Yes, it can improve posture.
One of the few plastic surgery procedures that can result in an immediate and dramatic change in both appearance and function is a breast reduction (reduction mammoplasty). Women who have large, heavy breasts (macromastia) to the extent that they have difficulty with daily activities, may find that going up a cup size is only part of their problem. The physical burden of muscles having to support these large breasts pulling the body forward, is a mechanical frame of reference. When patients want to know if getting a breast reduction can really fix their posture, it is a definite yes from a doctor. Removing the excess volume of the breast parenchyma and subcutaneous adipose tissue through surgical operation will remove the main factor causing postural “kyphosis” (hunching), thereby permitting the spine to revert to its usual, neutral position.
We consider a breast reduction a “quality of life” surgery at the Lin Health Europe Clinic. To our international patients coming to Turkey, we point out that apart from the stunning visual transformation, without chronic pain and with the regaining of a natural upright posture, the results of the surgery cannot be measured. Our center is at the forefront of advanced breast plastic surgery. We offer a level of medical excellence where your future shape will be pain-free in perfect harmony with your skeletal frame, and we will calculate down to the last gram what tissue needs to be removed.
How the Weight of Breasts Affects the Body
In order to comprehend how a breast reduction can restore one’s posture, it is necessary to understand the biomechanics of the female torso. Breasts too large are essentially a “cantilevered” mass extending out from the front of the chest. Since this mass is far away from the center of the body’s gravity, it uses the cervical and thoracic spine as a fulcrum and creates a tipping moment or torque pointing downwards.
In order not to fall forward due to the consistent force, the body’s backside muscles, namely the trapezius and the rhomboids, have to keep contracting painfully, in order to hold the head and shoulder up. Years of macromastia cause these muscles to weaken and become permanently shortened, making the “slumped” or “hunched” posture inevitable.
How Pain is Alleviated: Understanding the “Chain Reaction”
In general, poor posture is not an isolated problem since it causes a “chain reaction” of pain. When your posture is compromised by breast weight, it triggers several distinct clinical conditions:
- Due to prolonged muscle tension in the trapezius, many patients suffer from headaches, neck pain and stiffness.
- Heavy bra straps exert pressure on the shoulders, sometimes causing permanent indentations and damage to the brachial plexus nerves.
- The lumbar spine develops an exaggerated curve in order to balance the weight leaving the front, resulting in chronic lower back pain.
At Lin Health Europe Clinic, we perform what is commonly referred to as a functional mammoplasty. We employ the superior-medial pedicle technique to keep the breast mass high on the chest in Istanbul, and this further contributes to improved center of gravity. By changing the biomechanics of the body, a “lift and lighten” surgical procedure not only makes you appear taller, but it also provides immediate relief from chronic pain.
Muscle Memory and Rehabilitation: A Two-Pronged Approach
The surgery physically lifts the load; however, correcting your posture also has a neurological aspect. In fact, if you have spent many years compensating for your breasts by hunching, your body has retained “muscle memory” for that position. After you have healed completely and your scars have started to form new collagen (neocollagenesis), we advise certain targeted physical therapy at the Lin Health Europe Clinic in Turkey that will further enhance the core and upper back muscles. Since you are no longer resisting the heavy breast tissue, these exercises become much more effective. On their first day at the gym, patients often tell us that they finally have the option to do yoga, Pilates, or even weight training, and that the breasts are no longer a mechanical “interference” which then allows them to establish their new, upright posture.
Psychological Posture: The Confidence Factor
Posture is not only an orthopedic measurement but can also be an outward expression of one’s internal psychological state. Many women with macromastia adopt what is known as a “defensive posture” – the deliberate hunching of the shoulders and the wearing of loose garments so as to conceal their chest from any unwanted attention.
Psychologically, the breast reduction can also be a great relief. Patients cannot help but stand taller as they continually admire their proportionate, lifted, and new silhouette. Such “postural straightening” is a major reason for the exceedingly high rates of satisfaction among patients after breast reduction surgery. At Lin Health Europe Clinic, we hold the view that the greatest benefit of breast reduction in Turkey is the combination of both components: we take away the physical burden that drags you down, but at the same time, the aesthetic boost that comes with it encourages you to stand proud and tall.
Breast Reduction in Turkey
At Lin Health Europe Clinic, our philosophy is that surgical mastery lies at the crossroads of beauty and health. Our clinic in Turkey is not only a center of medical excellence but it also represents where the science of advanced reconstructive surgery meets the very highest standards of care for patients from all over the world. Working in state-of-the-art JCI-accredited hospitals, which are an expression of our commanding position as a global leader in medical tourism and top-level breast surgery, we also offer to patients at a single location all the different medical specialties.
Making the decision to work with Lin Health Europe Clinic is a decision to be in the most capable and most analytically thorough hands in Istanbul. Our surgeons of worldwide renown focus intensely on achieving the most structurally sound and harmonious results for their every international patient. From the first volumetric and orthopedic study right through to the moment when you are standing fully upright for the first time in your new, lighter body, you will be subjected to the utmost professional rigor combined with elite hospitality, both of which are the factors that have turned us into the top name in aesthetic medicine. We invite you to join us for a pain-free and perfectly aligned life.
FAQ:
Yes, a breast reduction removes the heavy, downward-pulling weight from your chest which results in your spine being able to return to its natural, neutral alignment. Nearly all patients in Turkey describe an instant ability to stand taller and a quite remarkable lessening of chronic shoulder and neck hunching.
It depends on your body frame and the size you want to achieve, but typically a surgeon takes out from 500 g to 1,500 g from each breast. Such a major reduction in weight will immediately relieve the mechanical stress on your upper back and cervical spine.
Definitely. Reduction mammoplasty is considered a very effective surgical way to help relieve back, neck, and shoulder pain resulting from having large breasts. Changing your body’s center of gravity backward through surgery will be allowing the muscles at the back to relax and to regenerate.
The surgery will not be able to get rid of the indentations in the skin that have formed over time, but it does permanently remove the weight that causes bra straps to dig into shoulders. As you gradually start wearing smaller, lighter bras, the pressure on your shoulders is alleviated, and the quite noticeable grooving may even diminish.
Even though you may see improvements in your posture from the first day, you have to wait 6 to 8 weeks before doing any heavy upper-body or core workouts. This will be at least the time your internal sutures are completely healed and your incisions have reached maximum tensile strength at our clinic in Istanbul.
Kerrigan, C. L., et al. (2001). Breast reduction: a specific and measurable improvement in health-related quality of life. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
Spector, J. A., et al. (2008). The impact of breast reduction on physical and psychological health. Annals of Plastic Surgery.
Collins, E. D., et al. (2002). The outcome of breast reduction: a prospective study. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
Gonzalez, F., et al. (1993). Reduction mammaplasty: a review of 100 cases. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
Freire, M., et al. (2007). The effect of reduction mammaplasty on posture and spinal alignment. Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery.
