For some people, breast reduction is necessary as breasts cause pain and discomfort when over the average size. When thinking about breast reduction, you know that it will come with weight loss as the procedure takes out some tissues contributing to your general weight.
When considering breast reduction surgery, it is essential to remember that weight loss could affect your surgery one way or the other. Below we will discuss how weight loss after breast reduction is a factor and what should come first.
Do you lose weight after a breast reduction procedure?
Yes. After undergoing breast reduction surgery, you will most likely lose some weight. The procedure involves removing fat and tissues from your body.
You shouldn’t expect this procedure to make a huge difference at first because you will only lose a few pounds off your normal weight.
Breast reduction and losing weight after are tightly connected. According to a study conducted by the American Society of plastic surgeons, women who underwent breast reduction procedures ended up losing between twenty to thirty pounds in the first six months following the procedure.
Weight loss after breast reduction is common because most women with big breasts experience a hard time moving around.
Having a breast reduction helps you efficiently work out or move as you feel lighter and lose weight.
What is breast reduction?
Mammaplasty or breast reduction is an operation to decrease your cup size by removing excess fat, angular tissue, and skin.
Most women who pursue a breast reduction procedure do it to change the size and weight of their breasts. You can get some procedures done to address breast positioning and shape too.
Breast reduction is excellent as it helps most women achieve a breast size that is more proportionate to the body type and size.
Sometimes, women with small lower bodies and huge breasts tend to experience many problems because of how disproportionate their body size is.
Who is a good candidate for breast reduction surgery?
If you have the below symptoms because of the size of your breasts, then you should probably consider having a breast reduction.
But considerably, every woman who is unhappy with the size of her breasts should do it.
- Chronic pain in the back, neck, and shoulders: Many women with large breasts have a lot of pain in the neck, shoulders, and neck. They always feel too heavy to carry when you have huge breasts, and contacting your doctor because you are experiencing mild to severe pain is a great option.
- Rash or infection under the breast: When you have large breasts, they tend to trap in heat, bacteria, and moisture which could result in rashes or other dire infections. When you have an inflammation or skin infection, you will most likely experience a lot of pain or irritation.
- Migraines and tension headaches: You might get used to it when you have large breasts, but you will regularly experience a pounding headache. Most women say that they have fewer headaches upon breast reduction.
- Low self-esteem: With large breasts comes extra attention, never finding the right clothes, or experiencing a lot of pain. If your breast size ever made you feel bad about yourself, you are better off reducing your cup size.
- Breathing difficulties: Even though you might not realize it, having large breasts can hinder breathing due to the weight lying on your ribs. Most women notice this when they sleep on their backs or when they need to take in deep breaths.
- Poor posture/ grooved shoulders: Even though yoga is an excellent tool for improving posture, all the available yoga might not help improve your posture when you have huge breasts, as you most likely will have a curved posture. After years of carrying this weight, it could even result in a spinal deformity as your back and chest muscles aren’t equipped to handle such weight.
- Experiencing trouble when exercising: Most women can’t exercise because their breasts stand in the way of doing most activities. A breast reduction is always the best long-term plan as sports bras will always wear out.
- Tingling and numbness: If you have big breasts and often experience tingling and numbness in your fingers, arms, or hands, it may be because of the size of your breasts. When combined with poor posture, big breasts interfere with the nerves’ pathways, creating a tingling or numb sensation.
Breast reduction and weight loss
You might be asking yourself, does losing weight reduce my breast size? The answer to that is Yes, it does. Our bodies burn fat during weight loss and since breasts contain fat cells, that leads to a decrease in breast size.
Breast reduction surgeries often result in weight loss because tissue and fat are getting removed from your body which could cause a difference of a few pounds.
Due to your flexibility now that you have smaller breasts, most women lose more weight after the surgery.
It is better to get to your target weight before undergoing the procedure when weight loss and breast reduction surgery. The common question here is, is it bad to lose weight after a breast reduction? It can be a bit stressful if you care about their appearance.
Losing weight after a breast reduction won’t allow you to have the size and appearance of breasts you want when pursuing a breast reduction.
It is wise to lose the pounds you want to lose and keep them off for a few months. Not only will this reduce your breast size as it contains fat, but it will also prevent your breasts from being droopy later on after the procedure because of weight loss.
I know you might be questioning yourself, “how much weight should I lose before a breast reduction?” The answer isn’t so simple. If you have a goal weight, make sure you achieve it or come close to it before the procedure.
You can assume this if you’re looking to have less than a 20lb weight loss after breast reduction as it will not hugely affect them. According to a study conducted by HealthDay, it is better to lose weight before going for breast reduction surgery.
Will I lose weight after a breast reduction procedure?
Yes, you will. According to a research study by the American Society of plastic surgeons as mentioned above, most women who went under the knife for breast reduction ended up losing 10-20 pounds within six months of having the surgery.
Also, immediately after the procedure, you will notice you’re lighter by a few lbs since during the procedure takes out tissues and fat.
How many cup sizes can you lose with breast reduction?
When you go to your doctor, the doctor will evaluate your aesthetic goals and breast composition to give you a good and realistic idea of how they will be afterward. But generally, you are expected to lose one to two cup sizes.
Conclusion
Breast reduction is always a hard conclusion, as many women suffer for way too long without speaking. You should learn to express these concerns, especially if you feel pain or hate your body because of your size. Otherwise, remember to lose weight before you go under the knife to get yourself the most aesthetically pleasing “after surgery” results.
- Han, C., & Yi, K. H. (2018). A Study on the Breast Shape Analysis of Big-breasted Women. Journal of Fashion Business, 22(5), 32-40.
- American society of plastic surgeons. Breast Reduction and Bariatric Surgery – Which Should Come First? (2011). plasticsurgery.org/news/press-releases/breast-reduction-and-bariatric-surgery-%E2%80%93-which-should-come-first.
- Findikcioglu, K., Findikcioglu, F., Ozmen, S., & Guclu, T. (2007). The impact of breast size on the vertebral column: a radiologic study. Aesthetic plastic surgery, 31(1), 23–27. doi.org/10.1007/s00266-006-0178-5
- Singh, K. A., & Losken, A. (2012). Additional benefits of reduction mammaplasty: a systematic review of the literature. Plastic and reconstructive surgery, 129(3), 562–570. doi.org/10.1097/PRS.0b013e31824129ee.
- Healthday. (2011). Is Breast Reduction After Weight Loss Surgery Best? consumer.healthday.com/cosmetic-information-8/breast-reduction-news-81/is-breast-reduction-after-weight-loss-surgery-best-656405.html
