What is breast reduction?

Surgery to reduce the size of the breasts.

What does breast reduction do?

• Upper body

  Flattens chest

How long does breast reduction last?

The effects are permanent and cannot be reversed.

Are there other options?

Breast reduction removes only part of the breast tissue in order to reduce the size of the breasts. For complete removal of the breasts, see periareolar mastectomy and double incision mastectomy.

For temporarily reducing the visibility of breasts, you could try binding or disguising your body shape.

How do I get ready for surgery?

Doing some preparation in advance can help make sure everything goes smoothly during your hospital stay and recovery. To help you avoid forgetting to do or buy something we have created a Getting ready for gender surgeries page.

Where can I learn more?

You can read more about breast reduction, including information about costs, on the NHS website.

Acknowledgements

This page is illustrated using a photograph by Павел Сорокин available at Pexels.

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