Breast Growth After Reduction

A breast reduction can improve the quality of life for someone who has been living with shoulder and back pain for years. However, for a select few breast-reduction patients, the breasts can grow back after the surgery is completed, bringing back the pain and, often, anger and confusion.

Reasons for Growth

If you have already had a breast reduction, your surgeon should have gone over all the ins and outs of the surgery, from pre- to post-op procedures. The subject of post-reduction breast growth is commonly addresed when planning and waiting for the surgery. Most doctors tell their patients that it is likely their breasts will increase in size over the first several months post-op while their new breasts are adjusting and getting settled in to their new size and shape. After the first year, the average patient will safely be able to say she has a new, smaller cup size.

But for those who experience growth beyond this time, there is always some concern as to why this could be occurring. ThePlasticSurgeryGroup.com says that in very rare instances, a second procedure will have to be performed if breast growth continues after the surgery. Often the reasons for breast re-growth are simple. Pregnancy can increase breast size in women who have had reductions, just as it can for women who have not. Weight gain can also be a factor in increasing breast size after a reduction. Alternatively, weight loss can often result in breast-size reduction as well.

The website for England-based surgeon Andrew Yelland, FCRS, says that women should expect breasts to droop and change shape over time, just as normal breasts would. This is just thanks to being a woman and the effects of time and gravity on our bodies.

Word of Caution

In the event you have had a breast reduction and are seeing significant growth without having gained weight or become pregnant, schedule a visit with your gynecologist right away to ensure there are not more serious issues at hand, such as growths or tumors in the breasts.

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