Answers
"I had a breast reduction two years ago. I’ve recently lost 100 pounds and I am now considering getting implants because I am down to a breast size of 34. Is it possible to have this done after having a reduction?"
— Answered by
Alan H. Gold, MD
Great Neck, NY
Yes, it is certainly possible to have a breast augmentation after having had a breast reduction; and your case is not unique. I sometimes see patients such as you who have either had breast reduction at a younger age and naturally lose breast size through the years, or have lost breast size following pregnancy or significant weight loss. Some additional factors must be considered, though. The quality and elasticity of your breast skin and the possible need for tightening the breast skin at the time of augmentation must be evaluated even though it will be "filled" to some degree with the implant. Even if the skin is tightened, however, it may not be ideally supportive, and the size and weight of the implant may accelerate the natural stretching and sagging of the breasts over time. And finally, you should be as close to your goal weight as possible before the surgery to both minimize the potential future additional loss of some of your own natural breast size and to permit the most appropriate implant size to be selected.
