Breast reduction

Sue is 49 years old. She has been bothered for many years by the weight and size of her breasts. These cause aching in her shoulders and neck and have also restricted her physical activity.

Sue weighs 78kg which is about 10kg more than her optimal weight. She attends a gym but finds it difficult to run partly due to the weight of her breasts. She wears an E cup bra and would ideally like to be a C cup size.

Sue is a good candidate for breast reduction surgery. She has no serious medical or surgical problems.

After careful discussion of surgical options Sue decides to go ahead with breast reduction.

Surgery involves a general anaesthetic and approximately 3 hours in theatre. An inferior pedicle technique was employed. 400g of tissue was removed from each breast.

4 hours after surgery Sue developed pain and swelling in the right breast due to a haematoma. She was returned to theatre and 100cc of haematoma was evacuated. Sue made a good recovery and is pleased with the cosmetic result. She has noticed a marked improvement in her shoulder and neck symptoms.