How Many Sizes Can You Lose with a Breast Reduction?

Heavy breasts can sometimes interfere with daily activities and cause pain and discomfort. Breast reduction surgery aims to create breasts that are proportional to an individual's body frame while also addressing any functional or aesthetic concerns. The procedure involves removing excess breast tissue, fat, and skin, resulting in smaller, more lifted breasts.

Following breast reduction surgery, patients can expect a significant reduction in breast size. However, the final size after breast reduction they will lose may vary from person to person. It is important to note that breast surgery is not solely focused on breast reduction cup size but also aims to create breasts that are proportional to an individual's body frame body frame. 

In this article, we will explore what will be your breast size after this surgery, as well as how much weight you will lose after breast reduction.

What Is Breast Reduction Surgery?

Breast reduction surgery, also known as reduction mammaplasty, is an operation that involves the removal of skin and breast tissues to decrease the cup size. In this surgery, the breasts get smaller, reshaped, and lifted to give your body a better appearance. People undergo reduction mammaplasty due to various reasons, the most important of which include:

• Chronic pain in the neck, back, and shoulders;
• Difficulty in breathing because the breasts apply pressure on ribs and diaphragm;
• Poor posture as the heavy breasts have curved the spinal;
• Low self-confidence as they receive unwanted attention;
• Rash or infection under the breasts as the bacteria grow in moist and warm places such as the one under the large breasts;
• Numbness in arms, fingers, or hands as the heavy breasts block the nerves’ passageways and
• Trouble in losing weight with exercising.

How Does a Surgeon Decide What Size You Should Be?

An experienced plastic surgeon considers all aspects of your body before choosing your post-operative breast shape and size. Some of the factors that should be considered for choosing breast size include the following:

Your posture: the surgeon first examines your standing and sitting postures. If you have severe spinal deformities, more tissues should be removed from your breast, and your post-operative size will be much smaller.

Your overall body shape: the surgeon decides your final size after breast reduction based on your overall body structure. If you have small frame, the breast reduction cup size will be much smaller than now.  

Your comfort: for most surgeons, eliminating your pain is the priority.

Scarring location: an experienced surgeon will choose a breast size with minor scarring. If you want to know about mammoplasty scarring, follow the breast reduction scars article.

Projection of your breasts: if you prefer cleavage, the surgeon will choose a breast size that still reveals it. 

How Long After Breast Reduction Will I Know My Size?

The recovery period of each patient is unique and depends on her current health and lifestyle and how well her body responds to the surgery. Generally, your breast's final shape and breast reduction cup size will appear up to 12 months after breast reduction surgery. Although a lot of swelling will subside in four to six months after the operation, the residual inflammation may take eight months to decrease gradually. So, you should wait at least a year to know the actual size of your breasts after breast reduction surgery.  

Does Breast Reduction Make You Look Thinner?

Many women with large breasts are not overweight. Hormonal changes, genetics, certain medications, pregnancy, and breastfeeding can result in large and painful breasts. Therefore, getting a breast reduction seems like you’ve lost a lot of weight, even though you haven’t. Many women with smaller frames who have undergone reduced mammaplasty look thinner and taller after the surgery. So, if you have a slim waist and flat stomach but large breasts, you can get a much better result from reduced mammaplasty.

How Small Can a Breast Reduction Go?

The minimum size for a breast reduction varies depending on the patient's body proportions and personal goals. However, the breasts will be reduced to a C or D cup from whatever your original breast size is in most cases.

In the consultation session, the surgeon discusses how small your breasts can be during the surgery. However, factors such as the number of breast tissues, volume of fat, location of milk ducts, blood supplies to support nipple function, and your general health can affect the extent of the surgery and your breast size after reduction surgery. The surgeon will generally make your breasts as small as you like, but you should have realistic expectations from the surgery and choose a natural and proportionate size.

Can I Get a Breast Reduction and Breast Lift at the Same Time?

Many patients wonder whether they need a breast lift at the same time as breast reduction. Well, that depends on the condition of your breasts and your expectations. If you are doing reduction mammaplasty to relieve your pain and don’t care about your droopy tits, you don’t need a breast lift; however, if your breasts are saggy, the appearance of your breasts is important to you, you need a breast lift as well. By combining these two operations, your costs and postoperative side effects will be reduced prominently. 

Will I Lose Weight After a Breast Reduction?

Although breasts weigh a few pounds and only 100 to 300 grams of them will be removed during the breast reduction surgery, you will lose a lot of weight after the operation as you can exercise more and better.

The weight you lose after a breast reduction surgery depends on the cause of your obesity, how much tissue and fat are removed from your breasts, and how well you try to maintain a healthy lifestyle following the operation. The more you engage in physical activities, the better your body and breasts will look after the breast reduction surgery.

Should I Lose Weight Before Reduction Mammaplasty?

Most surgeons recommend losing weight before reduction mammaplasty because if you lose some pounds after the surgery, your breast may look smaller than you’ve wanted, and your skin may get loose and saggy. Therefore, achieving your desired weight and maintaining it for a couple of months is suggested before getting a breast reduction.

Read more: Breast Reduction Before or After Weight Loss: Which Is Recommended?

Can I Choose My Breast Size Before Breast Reduction?

In the consultation session, the doctor examines your body and then describes the surgery's procedure, side effects, and results. In this appointment, you can discuss your expectations with the surgeon, and together, you will find a size appropriate for you and your body. 

Will My Breasts Grow Back After Reduction Mammaplasty? 

Usually, the results of reduction mammaplasty are life-long, but the breasts can get large again in rare cases. Factors such as getting pregnant, breastfeeding, breast reduction at a very young age, severe hormonal changes, taking certain medications, gaining weight, and not being physical can affect the results of your surgery and make your breasts grow back. So, if you plan to have a baby in the future or have to take hormonal medications regularly, discuss it with your doctor before getting a breast reduction.

Fortunately, you can prevent new breast tissues from forming by having a healthy lifestyle and maintaining a balanced diet. Also, drinking plenty of water and doing chest exercises will keep your breasts in shape forever.  

What Might Cause Breasts to Get Bigger After Breast Reduction Surgery?

Many factors might cause your breasts to get bigger after breast reduction surgery, but the main reasons are severe hormonal fluctuations, notable weight gain, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and aging. Also, taking birth control pills, menopause, uncontrolled diabetes, and having certain medical conditions such as Gigantomastia syndrome can cause breast enlargement after reduction mammaplasty. 

FAQs about Breast Size after Breast Reduction Surgery

What would be my cup size after breast reduction?

It is tough to predict the bra size after breast reduction, but your breasts will probably be one to three cup sizes smaller.  

What is the age limit for getting a breast reduction?

While there is no age limit for getting a breast reduction, it is recommended to postpone it until your breast is fully grown. If you get reduced mammaplasty at a very young age, your breast will grow as you age.

How long after breast reduction will I know my size?

The final shape and size of the breast will be apparent six months after breast reduction surgery.

Can I get breast reduction with other plastic surgeries?

You can get breast reduction with breast lifting, liposuction, and tummy tuck to have a better result from your plastic surgery.

Do they lift my breasts during the breast reduction surgery?

If your initial breast size is large and too much fat, skin, and tissues are removed from your breasts, your surgeon probably lifts your breasts and repositions your nipple to give a better look to your boobs.

How long after breast reduction surgery can I wear a bra?

You should wait at least three months before wearing regular bras, underwire bras, and bikini tops. You can only wear a sports bra and compression garments during recovery. 

Why is my breast the same size as before breast reduction surgery?

In some cases, the patients assume that their breast size has not changed after the surgery or that their boobs look even bigger than before. It should be said that the breasts are swollen for a couple of weeks after the surgery, so it is completely normal for the breasts to look bigger after reduction surgery. 

What does it mean if my breasts look bigger soon after breast reduction surgery?

Your breasts will probably look bigger, fuller, and cone-shaped for a couple of days after breast reduction surgery, but there is nothing to worry about. Once the swelling goes down and the nipples settle in their new position, you can see that your breasts are considerably smaller than before.