Breast | Breast Reduction Complications

"Dr. Rahban addressed my every concern with compassion. I was listened to. He explained my options clearly and was honest and realistic as to what I might expect from surgery."

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Asymmetrical breasts

Asymmetry occurs when both breasts aren’t a similar shape and size. It happens when your plastic surgeon removes more or less tissue from one of your breasts, inadvertently creating a lopsided appearance. It can also occur when the nipple areola complex is created and put in the wrong location.

To prevent this complication, Dr. Rahban will take two key steps. First, he will thoroughly evaluate your chest and spend a tremendous amount of time marking your breasts prior to surgery. Oftentimes, surgeons rush or simply mark the breasts on the OR table. From there, he will remove precise amounts of excess tissue from each of your breasts during the actual procedure, sitting you up and down multiple times and weighing the tissue removed in order to assure symmetry.

Over or under reduction

After a breast reduction, some women find that their surgeon removed too much or too little excess tissue – resulting in an undesirable appearance. Dr. Rahban avoids this complication by preparing for surgery with you and keeping the lines of communication open. Many times women may ask for a size that is too small for their frame and hence will lead to square, flat breasts.

He’ll ask you to show him photos of breasts you’d ideally like to possess, and determine whether or not that size is reasonable. Rather than attempt to achieve a specific cup size, Dr. Rahban believes in focusing on shape rather than just size. In this way, he avoids the unfortunate outcome of over-reduction, creating the necessity for a subsequent breast augmentation.

Breast shape irregularities

While a breast reduction is primarily about removing volume, it’s also about maintaining a beautiful breast shape. If your plastic surgeon fails to mark your breasts properly prior to surgery, you may wake up with smaller breasts that are also boxy and square. To prevent this complication, Dr. Rahban will mark your chest with extreme accuracy and precision pre-op in the standing position. In addition, he’ll focus as much on sculpting a full and feminine breast shape as he does on removing unwanted volume.

Bottoming out

Bottoming it out is when the breast tissue that was lifted and sharpened sags down with time and leaves a hollowness in the upper breast and nipple that points too high. This complication occurs quite commonly when surgeons use an Inferior Pedicle Technique in order to perform your reduction. Dr. Rahban utilizes a different technique called a Superior Medial Technique. This is a unique approach that significantly reduces this unsightly appearance.

Unsightly scars

Scars are an inevitable outcome associated with breast reductions – but they don’t have to be disfiguring or unsightly. A skilled surgeon can ensure virtually imperceptible marks – and that’s exactly what Dr. Rahban strives to deliver. He takes the closure process as seriously as the actual breast reduction, because he understands the profound impact scars have on your appearance and self-esteem. While many surgeons have their surgical technician or assistant surgeon close in order to speed up surgery, he personally closes all of his incisions himself to ensure that his patients recover with the smallest and faintest scars possible.

Bleeding

Severe bleeding is another complication associated with breast reductions. In most cases, it develops within the first two days after the procedure, and can lead to poor wound healing that affects your aesthetic outcome. To prevent excessive bleeding among his patients, Dr. Rahban will have you stop using aspirin, supplements and anti-inflammatory medications for a full two weeks prior to your procedure. This should reduce your risk of bleeding and ensure a smooth recovery.

Infection

After any procedure, there’s a risk of an infection – and breast reduction surgery is no different. To minimize your risk and preserve your health, Dr. Rahban will have you wash with an antiseptic soap the night before and morning of surgery, and he’ll give you powerful antibiotics before and after the procedure. He’ll also provide you with post-operative guidelines that can help you avoid an infection as you recover.