Can I Get Breast Implants If I Have Had A Breast Reduction Previously?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I had a breast reduction  done when I was a teenager (now age 30)and now, if you can believe it, am thinking about getting breast implants. I am currently a 34B and was thinking of getting 350cc silicone gel implants if this will not make me too big. I am trying to get some fullness not necessarily be really big again. My main concern is am I more likely to have something go wrong or it is more difficult since I already have had breast surgery?

A: Surprisingly it is not rare that a former breast reduction patient will one day later desire a breast augmentation. This is a testament to the fact that a woman’s breasts are not stable throughout life. Their size and shape are affected by many factors. Teenage breast reduction has the potential for this to happen in particular as the reduced breast will be exposed to pregnancies which cause breast involution or breast tissue shrinkage. When coupled with the prior breast reduction, a woman can eventually end up with almost no breast tissue at all. The desire for augmentation after reduction may also occur if the amount of breast tissue removed was excessive.

Prior breast reduction surgery has no negative influence on the subsequent placing of breast implants. Reduction surgery occurs above the muscle, implants are generally placed below the muscle.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana