When we think about cosmetic breast surgery, many people tend to zero in on one specific procedure: breast augmentation. But increasingly common are breast reductions — essentially the inverse of augmentation. But what happens if you decide to get a breast reduction and aren’t happy with it? Can you undo a breast reduction?
How Breast Reduction Works
Breast reduction’s aim is to make the breasts smaller. To achieve this, fat and glandular tissue are removed, the nipple is relocated and the breasts are reshaped to look attractive and natural with their newly reduced volume. There are several different incisions that can be used depending on how much tissue needs to be removed and whether or not there is already severe sagging present.
Why Women Get Breast Reductions
Women have many reasons for choosing to get breast reductions. Perhaps the most common reason is physical pain caused by heavy breasts pulling on the neck and shoulders, creating a lot of upper body pain. However, many women simply don’t like how their larger breasts look, especially if they don’t have wider hips to visually balance them. There are also many who struggle to find clothes that fit just because their breasts are too large.
Regret and Breast Reduction
Most women are very happy with their breast reductions, but as with any procedure, cosmetic or otherwise, there are some who simply are not pleased with their results. Maybe the doctor went too small or perhaps the patient just didn’t have a realistic understanding of how they would look with smaller breasts. However, whenever this happens, women often look into reversing their reduction. But is this possible?
Breast reduction regret is rare but when it happens, there are options.
Reversing vs. Correcting
You cannot reverse a breast reduction. Because that tissue is gone for good, there is no going back to what once was. However, you can correct a breast reduction that has gone wrong or otherwise isn’t to your liking. Post-reduction augmentation allows you to add volume to your breasts. You can do this through implants or fat grafting.
Before you settle on augmenting your reduced breasts, there are a few things to consider. First of all, what motivated you to see a reduction in the first place? If you got your surgery to address physical pain, adding volume can bring these aches and pains right back. If you were wanting a different look, know that you’ll need to give that up to get back your volume.
Also, ask yourself why you are unhappy with your results. Many people experience short-term cosmetic surgery regret in the early days after their procedures. The pain is still present, the incisions don’t look great and post-surgery swelling can make things look very odd. If you are feeling this regret in the first three to four months after surgery, take a deep breath and let things heal before you commit to a new procedure.
Our advice? Don’t go into surgery anticipating that you’ll regret your reduction but do plenty of thinking before getting one. Know that most women are thrilled with their results, and should you greenlight your procedure, expect that you will be too.
Dr. Joseph J. Castellano is a native Floridian who grew up in the Tampa Bay area. During medical school and his 5 years of training in General Surgery, Dr. Castellano developed a strong interest in Cosmetic Surgery. He followed his residency training with an elective year of specialized training with the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery. From 2010-2011, he completed a fellowship in Indiana focused entirely of cosmetic surgery of the face and body. During his fellowship, he received specialized training in facial rejuvenation, breast augmentation, abdominoplasty, and body contouring. Dr. Castellano received his board certification from the American College of Surgeons in 2010.
Dr. Castellano focuses on breast augmentation, abdominoplasty, liposuction, facelift, and eyelid rejuvenation. Additionally, he operates on numerous skin cancers, scar revisions, spider veins, and specializes in the management of aging skin with chemical peels and laser resurfacing.
Request a consultation to meet with Dr. Castellano and learn more about all his practice has to offer.
