These two different
breast operations are treated in the same section because the procedures,
risks and outcomes are quite similar. The main differences are that with a
breast lift the scars are usually shorter and all that is removed is skin
and a little bit of fat, whereas with a breast reduction glandular tissue
and the attached fatty tissue are also removed. Sometimes a breast lift is
combined with a breast enlargement to make the upper part of the breast fuller
and more shapely. An enlarged breast looks a little rounder and more youthful
than a breast that is naturally large.
The problems experienced by the patients are also some-
what different. Women with large, heavy breasts complain about backaches and bra straps that cut into their shoulders, or about chafing and skin irritation in the crease beneath the breast. Women with large breasts are also likely to have more menstrual-related breast problems, and can be handicapped in some physical activities or sports. This is why breast reductions are sometimes covered by health insurance. Breast lifts, on the other hand, are usually aesthetic operations on patients who are bothered only by the appearance of their busts.
Of course, there are transition stages between a breast reduction and a breast
lift, for women who have a combination of these problems. The gliding scale
sometimes makes it difficult to judge whether the operation should be covered
by health insurance. A pendulous, flaccid bust may be a consequence of bearing
and nursing children or the result of losing a lot of weight. Hereditary factors
also play some role. In addition, the bust descends with age. Women who have
their breasts reduced, like patients who have had breast enhancements, often
feel more feminine, more self-assured and more sexually attractive. The patient’s
pleasure and satisfaction over the result of the surgery are not infrequently
quite out of proportion to the objective change observed by the surgeon or
by other people.
History
The female breast
is a major attribute of feminine beauty, not only in modern society but also
from a historical perspective > which is clearly seen in both art and literature.
The female breast also has a significant role in our sexuality and is the
most obvious external signal of a woman’s gender.
Although breasts have
been amputated for several hundred years and it is still a common treatment
for cancer, the first real attempt to reduce the size of a womanhs breasts
was not made until 1897, by a doctor named Michel Poussin. He made an incision
above the nipple and removed glandular tissue and fat. Although this made
the breast smaller, the result was not aesthetically appealing. In the beginning
of the 20th century a Frenchman named Hippolyte Morestin was performing more
successful breast reductions, but the problem of putting the nipple in its
proper location remained unsolved. It was solved by an American, Max Thorek,
in 1921.
