One of the reasons women seek breast reduction surgery is that overly large breasts tend to cause shoulder, neck and back discomfort and pain. It has been found that women who undergo breast reduction surgery to alleviate the discomfort are much happier after the surgery. They not only begin to feel ‘normal’ they also look ‘normal’ and to top it off, their pains caused by large heavy breast are greatly reduced. This kind of surgery generally falls into the category of mamoplasty. The patient undergoes the surgical procedure under general anesthesia, and may need to stay overnight in the hospital.



Statistics show that satisfaction rate is in the range of 80%-90%. In addition, symptom relief is also very satisfactory, ranging from 70%-100%. These figures show that it is indeed a successful procedure. As far as appearance is concerned, there is some scarring, which may fade over the years, but initially the scars are fairly dark and wide.

Other options for discomfort from overly large breasts include diet, exercise, and using special support bras and in some cases even medication. However, none of these options seem to be as effective as surgery for breast reduction. In fact, reports indicate that the health benefits for women, and the overall wellness of women who have undergone breast reduction surgery, are considerably higher than for the more conservative forms of treatment. In most cases it has been noted that women rarely opt for the surgical option as a first choice. It is only after they have tried other conservative forms of help quite considerably that they decide to try surgery as a last option. In most cases, the surgery relieves them of their discomfort, and only a small number, may be 13% need to continue taking painkillers after surgery.

Insurance companies are not happy to provide funds for breast reduction surgery unless the patient has tried out the conservative treatments, including pain-killing medication of all kinds. It is only when all else has failed that the insurance is ready to provide adequate funding for breast reduction surgery. On the other hand, plastic surgeons seem to be of the opinion that we know conservative treatment only provide temporary relief and that too of a fairly mild nature. They support the notion that a patient should not undergo pain that interferes with normal day-to-day functioning, and therefore, the option for surgery should be moved upon the priority treatment list.

ASPS is the largest association of plastic surgeons and they are of the opinion that breast reduction surgery is not only very safe, but it is also highly effective. They also feel that insurance companies do not understand the severity of the pain and discomfort associated with overlarge breasts and therefore tend to regard the problem as inconsequential. There is a dire need to educate sufferers, insurance companies and medical practitioners in understanding that breast largeness is a medical condition and can be and needs to be rectified if the sufferer wants to lead a more comfortable life.