Breast Reduction
(by Tumescent Liposuction)

Large breasts can cause chronic pain and discomfort, and even cause people to feel embarrassed or self-conscious. They can hold you back from living the healthy, active life you desire.

Breast reduction at the Encorė Cosmetic Clinic is carried out using the pure Tumescent Liposuction technique.

There is no ‘perfect’ breast reduction procedure and both a surgical breast reduction (where excess breast tissue is cut out and commonly the nipple/areola complex is shifted) and breast reduction by Tumescent Liposuction have strengths and weaknesses (see below).

The tumescent anaesthesia technique allows the entire procedure to be performed under this specialised form of local anaesthetic without the need for a general anaesthetic. In experienced hands, it is a very comfortable procedure to have done.

It is significantly less invasive than surgical breast reduction methods with a much lower complication rate and faster recovery time. It can be highly-effective at reducing the size of female and/or male breasts – particularly in women over 40 or younger women who are overweight.

Dr Bellaney also has MicroAire Liposuction (MAL) available if required for female breast reduction. This form of liposuction adds an additional vibrating tip to the cannula that is inserted into the target area, which helps to loosen fat cells whilst removing them. This is very useful in treating stubborn areas where tissue is more fibrous and fat would otherwise be difficult to remove.

Dr Bellaney has successfully performed this procedure on hundreds of women over the last 10 years. Breast reduction with Tumescent anaesthesia was pioneered by Dermatologists in the USA. Dr Bellaney is the only specialist Dermatologist offering this procedure in New Zealand.

He is now performing this procedure in Auckland and Christchurch.

We believe that every woman considering having a breast reduction should familiarise themselves with the benefit/risk profile of each technique before making the final decision on what technique is best suited to them.

Advantages of Tumescent Liposuction Breast Reduction (compared with surgical breast reduction):

Tumescent liposuction eliminates the need for general anaesthesia and its associated risks.

Tumescent liposuction has an outstanding safety record – Worldwide, no blood transfusions or deaths have been recorded following the use of the pure ‘true’ tumescent liposuction technique we use.

Minimal post-operative pain or complications.

Minimal scarring (if any).

Breast feeding after tumescent breast liposuction is far more likely than in women that have undergone full surgical breast reduction.

Full surgical breast reduction is a more invasive procedure – excess breast tissue is cut out and commonly the nipple/areola complex is shifted.

The Tumescent liposuction process can result in up to a 50% reduction in the breast volume.

Disadvantages of Tumescent Liposuction Breast Reduction:

In expert hands, there are few disadvantages compared to a Surgical breast reduction. However:-

a. Although the majority of patients undergoing breast reduction by Tumescent Liposuction have been documented to get some minor ‘lifting’ of their breasts, it is not a ‘lifting technique’ and will not give the same degree of breast lift that can be obtained with a Surgical Breast Reduction.

b. Breast reduction by Tumescent Liposuction is not as reliably effective in women under 40 compared to a surgical breast reduction. However, there are many young women in whom a breast reduction by Tumescent Liposuction is very successful (particularly those young patients who may be overweight).

	SURGERY (Mammoplasty)	Tumescent Liposuction
Suitable age range	All	Particularly those over 40
Type of Anaesthesia	General Anaesthesia	Tumescent (a form of local anaesthesia)
Risks of procedure	Potentially high and significant All have scarring – occasionally severe Risk of blood transfusion Risk of infection Risk of scar breakdown Loss of nipple sensation (up to 25%) Inability to breast feed afterwards (up to 25%)	Low and rare Very minimal and generally not visible No blood loss Infections are very rare No risk Less than 1% occurrence Less than 1% occurrence
Pain	Prolonged post- op pain is not uncommon	Little pain and tenderness only
Recovery	Prolonged - regularly 2 weeks or more	Rapid - usually back to work in 1-3 days
Breast elevation	Significant	Mild to moderate

* no long-term studies directly comparing tumescent liposuction and surgical mammoplasty are available. However, this information attempts to present the main body of medical opinion.

Other websites:
www.asds-net.org
www.dermnetnz.org/procedures/liposuction.html

You can find out more about Female Breast Reduction by clicking here:
Liposuction & Liposculpture
Read More about Liposuction Breast Reduction

You can find out more about Male Breast Reduction by clicking here:
Male Breast Reduction
Liposuction & Liposculpture

Talk to Dr Bellaney or your GP about your individual situation in advance of Tumescent Liposuction.