Large breasts can often be both a physical and psychological burden. They can cause chronic back, shoulder, and neck pain, leading to decreased mobility and quality of life, and many women also experience profound social stigmatization that is emotionally difficult to endure.
Breast Reduction
Breast reduction surgery, or reduction mammoplasty, seeks to relieve these symptoms through the removal of breast tissue. Manitoba Health usually fully covers breast reduction surgery. Our surgeons will discuss the process to receive Manitoba Health approval during the initial evaluation.
The procedure often takes between 1-2 hours to complete under a general anesthetic.
How It’s Done
Anchor Scar: Incisions in the skin, surgical removal of the unwanted tissue, repositioning of the niple, and suture of the wound, resulting in an “anchor scar.”
Dual Incision: One incision hidden in the natural line around the areola, and another small vertical incision extending from the areola to the fold of the breast. Excess breast tissue is removed with liposuction.
Am I A Candidate?
For patients with symptoms relating to hypermastia, Manitoba Health can assist in partially insuring a breast reduction. If you’re in good general health and have specific but realistic goals for the improvement of your appearance, there is no defined age limit for this procedure.
What To Expect
This is an outpatient procedure, meaning patients can return home the same day. Most patients experience minimal discomfort and will likely experience some bruising and swelling after surgery. They may also experience numbness around the areola. For a few weeks after surgery, we will supply patients a compression garment to help reduce swelling and provide support as they heal. Most patients are back to work within one week but should avoid strenuous exercise and heavy lifting for 3 weeks.
We provide detailed preoperative and postoperative instructions at Western Surgery Centre.
Additional Information
Our goal is to provide you with the information required to ease the decision-making process.
We strongly encourage you to research the operation thoroughly. Here is an useful link to help you: