Breastfeeding after reduction mammaplasty: a comparison of 3 techniques

Breastfeeding following reduction mammaplasty by using 3 different techniques is evaluated in this retrospective study. A questionnaire was sent to 178 patients who had undergone the operation at childbearing age and provided data on quality and duration of preoperative and postoperative breastfeeding, as well as reasons for not attempting or failing. Demographic data and operative details were obtained from patients' records. One hundred six of the patients who replied to the questionnaire and had given birth after reduction mammaplasty were included in this study. Breastfeeding was considered successful if it was performed for at least 3 weeks without supplementation. For women who attempted to breastfeed postoperatively, successful rates were 71% for superior pedicle mammaplasty, 77% for the inferior pedicle technique, and 63% following horizontal bipedicled reduction mammaplasty. However, 22% of women had not made any attempt to breastfeed at all after breast reduction. The postoperative ability to breastfeed was not found to relate to the amount of resected breast tissue or the time elapsing between operation and delivery. It is concluded that after breast reduction with pedicled transposition of the nipple-areola complex and preservation of adequate subareolar breast tissue, the ability to breastfeed highly depends on encouragement and support offered to women rather than the choice of the operative technique.