Breast Reduction
Asian women are generally more petite and are thus rarely bothered by ptosis due to large breasts. However, for those with congenital overdevelopment of the breasts (macromastia), pathogenic breast hyperplasia, or ptosis due to large breasts, the weight of the breasts can affect normal life and social activities or even cause psychological inferiority. In such cases, one should carefully consider whether breast lift or reduction is needed to achieve normal breast size and appearance. Developed countries in Europe and America treat macromastia as a mental health issue rather than a cosmetic surgery condition. In particular, for those with congenital macromastia, the weight of the breasts can affect development during puberty. Severe macromastia can result in many problems such as kyphosis, scoliosis, sense of pressure in the chest, and chronic chest skin conditions (e.g., eczema). Breast reduction should be considered early on to correct these problems. In addition, for breast ptosis caused by pregnancy or breastfeeding, if patients are not interested in correction with breast implants, then they can also consider combined breast lift and reduction to reduce the burden and restore the breasts to normal size and appearance. However, this kind of procedure would most likely leave some noticeable scars that are harder to fade, especially in Asian people. The surgeon must let patients fully understand the surgical advantages and drawbacks of this procedure and carefully consider patients’ physical and mental maturity to decide the appropriate time for surgery.