Breast reduction complications

Breast reduction is a complex surgical procedure that is done to remove excess skin and breast tissue. It can also reshape the breasts, relocate and reduce the nipple-areola complex. Every patient must be aware of the risks and complications of the procedure before making a final decision. This list states the most common complications to all types of surgery, whereas others are particularly associated with breast reduction surgery.

-General Complications

Being an intricate procedure, the patient must be injected with general anesthesia. Though it rarely happens, general anesthesia can increase the probability of an adverse reaction to occur.

-Loss or Change of Sensation

This is only a temporary condition brought about by the damage to the nerve edges during surgery. Normal breast sensation is expected to be regained a few weeks or months of recovery.

-Uneven Scarring

If a patient has a history of abnormal collagen production, then there is an increased risk of having irregular scarring.

-Wound Opening

If the patient failed to follow precautionary measures and does not take care of the surgical site, the wound might open and become vulnerable to infection.

-Breast Asymmetries

In any cosmetic surgery, the probability of having breasts of different volumes, heights and sizes still exists.

-Pigmentation of the skin

This can happen as a result of bruising after the intervention. This condition usually recedes within the course of a few weeks post-surgery.

-Excessive Bleeding

Blood vessels or muscles that may have been damaged during the surgery can cause this condition.

-Seroma and Hematoma

Seroma is a condition characterized by the accumulation of fluids under the skin surface where tissue was surgically removed while Hematoma is defined by accumulation of clotted blood outside the blood vessels and resembles a large bruise.

-Necrosis

Necrosis happens when healthy tissues die as a result of inadequate vascularization due to cellular injury.