Breast Reduction During Menopause
If you are menopausal and still suffering from breast pain, size and shape concerns, or wearing a bra that doesn’t fit, it may be time to have breast reduction surgery. One of the most effective ways to reduce breast size and improve symmetry is through breast reduction surgery. Breast reduction during menopause can restore to you a more balanced and proportional body.
In this article we will discuss about does breast tissue change during menopause and can you have breast reduction surgery while on your period
Yes, it’s completely safe for women over 40 to have breast reduction surgery. If your breasts have grown exponentially during menopause, breast reduction can relieve the pain, discomfort, heaviness, and rashes you may be experiencing.
While there are always some risks and side effects associated with cosmetic surgery, choosing an experienced, board-certified surgeon will ensure that breast reduction during menopause is a safe option.
Does Breast Tissue Change During Menopause
Estrogen keeps the connective tissue of your breasts hydrated and elastic. In the hormone’s absence, the breasts shrink because the ducts and mammary glands shrink, and the breasts become less firm and lose their shape. You may notice a sagging of the breasts in older women.
How Menopause Affects Your Breasts
There are three main changes you may experience in your breasts during menopause:
- Tenderness – fluid may build up in your breasts, making them feel tender and painful
- Lumps – this can occur during menopause for a number of different reasons, including normal aging and hormonal changes. These lumps are often fluid-filled cysts, but you should always check with your doctor to be sure.
- Size and shape – as you approach menopause, your levels of estrogen will fluctuate and drop, meaning that milk production in your breasts isn’t as effective. The glandular tissue also shrinks, causing your breasts to become less dense, fatty, and prone to sagging.
Can You Have a Breast Reduction After 40?
Yes, it’s completely safe for women over 40 to have breast reduction surgery. If your breasts have grown exponentially during menopause, breast reduction can relieve the pain, discomfort, heaviness, and rashes you may be experiencing.
While there are always some risks and side effects associated with cosmetic surgery, choosing an experienced, board-certified surgeon will ensure that breast reduction during menopause is a safe option.
Ideal Candidates For Breast Reduction During Menopause
Your surgeon will perform a thorough evaluation to make sure that everything is in order and there are no abnormal formations in your breasts before going ahead with the surgery.
Chronic or severe heart, lung, and blood conditions are seen as major issues. However, the vast majority of healthy, menopausal women are considered good candidates for breast reduction – especially if they’re dealing with some of the physical problems associated with large, cumbersome breasts.
Benefits of Breast Reduction For Menopausal Women
There are several key benefits of breast reduction during menopause:
- Improved aesthetics – You will likely feel much more comfortable about your appearance, which can boost levels of self-esteem.
- Contoured figure – Your newly-shaped breasts will give you a more proportionate figure against the frame of your body, making exercise and general day-to-day movement considerably easier.
- Relief from associated medical conditions – More importantly, the removal of excess breast tissue can provide you with relief from chronic pain and discomfort. This also helps to reduce skin irritation – a common problem for large-breasted women who struggle to find suitable bra sizes.
Breast Reduction Procedure
Once the anaesthesia has been administered, the surgeon will then make the relevant incisions around your breasts. These incisions will depend on a range of factors, including the amount of excess tissue to be removed.
After the desired amount of skin, fat and glandular tissue has been excised, your surgeon will close the incisions with dissolvable stitches. This tightens the remaining skin over your breasts.
Recovery After Breast Reduction During Menopause
As is the case with most cosmetic surgery, you may experience some swelling and tenderness in the affected area during your recovery from breast reduction. However, these side effects will gradually improve over the first two to three weeks of recovery, after which you’ll be able to resume most of your day-to-day activities.
Can You Have Breast Reduction Surgery While On Your Period
Breasts are known to show cyclic changes in accordance with the menstrual cycle, and speculations have been made regarding the ideal timing of breast surgery in this extent, but the clinical evidence to support global acceptance and application is lacking. This study was designed to establish the relationship of intraoperative bleeding and postoperative drainage with the menstrual period of 35 reduction mammaplasty patients. The results indicate that both perioperative blood loss and postoperative drainage were significantly reduced when breast reduction is performed during the periovulatory phase compared with the perimenstrual phase. The authors strongly recommend the interval between days 8 and 20 of the menstrual cycle as a more convenient period to perform breast reduction. Drains may be avoided during this period, but they are preferred if the surgery is done during the perimenstrual phase.