Breast Reduction - Know More About It's Methods And Advantages!

Women who have abnormally large breasts usually tend to develop them during adolescence or during pregnancy. Large breasts can cause physiological problems apart from being unsightly. Some of the problems commonly reported by women include back and neck problems. Let's explore one of the most common methods of breast reduction known as the keyhole method.

What is the keyhole method of breast reduction?
The Keyhole method of breast reduction is the most commonly prescribed form of breast reduction surgery. In this method, the doctor places an anchor or a keyhole-shaped incision around the areola extending to the underside of the breast. Then a small device is inserted to melt fat and a low power vacuum is used to extract it. After this is done the area is stitched up reducing the breast size.

The extent of the incision:
The length and breadth of the incision can vary from case to case. However, the following areas usually tend to have scarring -

1. The area around the nipple known as the areola - A round circular incision is made around the areola to open up this section of the breast.

2. Downwards from the areola to underside of the breast - This is where the keyhole shape comes into prominence as this is an extension of the incision to open up the breast.

3. The area on the underside of the breast along with a horizontal curve  This may vary in extent from patient to patient depending upon how much tissue needs to be removed and thus may be larger or smaller.

The advantages of keyhole method of breast reduction:
There are many valid reasons why this method is the most prescribed and most popular form of breast reduction. Let's look at some of the reasons below.

1. The most minimally invasive method - Conventional breast reduction may employ techniques which open up the breast which is a longer and more complicated form of surgery, and thus the keyhole method being the least invasive has its own advantages.

2. Lesser scars - With other forms of breast reduction, the scars along the incision lines may be much larger. With the keyhole method, much of the scarring is hidden away due to the shape of the incision, as well as the size, being smaller.

3. Quicker healing - Most forms of keyhole surgery use liposculpture or the extraction of fat rather than full excision of tissues and thus it generally translates to quicker healing. Even in cases where excision is performed, healing still tends to be quicker with this method as the incisions tend to be smaller.