The majority of our patients are self-paying for their breast reductions. The cost varies based on the case, but Dr. Slack covers all preoperative and postoperative visits free of charge. Typically, this entails five visits. The following are the most common methods of payment used by our clients:
Credit cards are used by a large number of our patients. Because of the many incentive and point programs offered, this may be appealing. However, keep an eye out for excessive interest rates. You might even be able to take advantage of a zero-interest introductory offer.
Cash or check: You’ll be relieved to learn that we still accept cash and checks in this increasingly digital age. Begin putting money aside. If you pay yourself instead of Starbucks, you’ll be astonished at how soon you’ll have money for something important to you. Better still, stop smoking (which you should do anyhow before surgery) and you’ll save a lot of money.
Medical Financing: Companies such as Prosper and CareCredit specialize in providing monthly payment plans for healthcare services. They frequently feature no upfront expenses or prepayment penalties, allowing you to obtain the operation you desire sooner rather than later.
Whatever method you choose to pay for your breast reduction, keep in mind that cost is not the only (or most important) consideration. The importance of finding a knowledgeable plastic surgeon you can trust and who will provide you with the care you require should not be overlooked.
Dr. Slack will gladly provide you with a consultation to assist you better understand your options.
How much is a breast reduction out of pocket?
- A breast reduction normally costs between $5,000 and $7,000. According to The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, this estimate includes anesthesia fees of $1,000 to $1,500 and facility fees of $500 to $2,000, as well as the surgeon’s fee, which averages $5,500. Very big breasts that require more tissue removal and reshaping of the nipple area might expect to pay more. As a result, a doctor will need to conduct an in-office consultation in order to provide an exact cost estimate.
- The surgeon makes incisions in the breast, usually around the areola and beneath the breast, and then removes excess fat and tissue to achieve the desired size. Because the weight of huge breasts can stretch the areola, the doctor would usually lower the size of the areola, then remove superfluous skin and lift the breast to make it higher and firmer. The surgeon frequently leaves the nipple attached during surgery to preserve nipple feeling and the ability to breastfeed.
- Breast reduction treatments are described and illustrated by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
- Post-surgical support bras, which typically cost over $100 each, and a hot/cold breast compress, which costs around $25. Doctors will also prescribe pain medicine, which may or may not be reimbursed by insurance.
- Additional surgery may be required in some cases, either due to problems or because the patient is unhappy with the results. This can be just as expensive as, if not more expensive than, the first treatment.
- Ask your surgeon if permitting your before and after images to be used on websites or in commercials will get you free or discounted treatments.
- Health insurance will often cover the cost of breast reduction because it is not necessarily considered a cosmetic procedure and can help with health issues including back discomfort and posture issues. Consult your insurance company as well as your doctor, who may be required to submit a letter saying that the reduction is medically necessary.
- Look for a board-certified plastic surgeon who has a lot of experience with breast surgery. A free recommendation service is provided by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Discuss the benefits as well as the hazards with your surgeon, which include infection, numbness or a change in nipple sensation, and even loss of circulation to the nipple, which may necessitate nipple removal. Smokers are more likely to lose their nipples, therefore they should stop smoking at least two weeks before surgery.
What size qualifies for breast reduction?
Insurance companies utilize a range of variables to evaluate whether or not your plan will cover a breast reduction. It’s also worth noting that these standards may shift from year to year. Although an insurance provider may be known to cover a particular surgery, your employer may have negotiated special contracts with specific exemptions that may have precluded a breast reduction.
To decide if your procedure will be covered, your insurance company may want to know about some or all of the following criteria:
1. Signs and symptoms that may indicate that a breast reduction is medically necessary. ICD-9 (International Classification of Diseases) codes are assigned by insurance companies to medical problems or symptoms. Postural backaches (ICD-9: 724-5, 781.9) and upper back and neck pain can be caused by large breasts (ICD-9: 611.1). (ICD-9: 724.1, 723.1). Excessively big breasts can cause skin irritation known as intertrigo (ICD-9: 695.89) as well as pressure leading to ulnar nerve parasthesias or numbness (ICD-9: 782.0).
Body mass index (BMI) (BMI). This is a number used to establish your current weight. It is based on your height and weight and should only be used as a guideline. The BMI and how to calculate it can be found at the bottom of this document.
3. Breast tissue weight is eliminated. The weight of breast tissue that the plastic surgeon feels he or she can remove after a breast reduction will be required by most insurance carriers. 450 grams, 500 grams, or 600 grams are all possibilities. Some companies take a more comprehensive approach to prevent punishing individuals who are shorter in stature yet have smaller breasts proportionately. The body surface area (BSA) and weight of the specimen removed will be correlated by these companies. As a result, in these circumstances, the quantity of volume that has to be removed for coverage for little individuals may only be 325 grams, however for larger individuals, this weight may need to be closer to 1,000 grams.
4. Breast reduction to match a breast that has undergone cancer treatment. Breast reductions are also covered if they are needed to balance a healthy but larger breast with the other breast that has been impacted by breast cancer and its therapy. The Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998 protects this. This guarantees that the afflicted breast receives reconstruction surgery as well as balancing operations to match the healthy breast to the restored breast. This could include any size of breast reduction.
5. A letter of support from another doctor or health care practitioner. Although a plastic surgeon should execute your breast reduction, he or she is likely to have just met you during the consultation. Your insurance company may ask for letters of support from other doctors to back up your claim that a breast reduction will relieve your medical symptoms. This encouraging letter could also serve as proof that you’ve tried weight loss, exercise, and physical therapy to alleviate the problems of having excessively large breasts. Cases of rashes or intertrigo may also need to be documented.
6. Photographic and measuring techniques To give additional evidence that a breast reduction may be medically needed, your cosmetic surgeon may send de-identified images of you as well as specific measurements to quantify the size of your breasts relative to your frame.
Obesity is defined as a BMI of 30 or higher. This isn’t a perfect measurement because it ignores factors like body fat percentage. On this scale, some professional athletes with very little body fat but a lot of muscular mass are considered obese.
Medical credit card
Your surgeon may accept medical credit cards such as CareCredit or Alpheon Credit in addition to standard credit cards. You would use the medical credit card to cover your cosmetic surgery fees and then make monthly payments to the credit card issuer, just as you would with a standard card.
Medical credit cards, on the other hand, are distinct from regular credit cards in that they can only be used to pay for medical treatments or other healthcare needs, and only within a certain network of healthcare providers who accept the card.
Medical credit cards, like standard credit cards, can have high interest rates, however they may come with a promotional no-interest offer when you first sign up. That implies you won’t have to pay interest on a purchase for a certain amount of time before it accrues. You won’t have to pay any interest on the purchase if you pay off the balance before the deferment term ends.
But beware: if you don’t pay off the remainder before the deferment term ends, surgery will become considerably more expensive. That’s because, unless you pay off the entire debt before the due date, you’ll be responsible for paying all interest accrued from the date you made the purchase (rather than simply interest on the remaining balance). And all of this can quickly add up.
Personal loan
A personal loan from a bank, credit union, or internet lender is another way to pay for your cosmetic surgery. Personal loans can be used for a range of things, including cosmetic surgery and other medical expenses, depending on the lender.
If you get a personal loan to pay for plastic surgery, you’ll borrow a specified amount of money and pay it back in monthly installments over a set period of time.
Many personal loans are unsecured, which means they don’t require any kind of security. When you apply for a loan, a lender will typically look at your credit history as well as other financial data to establish your ability to repay the loan. Keep in mind that a credit review will need the lender pulling your credit reports, which will result in a hard credit inquiry that could harm your credit ratings.
Medical loan
You could also be able to get a loan from a medical lender who works with your surgeon. These are usually personal loans that are only used for medical expenses. They might also be unsecured, just as other personal loans.
When you apply for a medical loan, the lender will look at your personal financial information, such as your credit history, to see if you qualify for the loan. You may be able to apply for a loan online, and in some situations, a financing decision can be made in minutes.
Inquire with your plastic surgeon about whether they partner with a credit firm to offer payment plans to their patients.
Do breasts grow back after reduction?
Breast reduction is a surgical technique that involves the removal of skin, fat, and tissues from the breasts in order to contour, lift, and reduce their size. Breast reduction is getting more popular as women with huge breasts realize they don’t have to be self-conscious about them “Just live with it” is no longer an option. Breasts that are too big can hurt your self-esteem, lower your quality of life, and even cause physical issues like persistent back and neck pain. People considering breast reduction may question if it’s a permanent treatment, if it interferes with breastfeeding, and if there’s a best age to do it.
Breast reduction is permanent since the skin, fat, and tissues removed during the treatment are permanently eliminated and cannot grow back. Gaining weight, on the other hand, might cause additional fat to be deposited in the breasts, causing them to grow dramatically in size. Furthermore, pregnancy and breast-feeding can greatly increase the size of the breasts, and the aging process is well recognized to induce changes in breast size and shape. A second surgical treatment to reduce breast size or elevate aging sagging breasts into a more perky, young position may be required if necessary.
Because glandular tissue and milk ducts may need to be removed or damaged during the procedure, breast reduction surgery may make it difficult or impossible to breastfeed. However, some breast reduction surgical treatments have been created expressly to retain the capacity to breastfeed, so if you believe you might want to do so in the future, talk to our surgeon about it before the procedure. Breast reductions without any effort to retain breast feeding ability have been reported to result in just 4% of women being able to nurse, compared to 75 percent to 100 percent after a gland-preserving breast reduction. Unfortunately, the only way to know if you can breastfeed after a breast reduction is to try it and see if it works. If it doesn’t, don’t worry; human milk banks exist, and while it’s widely accepted that human milk is the best way to feed a baby, many infants survive on formula.
Mammograms, ultrasounds, MRIs, and physical examinations used to check for breast cancer will not be affected by breast reduction surgery. Some doctors may advise you to get a second opinion “About six months after breast reduction, get a “baseline” mammogram to get a record of what the scar tissue looks like in the post-surgical breast tissues, which can be compared to any future mammograms to see if there are any changes in the breast tissue that could indicate the development of breast cancer.
From the surgeon’s point of view, “After a woman has finished her family, she is at her “ideal” age for a breast reduction. She has no intention of becoming pregnant or breastfeeding in the future. The woman, on the other hand, sees the situation differently “The “ideal” time is usually in your late teens or early twenties. Procedures performed on younger teenagers before their breasts have fully matured may necessitate a follow-up procedure later in life to maintain the intended results, but many teenagers and their parents believe the numerous advantages of early breast reduction are well worth it.
While the media may glorify huge breasts, they can also bring a slew of issues. Finding comfortable, well-fitting bras that give adequate support can be difficult; some women develop deep grooves in their shoulders as a result of their breasts dragging their bra straps into their flesh. Fitting dresses and blouses are also difficult to come by, and many women with huge breasts wind up needing to wear clothing that is several sizes too big to accommodate their breasts, which is neither flattering nor professional. Women with enormous breasts may give the impression of being overweight, even if they are not.
Large breasts can bring health problems in addition to cosmetic issues. Many women with large breasts find it difficult to exercise because their breasts bounce, even when wearing heavy-duty sports bras, which can be uncomfortable and even painful. Furthermore, huge breasts can physically obstruct the performance of some types of activity. As a result, women with large breasts are less likely to exercise, which is harmful and increases their chance of acquiring illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.
In an attempt to counterbalance the weight of their breasts, women with enormous breasts frequently acquire chronic neck, back, and shoulder pain by adopting abnormal positions. The area beneath the breasts is prone to chronic rashes and infections. Most insurance companies do not consider breast reduction surgery to be necessary due to the numerous medical problems associated with large breasts and their considerable influence on quality of life and self-esteem “cosmetic” and will pay for the surgery.
Before the treatment, it’s critical to have an honest and open conversation with our physician about your goals and desired breast size. Most surgeons nowadays have software that can display photos of the patient with various breast sizes to help them make decisions. You may be requested to have your blood tested to confirm that you are healthy enough to undertake a major surgical surgery, and you should cease taking anti-clotting medications like aspirin or ibuprofen for several days before the treatment.
The treatment itself takes a few hours and is conducted under general anesthesia; in many cases, the patient can go home the same day rather than remaining overnight. The precise surgical procedure is determined by the size of the breasts and the final size sought. The incisions will be made in places where they will not be seen, such as around the areola, in the crease under the breasts, and occasionally even in the armpits; nevertheless, an incision from the areola straight down to the crease under the breasts is frequently required. Liposuction is used to eliminate fatty tissues; tissue and skin are shaved away, and the areola is frequently pushed upwards as the breasts shrink. The areola and nipple may need to be fully removed and then reattached in a new position if the breasts are exceptionally enormous. After the surgery, the breasts will be smaller, perkier, and elevated.
Although complete recovery takes around four weeks, most women are able to return to work and normal activities within a few days. The breasts will be tender, bruised, and swollen, and you may need to wear a compression bra to help them heal. During this time, physical activity, particularly heavy lifting and anything that promotes significant breast movement, should be avoided. The altered size and form of the breasts will become obvious when the swelling subsides. After the procedure, many women report losing sensation in their nipples, but this normally recovers within a few months.
Many women are concerned about scarring prior to surgery. It’s true that scars will appear along the surgical incision lines. Modern treatments, on the other hand, place the incisions in places where the scars will never be seen while wearing clothing, even if you’re wearing a very low-cut blouse or a minimalistic bikini. Over time, the scars will disappear into very thin pale lines that are barely apparent. Scars are rarely a source of concern for women following surgery.
Unfortunately, there is no way to reduce breast size without surgery. For this purpose, creams, tablets, and herbal supplements simply do not function. If a woman loses a large amount of weight, she may see a reduction in breast size, but some women may not see any changes in their breast size as a result of losing weight. The breasts are a complex structure made up of glands and fat; some women have a lot of fat in their breasts, while others have very little. The effect of weight loss on breast fat is similarly unpredictable; some women’s bodies, even if they have an unhealthy low body fat percentage, severely oppose fat removal from the breasts. A major disadvantage of attempting to reduce breast size by losing weight is that the skin around the breast does not shrink in tandem with the breast, resulting in sagging flaps of skin that may require surgical removal.
Patient satisfaction with breast reduction surgery is among the greatest of any technique “Costume” procedure Patients are frequently amazed at how easy and quick the recovery is, and, more importantly, that their unpleasant symptoms associated to their huge breasts are entirely gone following surgery. The neck and back pain disappears, as do the recurring skin infections and rashes, and the bra strap grooves heal quickly. Many patients are required to purchase an entirely new wardrobe, but they are usually overjoyed to be able to finally wear comfortable bras and flattering apparel that fits. Women who have never been able to do anything more athletic than walk are now taking up soccer and training for marathons.
How painful is breast reduction surgery?
It’s common to feel some pain and discomfort in the days following your surgery. It’s possible that your breasts and the areas around them will be bruised and swollen. This is due to the stretching of the breast tissues and muscles.
The first few days after surgery are the most painful for most women. Your doctor may prescribe pain relievers if necessary to alleviate the discomfort.
Additionally, drainage tubes may be inserted on your breasts as part of the recuperation procedure to help reduce swelling. These are frequently removed after a few days of surgery.
Women recovering after breast reduction should wear specific surgical bras to protect the tissue during this time, according to medical specialists. Finally, throughout this time, it’s critical to avoid overly vigorous activity.
Should you lose weight before a breast reduction?
It’s a good idea to lose weight before your surgery if you’re not at your ideal weight. It’s possible that having your reduction before decreasing weight will affect the outcome of your surgery. If you lose a lot of weight following a reduction procedure, you can end up with smaller breasts than you want.
How do I lose breast fat?
Some women choose to have their breasts surgically reduced to minimize discomfort and promote movement. There are, however, less intrusive techniques for shrinking your breasts that you can attempt at home. Before attempting any of these home cures, consult your doctor.
Exercise
Regular exercise will help you lose chest fat and strengthen the muscles beneath your breasts, allowing you to minimize the size of your breasts.
Because the breasts store a significant amount of fat, focusing on cardio and high-intensity exercises can help you lose weight and target problem regions more quickly. Aerobic exercises, such as stair climbing, cycling, and power walking, can help you shed overall body fat by speeding up your metabolism.
Pushups and other strength training exercises can tone the chest and change the appearance of the breasts. Pushups can help to tighten and tone the chest muscles, which can help to lessen the size of the breasts overall. Strength training and targeted exercises, on the other hand, will not diminish breast size on their own. Some workouts can make the breasts appear larger if done without cardio or a full-body workout.
Diet
The amount of fat you store in your body is influenced by what you eat. Breast size is influenced by overall body fat.
Maintaining a nutritious diet and exercising regularly will help you lose weight and shrink your breasts. When you consume more calories than you burn, you gain weight and your breasts expand.
Foods like lean meats, fish, fruits, and veggies help you burn fat even when you’re not working out. It will also help you lose weight faster if you eat fewer processed foods and sweets.
Green tea
Green tea is another natural cure that has been shown to help people lose weight. Green tea is high in antioxidants and can help you burn fat and calories by increasing your metabolism. Your breasts will shrink as a result of the reduced fat buildup. Green tea might also help you feel more energized throughout the day.
Ginger
Ginger, like green tea, can assist to speed up your metabolism and burn fat all over your body. While you may use it as a natural element in your meals, nutritionists recommend drinking it three times a day as a tea to enhance your metabolism and weight loss effects.
Flax seed
Some fatty acids, especially omega-3 fatty acids, are required for brain function, blood pressure control, and hormone regulation. This is critical in breast reduction since hormonal imbalances can cause growth.
Unfortunately, some of the nutrients we require are not produced naturally by our bodies. We must obtain them by consuming foods that are high in these compounds. Omega-3 fatty acids are abundant in flax seed, as well as salmon and tuna. It can aid in the regulation of estrogen levels and, as a result, the reduction of breast size. It’s also thought to help your digestive system.
Does your stomach look bigger after breast reduction?
Breast reduction surgery can promote weight gain, according to a popular belief among Beverly Hills women. The truth is that perception differs greatly from reality. The basic answer is that there is no link between breast reduction surgery and increased weight. Breast reduction has a direct impact on a woman’s overall proportions, and it can appear as if she has gained weight as a result of the procedure. A woman’s torso and hips appear smaller when her breasts are larger. When breasts are reduced, the hips and torso can appear to be larger. It’s worth noting that the proportions of the breasts, hips, torso, and waist have fundamentally changed after breast reduction surgery.
In fact, many women lose weight after having their breasts reduced in Beverly Hills.
This is due to the surgery relieving strain on the neck and back, allowing patients to engage in more physical activity.
Women with excessively big breasts are frequently obliged to reduce their physical activities due to neck and back pain.
Breast reduction in Beverly Hills removes the excess tissue and weight of the breasts, allowing women to become considerably more active.
Women may notice a difference in their posture after having their breasts reduced.
Because the pressure on the neck and back is relieved, women’s posture frequently improves after surgery, allowing them to stand higher.
This allows them to keep their shoulders up and back, preventing the “hunched-over” impression that many women with enormous breasts suffer from.
Because the main culprit is dimensions, which can make women feel as if they’ve gained weight following the treatment, some women choose for further plastic surgery procedures to improve their overall appearance.
A stomach tuck and liposuction are two operations that can be used to create a smaller, firmer torso.
In many circumstances, these treatments can be done at the same time to yield incredible outcomes in a single therapy.
Schedule a consultation with Dr. Raffi Hovsepian if you’re thinking about breast reduction surgery but aren’t sure if the proportions will make you look heavier.
He talks with each patient one-on-one to assess any unique conditions that may have an impact on the final outcome.