Is There Really Such a Thing as ‘Scarless’ Breast Reduction?

By Dr. Frank Campanile

For women with large breasts who are interested in reduction but feel hesitant about major surgery, the idea of a “scarless” breast reduction is understandably appealing. Is it possible to bring the breasts into better proportion with the rest of your frame without committing to a traditional breast reduction surgery?

A New Approach
Breasts are made up of both glandular tissue and fat cells. Since liposuction removes fat cells, surgeons may incorporate lipo with surgery to reduce breast size by eliminating excess fatty tissue. Recently, breast reduction via liposuction alone, without additional surgery, is becoming its own niche procedure.

There are some definite pros to this approach:

Liposuction means only tiny incisions that typically heal to very inconspicuous scars
There’s a shorter downtime and recovery after lipo vs. breast reduction surgery
Liposuction-only reduction may be performed under local anesthesia rather than general anesthesia

Scarless breast reduction isn’t right for everyone. For example, since liposuction won’t affect glandular tissue, the results are often not as effective as actual reduction surgery, which removes both glandular and fatty tissue throughout the breast.

Although scarless breast reduction isn’t a myth, that doesn’t mean that it’s the best choice for your breast reduction. It’s most beneficial for women who want to reshape their breasts, rather than go significantly smaller overall. If you think you may be a candidate, be sure to schedule a consultation and get an opinion before deciding to move forward, and educate yourself as much as possible about the procedure.