Breast Reduction Kent, UK

Your breasts are reduced by removing breast tissue from below and around your nipple. The nipple is raised to a higher position and the breast skin is then stitched leaving you with a scar around the areola (the coloured skin around the nipple), vertically down from the areola to the crease under the breast and often a horizontal scar underneath the breast along the breast crease (i.e. the scar is shaped like an inverted letter “T” or an anchor).

Some people develop overly large nipples or alternatively may develop nipple duplication (a “double nipple”). Correcting this normally takes about 30-minutes and is usually performed under local anaesthetic (with you awake) as a day case procedure (in and out the same day).

Once your nipple is numbed using injections of local anaesthetic small incisions are made at the base of the nipple. Depending upon the degree of your nipple inversion, either a stitch is inserted inside the nipple which, when tightened prevents the nipple from inverting, or alternatively, small flaps of surrounding areola skin (the coloured skin around the nipple) are tunnelled in and stitched under the nipple to prevent it inverting again.

How would I be helped by breast reduction?You may find that your breasts are too big.  This could be for reasons of body image perhaps if you have a slight or slim figure which is out of keeping with the size of the breasts.  Regardless of your overall body shape, large and heavy breasts can cause pains around the neck and shoulders, affect posture or cause rubbing and discomfort from bra straps.  The breast crease can be sweaty and even develop rashes or sores.   If you are sporty you may find that a big bust interferes with your activities.  From time to time women have jobs or pastimes which may be difficult due to physical requirements or special clothing.  Other patients find that large breasts are a source of unwanted attention and comment. All of these problems are successfully addressed by breast reduction; women have high rates of satisfaction following breast reduction surgery and this is supported by medical research into quality of life after this procedure.  How is the operation done? One of the most important aspects of breast reduction surgery is your consultation.  Mr Harley will listen carefully to your concerns and discuss look you want to achieve. The operation itself is done while you are asleep (general anaesthetic).  It takes 2-3 hours and you can go home on the day of surgery or the day following it.  Breast reduction removes skin and breast tissue usually from the underneath and sides of the breast and reshapes the remaining breast tissue to give natural and more youthful appearance.  This is carefully measured and planned at your consultation and again immediately prior to surgery.  The remaining skin and tissue is reshaped around the nipple and the resulting breast is smaller, lighter and uplifted.  

Breast lift, aka Mastopexy, reshapes the natural breast tissue to convert a droopy elongated breast into a rounder shape with the nipple in a higher position.  This typically gives a pleasing transformation to the breast and whilst it doesn't add any quantity to the breast (you need an implant or fat transfer to do this) it will usually make the breast seem fuller.

Men can develop unwanted breast tissue, often as teenagers.  It is possible to remove this - there are various techniques and choice of technique depends principally on the amount of excess skin and also the amount of excess tissue under the skin.