The Hospital
The surgery will be performed at the Bristol Nuffield Hospital. You will be an inpatient and be in hospital for one night after the surgery.
Anaesthesia
Breast reduction is always performed under general anaesthesia. You’ll be asleep through the entire operation.
Surgery
Techniques for breast reduction vary, but we favour the vertical scar technique. This allows for a longer lasting, pleasing breast shape and reduced scarring. The incision circles the areola, and extends downward into the breast fold. She removes excess glandular tissue, fat, and skin, and moves the nipple and areola into their new position. She then brings the skin from both sides of the breast down and around the areola, shaping the new contour of the breast.
The nipples ALWAYS remain attached to their blood vessels and nerves. If the breasts are very large or pendulous, the nipples and areolas may have either increased or decreased sensation after the operation. This usually normalises after some time. Stitches are located around the areola and in a vertical line extending downward. They will not need to be removed. Very RARELY nipple loss may occur. Breast feeding is not guaranteed as a large part of the milk producing glands are removed, but some patients do go on to breast feed successfully.
