Breast Surgery

Overview

Breast surgery is planned around the individual's anatomy — chest dimensions, existing breast tissue, skin quality and nipple position — and around what the patient actually wants to change. The consultation covers whether surgery is the right answer at all, which technique suits the anatomy, and what the result will look like over years rather than weeks.

Common procedures

• Breast augmentation — enlargement using implants, with the choice of implant type, size, plane and incision made according to the patient's chest and tissue cover.
• Breast fat transfer — modest enlargement or shape refinement using the patient's own fat, harvested by liposuction. It suits smaller, natural-feeling change and usually needs more than one session.
• Nipple reduction — reduction of projection or width of the nipple, under local anaesthetic.
• Correction of inverted nipple — release of the tethering bands that hold the nipple inward, with consideration of the effect on future breastfeeding.
• Breast ptosis correction / breast lift — repositioning the nipple and reshaping the breast where it has descended, with or without an implant depending on the volume desired.

Consultation & planning

Assessment covers breast measurements and asymmetry, skin and tissue quality, nipple position, pregnancy and breastfeeding plans, and family history of breast disease. Where a patient is of screening age or has a palpable lump, imaging is arranged before surgery. Scar position is discussed explicitly, since every technique leaves one. Where the desired result cannot be achieved by the procedure being asked for, that is said before anything is planned.

Recovery

Augmentation and lift surgery generally mean one to two weeks away from work, a support garment for six weeks, and no strenuous exercise or heavy lifting for six weeks. Nipple procedures are minor, with a few days of dressings. Swelling settles over six to twelve weeks and the final shape is judged at around six months. Aftercare instructions and review appointments are arranged for every procedure.

Risks & considerations

Risks include bleeding, infection, altered or lost nipple sensation, asymmetry, and scarring that may thicken. Implants carry specific risks — capsular contracture, rupture, rippling, malposition, and the likelihood of further surgery during a lifetime; they are not lifetime devices. Grafted fat is partly reabsorbed and can form firm areas or cysts that show on imaging, which is why a baseline record matters. Breastfeeding may be affected, particularly by lift and inverted-nipple surgery. Breast surgery does not prevent breast disease, and routine screening should continue as recommended.

This page provides general information only and does not constitute medical advice. Suitability, benefits, limitations and risks of any procedure can only be determined at a medical consultation.