Breast Reduction | Nürnberger Klinik for Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery

For women suffering from their huge and heavy breasts, a breast reduction is practically the only solution for gaining new quality of life and for preventing health problems later in life. That is why we at the Nürnberger Klinik for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery think that in cases of pronounced gigantomastia, such an operation may well make sense even at a younger age. However, it should be ascertained that the breast is fully developed.

If a breast reduction is desired for purely aesthetic reasons, family planning has to be taken into account: Thanks to the state-of-the-art surgical techniques utilised at the Nürnberger Klinik for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, it is on principle possible to retain the sensitivity of the nipples and the ability to breastfeed a baby. However, there may be limitations in individual cases. So for women who still want to give birth and whose breasts are not too heavy, it may make sense to wait a while before they have a breast reduction, since the breasts will change again due to breastfeeding. Women 35 or older should also do a mammography prior to their breast reduction.

In a detailed personal consultation, we can discuss the operation method that’s best suited to your individual situation.

We will conduct the operation that takes 2–3 hours under general anaesthesia. You should plan to stay at the Nürnberger Klinik for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery for 1–2 days.

During a breast reduction, surplus glandular tissue and skin are removed, and if necessary fat cells will be suctioned off.

There are various operation techniques to carry out a breast reduction. The respective operation method will depend on the amount of mammary glandular tissue to be removed. In general, an incision around the areola with a vertically prolonged cut into the breast crease is sufficient (vertical incision, also called “Lejour method” or “i-method” At the Nürnberger Klinik for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, we work exclusively with internal sutures – despite the high time effort involved –, thus creating ideal preconditions for scar healing.

During the first 24 hours following the operation, the breasts have to be immobilised; you will wear a compression bandage for that purpose. Swelling and bruising following the breast reduction are part of the normal healing process. After 3 weeks, the stitches can be removed at the Nürnberger Klinik for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Depending on the method used, the success of the operation can be evaluated after 6 weeks.

Until then, you must not lift heavy objects, must not do any sports at all, and should definitely avoid any physical exertion so as not to have a negative effect on the healing process following your breast reduction. In addition, during this time, you will be wearing a special bra which will relieve tension on the sutures and which will help keep the operated breasts in shape.

We will inform you comprehensively in a detailed personal consultation about any potential risks as well as how we will proceed with our treatment in your individual case. Please feel free to contact the team of Nürnberger Klinik for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery about this.

The breast reduction methods differ mainly in the way the incisions are done. The different methods are the Lejour method (i-method), the Strömbeck method (T-method), the Benelli method (O-method), and the L-method. In a personal consultation, we will decide together with you which treatment technique will be the right one for you and your individual situation.

For two weeks before the operation, no blood-thinning medication like aspirin and no nutritional supplements should be taken. We will inform our patients in a detailed consultation before the breast reduction about what is important to do and to avoid before the operation.

The position of the scars depends on the breast reduction method chosen. In any case, our medical specialists attach great importance to incisions that are as unobtrusive as possible. We will discuss all options available to each patient.

Immediately following the breast reduction, there will be a feeling of light tension in the breasts and they will be swollen for a few days. As a rule, there is only little pain after the operation. This can be managed well with current pain medication if necessary.

Yes, in many cases a combination of breast reduction and breast lift can make eminent sense. After the reduction, a breast lift may result in a more harmonious and more replenished-looking shape. At our Nürnberger Klinik for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, we will be happy to discuss with you in a personal consultation whether a combination treatment will make sense in your case.

Keeping the ability to breastfeed cannot be guaranteed in every case. That’s why a breast reduction should only take place after family planning is complete.

About 2–3 weeks after a breast reduction, our patients will as a rule be presentable again. Sports, exercise, physical exertion and heavy work should not be started any earlier than 6 weeks after the operation, and this start should be very gentle and easy at first.

It is not possible to give a one-fits-all answer on by how much the breast circumference can be reduced. However, the patient’s wishes will be analysed in detail in a personal consultation in order to realise them in an optimal manner during the breast reduction.

The healing phase after a breast reduction will last about 6 to 12 months. Only after that time will the final result be visible. In order to promote the healing and not to impact it in a counterproductive way, good care and aftercare are important.

The costs for a breast reduction at our Nürnberger Klinik for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery start at 8,000 €. We will be happy to prepare an individual cost calculation for you during a personal consultation.