Breast Reduction and Procedures in Cape Town

Are your breasts too large? Excessively large, sagging breasts are uncomfortable as well as unhealthy, making some women the perfect candidates for breast reduction. They certainly also restrict ones' lifestyle and activities. Breasts consist of fat, and it is the fat that gives the female breast its shape, contour, size and beauty. Certain patients, therefore, may need to correct their eating habits before considering surgery. Breast reduction surgery reduces over developed breasts and can alleviate back pain, shoulder strap furrows, hand numbness and breathing difficulty.

Technique: This procedure is normally performed under general anaesthetic and may take 2 to 4 hours. There are many variations to this procedure. The most common technique involves incision around the areola and extends downward following the curve of the crease beneath the breast; the incision takes the shape of an anchor.

Dr Lovric, based in Cape Town, South Africa  is a proponent of the short scar technique called Vertical Breast reduction, which gives an even better shape long-term with less scarring. Excess glandular and fatty tissue is removed and the areola and nipple are moved to their position, creating your new breast shape. These patients are always the happiest of my patients. Contact Dr Lovric here

Breast reduction or reduction mammoplasty is an outpatient surgical procedure which involves the reduction in the size of breasts by excising fat, skin, and glandular tissue; it may also involve a procedure to counteract drooping of the breasts. As with breast augmentation, this procedure is performed most often on women, but may also be performed on men afflicted by gynecomastia.

Doctors almost always perform breast reductions while the patient is under general anesthesia. During pre-operative visits, the doctor and patient may decide on new, usually higher, positions for the areolas and nipples.

For males, excess tissue may simply be removed through a tiny incision in each breast. This leaves minimal scarring.

Patients may take a few weeks for initial recovery, however it may take from six months to a year for the body to completely adjust to the new breast size. Some women may experience discomfort during their initial menstruation following the surgery due to the breasts swelling.

Techniques
The two most popular techniques in North America are the inferior pedicle and vertical scar techniques. Both of which are more likely to leave both nipple sensitivity and capability to lactate for the patient as compared to other techniques of the past. It is now being studied and debated as to which of the two techniques results in a better quality of life for the patient in the long run. Liposuction has been used along with the other breast reduction procedures for quite some time, but the newer liposuction only technique is now gaining popularity. All of the breast reduction techniques include a breast lift besides the liposuction only method.

A comparison of post-surgery incision lines from the two most popular techniques
Inferior pedicle technique
The inferior pedicle technique, sometimes also known as a keyhole or Weiss pattern reduction, involves an anchor-shaped incision which circles the areola. The incision extends downward, following the natural curve of the breast. Excess glandular tissue, fat, and skin is removed. Next, the nipple and areola are moved into their new higher position. A drawback of this technique is sometimes "square" looking breasts, but this is a common option for women with the largest, droopiest breasts.

Vertical scar technique The vertical scar technique, also known as the SPAIR or short scar breast reduction, is now widely gaining popularity due its minimal scarring and round shape post-surgery. To perform this, a doctor performs what is also known as a "lolipop incision" to the breast, resulting in the least amount of scarring. There are no horizontal incisions, and the scars are less likely to broaden with time, as with the Anchor-shaped technique. This technique keeps its results the best in the long term.The breast is reduced through removal of the lateral and inferior tissues, leaving the upper pole mostly untouched. Liposuction only technique The liposuction only technique is used for women with breasts that are not quite as large as with the other procedures. For the best outcomes, women who choose this procedure have perkier breasts without a drooping nipple, as the skin itself never moves, but, rather, fat is simply removed from inside of the breast. The result is not as drastic as the other techniques, but it involves a much quicker healing time, less pain, and less money. This is the technique typically used for men