This case depicts a 29 year old woman with symptomatic breast hypertrophy who underwent a breast reduction using the inverted T or "anchor" incision pattern. Because of this individual's symptoms, medical insurance covered a portion of the costs of this procedure.

Not only did her symptoms improve following surgery, but she also gained a more aesthetically proportionate breast. Her post-operative photographs show her appearance approximately one month after surgery.

This 49 year old woman reached her plateau weight after losing 100 pounds following bariatric surgery.  She is an excellent example of an individual whose breast tissue had been largely replaced with fat and as such, after massive weight loss, there was not enough breast tissue remaining to rearrange into a new breast shape that appeared typical of what one might expect after a breast lift or mastopexy.

From an aesthetic standpoint, this woman informed me that she would be satisfied with any improvement in her breast shape.  Her primary goal, however, was to remove the extra skin that otherwise laid across her abdomen unless she wore an underwire bra.  Her skin had lost a great deal of its elasticity and was unlikely to tolerate insertion of an implant to replace lost volume without sagging or becoming ptotic in a relatively short period of time.  The use of commercially available skin substitutes, which would have allowed use of an implant, was not an option for her.

Her post surgical photographs show her result after I performed a breast lift or mastopexy using a short scar technique that leaves behind scars in the shape of a “lollipop.” 

This 26 year old woman reached her plateau weight after losing 74 pounds following bariatric surgery.  She had a breast lift or mastopexy using a technique which leaves behind scars in the shape of an “anchor.” 

In some patients who lose a large amount of weight, the natural end point of the breast laterally disappears and the breast appears to continue around towards the back.  This is what has happened to this woman. 

In selected individuals who have this problem, the “anchor” scar type breast lift can be amended to remove that skin excess on the side of the body beneath the arm.  This is the reason that I selected that particular breast lift technique in this woman even though the scars that it leaves behind are longer and more difficult to conceal in a swimsuit.

Looking at her photographs after surgery, it is obvious that there is no longer a "wing" of skin that continues laterally towards the back.  Instead, the breast has a round shape and ends as it typically does before the side of the body that lies beneath the arm. 

Unfortunately, there is now a visible scar there.  This is an example of what I refer to as a “trade off” in plastic surgery.  It is important to decide what is more important to each individual patient- a scar or better contour.  Sometimes, it is not possible to have both!

This 37 year old woman reached her plateau weight after losing 91 pounds following bariatric surgery.  She had a breast lift or mastopexy using a technique which leaves behind scars in the shape of an “anchor.”

A breast lift or mastopexy is an operation which rearranges breast tissue so that the new breast shape is typically shorter and rounder.  Unfortunately, patients who have lost a large amount of weight often do not have enough breast tissue remaining to rearrange into a naturally appearing breast.  This woman was fortunate to have enough breast tissue after a 90 pound weight loss to achieve the breast shape that is visible in her post surgery photographs.

While an implant can provide the volume that is lacking after massive weight loss, the weight of the implant can also be very taxing on compromised skin, such as that which is typical after massive weight loss.  Commercially available skin substitutes can provide the strength needed for successful use of implants in such cases. 

This case depicts a 41 year old woman who wished to have slightly smaller and shapelier breasts. She underwent breast reduction using an inverted T or "anchor" incision pattern.

Her post-operative photographs depict her appearance approximately two months after surgery.

With optimal design before surgery, the portion of this incision that runs along the fold of the breast is nearly completely hidden. Reduction of the areolar size for balance and proportion is an additional advantage of this procedure.

This individual suffered from gigantomastia and underwent a breast reduction in which almost three and a quarter pounds of weight was removed from the breasts.

The breast reduction was performed in a manner that so that the breasts were shortened in length and lifted. This photograph was taken at approximately four months following surgery. No liposuction was performed in this procedure.

This individual underwent a breast reduction in which almost two and a quarter pounds of weight was removed from the breasts. The breasts were shortened in length and lifted to give a rounder appearance. This photograph was taken at approximately four months following surgery.

Liposuction of the tissue that lies between the upper outer quadrant of the breast and the upper arm as well as the side of the body directly beneath the arm pit area can decrease bra band size and give the breast a narrower appearance after surgery.

This 24 year old woman had a breast lift or mastopexy to correct sagging of her breasts that occurred as a result of changes related to pregnancy.  I used a short scar breast lift or mastopexy technique which leaves behind scars shaped like a “lollipop.”  Some breast lifts or mastopexies are performed using a technique that results in scars that look like an “anchor,” but I prefer to use this shorter scar technique because scars are never visible in the cleavage nor on the side of the body beneath the arm.  This makes swimsuit selection much easier.

How the breasts will change as a result of pregnancy varies from one woman to the next.  Some women’s breasts look very similar after pregnancy.  Others change drastically in their appearance after even a single pregnancy.

This woman was fortunate to have enough breast tissue to rearrange into a relatively full and natural appearing breast without the need for an implant. 

Skin elasticity, which refers to the ability of skin to “snap back” after being stretched, also varies from one woman to the next.  In people who have poor elasticity, surgical results do not last as long.  In such people, using an implant to replace volume can predispose that individual to an earlier recurrence of the initial problem because the implant has weight and taxes already compromised skin.  Commercially available skin substitutes can provide the strength needed for successful use of implants in such cases.  Use of such substitutes adds expense and complexity to the surgery, however.

This 39 year old woman underwent breast reduction in which approximately one and a half pounds of tissue was removed from each breast. 

I view breast reduction as a two part process:  first, tissue is removed to decrease the size and weight of the breasts; second, the remaining tissue is rearranged to create a new breast that has an aesthetically appropriate appearance.  This rearranging process is very similar to what is done in a breast lift. 

In this individual’s case, the incisions used to perform the breast reduction were of the “anchor” type and the incisions healed well.