Reduction Surgery for Giant Breast

Ro, Man Soo

Abstract

PURPOSE: Women with large breasts suffer from both physical embarrassment and physical discomfort. Recently, partially due to socioeconomic development, growing numbers of woman with large breasts have sought reduction surgery, which previously had not been popular in Korea. At this time, a proper evaluation of the operation is required in order to promote the procedure. METHODS: Case files of 60 reduction operations using the inferior pedicle flap method for the reduction of large breasts were clinically reviewed. RESULTS: The patients were aged 19~65 (mean 34.5) years. The primary reasons for surgery were self-consciousness, shoulder/neck/back pain, wet skinfold/eczema and intractable mastalgia. Breast parenchymal pattern analysis by mammography revealed relatively a high frequency of dysplastic change (DY) among women with intractable breast pain, which was nearly entirely relieved by reduction surgery. The nipple-areolar complex were saved with inferior dermal pedicle flaps without any occurrence of necrosis. An average of 350 (range 50~800) grams of tissue from each breast was removed. There were no blood transfusions and significant postoperative complications were rare, although some patients complained of hypertrophic scars. CONCLUSION: Postoperative results were sufficiently satifactory to consider reduction surgery for inappropriately large breasts as a rehabilitative method.