Breast Reduction Revision Surgery: What Causes It and When Is It Possible?

Hello.

The reasons for wanting breast reduction revision surgery can be broadly divided into three categories.

Today, let’s look at these three reasons and the timing for revision surgery.

The first cause can be dissatisfaction with the size.

In fact, for people who undergo reduction surgery, the biggest goal is, above all else, to make the breasts smaller, so expectations about size tend to be very high.

That is why how much smaller the breasts will become after surgery is a major concern.

If this could be determined accurately in advance before surgery, both the medical team and the patient could reach a result without disagreement.

However, in reality, even if precise measurements or 3D simulation are done before surgery, there is inevitably some difference between what was imagined before surgery and the actual size after surgery.

If it were a surgery such as breast cancer surgery, where the breast is simply removed, one could set a specific number and cut away the breast tissue exactly to match it. But in breast reduction surgery, both size and breast shape are important, so it is not possible to remove an arbitrary, fixed amount.

Also, fundamentally, a breast without a nipple loses aesthetic value as well, so to preserve blood flow that can maintain the nipple, there will inevitably be parts that must be left behind during resection.

Because the parts that must be left behind differ from person to person, the breast size after surgery can also vary from one person to another.

The second is dissatisfaction with the shape.

There are several methods for breast reduction surgery, but no single method can absolutely create the best shape.

Each method has its own characteristic advantages and shape-related disadvantages.

In the case of the periareolar incision method, the areola may become excessively enlarged.

And the vertical incision method may cause wrinkled folds to form along the inframammary fold.

Also, with the Wise-pattern incision method, the nipple may be raised back to the proper position after surgery, but sagging can occur in the lower part of the breast.

Lastly, the third is the change in breast shape due to bodily changes.

Breast reduction surgery is not something that can be preserved forever without change.

Even after surgery, the size and shape of the breasts can change due to pregnancy, childbirth, weight gain, and other factors.

For these reasons, people may consider breast reduction revision surgery.

The issue that people considering breast reduction revision surgery worry about most is the timing of the revision.

In deciding when to perform revision surgery, there are generally three aspects to consider.

We need to look at changes in size, changes in shape, and recovery of blood flow.

First, immediately after reduction surgery, the breasts gradually become even smaller as the initial swelling goes down.

According to research, the size decreases by an additional 8–14% during the first three months.

Also, in terms of shape changes, a three-dimensional form analysis study reported that the breast shape continues to change until 6–9 months after reduction surgery, and that it takes about one year before shape-related changes stop occurring.

Lastly, the stability of blood flow must be considered.

In fact, during reduction surgery, many blood vessels leading to the nipple are inevitably cut.

Also, the smaller the reduction, the more blood vessels are inevitably damaged.

In general, the time needed for smooth blood flow to regenerate and replace damaged vessels is considered to be about one year.

By considering the recovery times for size, shape, and blood flow, the union of these factors can be used to estimate the waiting period needed for revision surgery.

In conclusion, from the standpoint of safety, it would be appropriate to undergo breast reduction revision surgery after at least one year has passed since the first operation.