Back pain and shoulder pain, ill-fitting clothes, low self-esteem are just some of the reasons large-breasted women undergo breast reduction or mammoplasty. The surgery removes excess skin and tissue, reducing the weight of the breasts so they project outward, not downward. One hurdle stands in the way of a good breast reduction result – the integrity of the skin.
Large breasts stretch and thin the skin. Once the skin is compromised in this way, the weight of the breasts (even though reduced with mammoplasty) will tug against the thin envelope of skin and begin to droop again.
Surgical mesh is used as an internal bra to keep the breasts in place. This patient had extremely large breasts (macromastia). Dr. Lee commented that “this patient has the worst pseudoptosis (sagging) that I have seen in 20 years”. He knew by the loss of skin elasticity that a standard breast reduction would be fraught with the likelihood of failure and recurrent sagging. He decided to use a surgical mesh “cocoon” to hold the breasts in place. He fashioned conical shapes out of a sheet of mesh and sutured them in place. In this way, the breasts were reinforced to maintain shape and more importantly to maintain their position.
If you’re looking to take a load off of your shoulders, literally, schedule a breast reduction consultation at our San Diego location. Dr. Lee is an experienced surgeon who uses surgical mesh in order to achieve long-lasting results for his breast reduction patients.
