would do this.  Your breasts are mostly fatty tissue and they will reduce along with the rest of you.  Wait till after you lose the weight and see what you have left to work with.  Since you are young, you won't have as much sag as many but don't think what looks good today will shrink proportionately post-op.

No, no, no! I had a breast reduction done two years before my DS. Since I've lost the weight, my breasts look like nothing found in nature, and consultations with two plastic surgeons have resulted in "I'm not sure how I would restore that" opinions.

Buy a really good, well fitted bra, and try to live with it until you have lost your weight, and been stable for some time.  Trust me on this one.

 

Definitely wait until you've finished losing weight. Not everyone loses a lot of boob---I started out in a 56H, and now I wear a 40...G. (*sigh*) I REALLY hoped I'd lose more boob than I did. I'd LOVE to have a reduction/lift, but my insurance doesn't cover it unless I can show 'medical necessity'.