Breast Reduction

Breast reduction surgery, or reduction mammaplasty, reduces breast size to improve proportion of your upper body contours, while also elevating your breasts.

When Is Breast Reduction The Right Choice?

Adult women and sometimes even teens may be good candidates for breast reduction if they suffer from discomfort or embarrassment as a result of having very large, pendulous breasts. Breast reduction may be the right choice if your breasts cause you to experience:

Psychological distress
Lack of mobility
Limited clothing options
Back, neck and/or shoulder pain
Skin irritation in the breast fold
Significant breast asymmetry

Patients who undergo breast reduction surgery should be healthy, non-smokers cleared to safely undergo anesthesia by one of our board certified anesthesiologists. Ideally, the breasts will be fully developed before breast reduction surgery is pursued.

How Breast Reduction Treats Large, Heavy Breasts

By removing excess breast skin and tissue, Dr. Ward is able to resize and reshape the breasts, as well as reposition the nipples. There are two techniques that may be used to accomplish this. A lollipop or short scar incision, which runs around each areola and vertically down the bottom of each breast, is typically used for patients who require less skin and tissue removal. To reduce larger breasts with more severe sagging, an anchor or inverted-T incision is used, which combines a lollipop incision with another incision along each breast fold.

Post-Operative Steps: What to Expect After Breast Reduction

After breast reduction surgery, you may return home the same day with help from a friend or family member. Expect to feel sore and uncomfortable for the first few days and manage pain with medication as prescribed.

Sleeping on your back with your head elevated will also help reduce swelling and keep pressure off your breasts. It is also important to avoid exposing incisions to the sun for several months after surgery to ensure optimal healing of your breast reduction scars.

Most breast reduction patients return to work within two weeks. For at least 3-4 weeks, patients should wear an approved sports bra and avoid aerobic exercise and heavy lifting. Once Dr. Ward clears you to resume strenuous activity, your breast reduction recovery will be mostly complete.

Breast reduction patients from Arlington, Fort Worth, Grand Prairie, Duncanville and Mansfield, Texas enjoy excellent results and superior surgical care in the hands of board certified plastic surgeon Dr. James Ward. For more information about breast reduction in Arlington, contact Dr. Ward at his offices in the USMD Hospital at (817) 861-0505.