Breast Reduction in Houston, Pearland & Clear Lake, TX
Also serving patients in Friendswood, League City, and Webster.
Also serving patients in Friendswood, League City, and Webster.
At Kim Carpin Plastic Surgery, we understand the physical and emotional impact of excessively large breasts. Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Kim Carpin offers compassionate and expert care for breast reduction. Combining artistic sensibility with advanced surgical techniques, she helps you achieve natural-looking results that improve both your physical comfort and emotional well-being.
Breast reduction surgery, also known as reduction mammoplasty, results in a more proportional breast size and reduces symptoms associated with heavy breasts. Patients will find clothes better fitting, and exercise may become easier. Dr. Kim Carpin serves patients in Houston, Friendswood, League City, Pearland, Clear Lake, TX, and surrounding areas.
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To reduce the size and weight of excessively large breasts, improving shape and appearance.
Improved posture, reduced back and neck pain, increased comfort and confidence.
Varies depending on the extent of the procedure, typically 1-2 weeks of initial downtime.
Typically 3-4 hours.
Long-lasting improvement in breast size and shape, enhanced comfort and self-esteem.
Breast reduction, also known as reduction mammoplasty, is a surgical procedure designed to reduce the size and weight of excessively large breasts. During the procedure, excess breast tissue, fat, and skin are removed to create a more proportionate breast size and shape.
Breast reduction surgery is performed under general anesthesia in our accredited surgical suite. The procedure typically lasts 3-4 hours. Dr. Carpin will make incisions around the areola (the dark area around the nipple) and under the breast. Excess skin and breast tissue are removed. The areola is reduced and lifted. The breast is reshaped and lifted. Absorbable sutures are placed and the breast is wrapped in a light dressing. After observation, patients are released home on the same day of surgery.
The improvements to a patient’s breasts with this surgery are similar to a breast lift. Flattened, sagging breasts will be lifted and reduced. The nipples, which may have actually pointed downward, will be lifted and the size of the areola, or colored skin around the nipple, is reduced. If desired, Dr. Carpin can reduce the size of the nipples. The breasts will be smaller and perkier.
Depending on your individual goals, breast reduction can be combined with other procedures to address multiple concerns at once. During your consultation, Dr. Carpin will be happy to discuss all of your options based on your goals for treatment.
Women with overly large natural breasts seek reduction surgery for both physical and psychological reasons. The physical burden of large, heavy breasts can be daunting. Overly large breasts can create these physical problems:
Neck pain is usually tied to nerve compression in the cervical spine, where the nerves servicing the arms and hands are exiting the spine. If the spine is tilted forward, due to the continual weight of large breasts, these nerves can become compressed, leading to serious pain.
Large breasts can be equally daunting psychologically. They attract unwanted attention in both social and professional situations. This can make a woman avoid certain social situations. They can be equally intrusive when performing sports or doing exercise.
After this surgery, many women feel a new level of self-confidence. This highly effective surgery immediately reduces breast heaviness, and oftentimes, the backaches and neck pain are immediately relieved. Women no longer feel the need to “cover up” and are thrilled to eliminate the physical burden of heavy breasts.
Macromastia (enlarged breasts) can cause problems for many women. The excessive weight of the breast can lead to shoulder, neck, and upper back pain. Persistent rashes can occur under the breast, as well as shoulder grooving from bra straps. Breast reduction is an excellent solution for women experiencing these or any other concerns related to overly large breasts. Dr. Carpin will work with you to understand your goals and help you plan a procedure tailored to your needs.
Patients commonly feel discomfort, swelling, and bruising. Patients typically return to work in one week to two weeks. Most patients begin to feel back relief soon after surgery. Heavy exercise is permitted by four to six weeks in most cases. Scars fade over the course of six to twelve months. Dr. Carpin will provide detailed instructions for aftercare and check your healing at post-operative visits.
Breast reduction offers ultimate relief from the discomfort and cosmetic concerns associated with overly large breasts. With personalized care and a reputation for excellence, Dr. Carpin can help you reclaim your best overall wellness for years into the future.
“Dr. Carpin is very professional. She performed a breast reduction after I could no longer handle the pain and inconvenience of having large breasts. She will never know how grateful I am and how my confidence has skyrocketed because of her.”
-April
Please schedule a consultation with Dr. Carpin if you are interested in learning more about breast reduction. Dr. Carpin offers breast reduction for patients in Houston, League City and Clear Lake, TX and surrounding areas, including Friendswood, Pasedena, Kemah, Seabrook, Galveston, and Pearland. Call (713) 799-9999 today for more information.
Patients will see immediate results, and results are long-lasting. However, with aging and effects of gravity, the skin may again relax with time. Patients with significant weight gain or loss may see changes in the breast size fluctuate as well.
Breast reduction is a permanent downsizing of your breasts. While your breast size can fluctuate somewhat with weight gain and loss or hormonal changes, the overall size of your breasts will be much smaller.
After surgery, you will enjoy smaller, well-proportioned, perky breasts. Symptoms such as back pain and shoulder grooves from bra straps will improve with breast reduction surgery.
Many women have a specific size request for breast reduction surgery. In general, most women desire a C cup breast size. However, larger women may need to consider a D cup, as a smaller size reduction may look poorly proportioned to the rest of their body. It is important to match the breast to the rest of the body proportions. Finally, bra cup sizes vary between bra cup brands, so no guarantee in bra cup size can be made.
While there isn’t a “legal” age restriction for breast reduction surgery, there are several reasons to consider waiting until you are at least 18 years old. One is that the breasts are generally fully grown by this time, so the full size and weight of the breasts is apparent and regrowth after surgery is minimized. Scheduling surgery earlier than 18 years of age warrants special consideration. The patient must have confirmation of stable breast size and height, demonstrate psychological maturity, and have parental consent.
In general, breast reduction surgery is safe, and women are highly satisfied after the procedure. However, breast reduction with Dr. Carpin is major surgery, so it involves risks inherent to all surgery, such as bleeding, anesthesia risks, and poor wound healing. The main risk of breast reduction surgery is scars under the breast and around the areola. For several months after surgery, there is a risk for some loss of nipple sensation or overall changes in breast sensation. In most cases, sensation returns. Also, the ability to breastfeed can be impacted by this surgery. Dr. Carpin evaluates each patient and strives to minimize risks associated with surgery.
The scars associated with breast reduction surgery are determined by the amount of excess breast tissue and skin. In most cases, Dr. Carpin uses what is called an “anchor incision” for the reduction of tissue. This incision circles the areola, drops down to the breast crease, and extends outward in both directions along that crease. In smaller breast reductions, the incision can be limited to a “lollipop incision”, where the scar does not extend under the breast. The scars will lighten over time, and most women are not bothered by the scarring.
Dr. Carpin makes every possible effort not to impact the milk glands and the patient’s ability to breastfeed. However, because the nipples usually need to be relocated to a higher position on the chest, there is always a risk of affecting the milk glands. In most cases, the patient should be able to breastfeed, but it is important to understand that there is a risk of impacting this ability.
