Breast Reduction in Berlin

There are various surgical techniques for performing a reduction mammoplasty. Which method is best suited for your breast reduction in Berlin depends on the individual nature of the breast.

Developed in the late 1990s by the Canadian surgeon Elisabeth Hall-Findlay, this method is suitable for almost all breast sizes and shapes. The skin incision is made around the areola at the transition between the pigmented skin of the areola and the skin (epidermis). The areola is circularly cut around the areola with a cutting die. The advantage of this method is that large areolas can also be reduced in size. In many cases, it is even possible to perform an inverted nipple correction, whereby the inwardly directed nipple is pulled into the desired position and fixed in the mammary gland with sutures. The actual breast reduction is performed by removing a wedge from the lower pole of the breast as soon as the surrounding skin has been removed, similar to a piece of cake. The final result here can be varied depending on the size of the removed breast piece. In addition, after removal of the excess volume, the mammary gland is sutured so that an additional tightening effect occurs. In this respect, this type of breast reduction can not only be used for breast reduction but also automatically for breast lifting. The advantage of this procedure is undoubtedly that the operation can be performed without the need for large incisions. The scar around the areola fades quickly. Due to the location of the surgical access between the pigmented skin of the areola and the less pigmented skin around it, it is hardly visible after healing. If, however, a breast reduction on a large scale is present, other procedures are more suitable for reducing the volume of the breast.

This procedure is also largely scar-saving surgery. As with all mammary reduction surgery techniques, the nipple is incised with the areola. Afterwards it is moved several centimetres upwards as necessary. The parts underneath are removed after they have been detached from the skin. Due to an almost spindle-shaped course of the incision downwards at the mammary gland, a vertical incision results in a larger T-cut being avoided. Finally, the mammary gland can be repositioned and fixed to the breast wall with a strong suture. This also allows a breast reduction and breast lift to be performed simultaneously. Small excess skin areas occasionally remain in the area of the lower scar pole immediately after the operation, but these disappear in the medium term due to natural shrinking processes. Similar to the Hall-Findlay method, this technique is not suitable if there is a large reduction volume. Very large breasts must therefore be treated in our Berlin clinic with a more complex T-cut.

The T-incision is a surgical method of breast reduction in which the plastic surgeon can remove the largest volume from the mammary gland. In this method, the incision is made as if it were an inverted T with a ridge along the lower pole of the areola and the underbust crease. The excess mammary gland parts are then removed in the gland’s lower poles area. As with all breast reduction procedures, the areola is repositioned with the nipple facing the head after the excess skin is removed. This ensures the blood supply to the nipple with the areola. Only in rare cases is it necessary to place the nipple on the breast as a so-called free transplant. In case of very large breasts that have caused the nipple to fall down sharply, for example. Here the areola is completely removed and then reimplanted and repositioned. Depending on the existing findings and the patient’s wishes, a further tightening of the mammary gland in the form of a so-called ‘inner bra’ can be carried out. This inner bra consists of individual seams on the breast wall that support the gland. This allows particularly large breast to be reduced in size and held in place despite further aging at our facility in Dahlem, Berlin.

The term gynecomastia comes from the Greek and means something like ‘breast that appears feminine’, colloquially known as ‘male’s breasts’. In principle, gynecomastia surgery is possible under general anaesthesia. However, a thorough investigation of the causes is carried out before every intervention: if no triggering cause can be determined or if a drug therapy is not effective, only then is a breast reduction for men with this condition recommended. The result is permanent due to the complete removal of the gland. You can learn more here about gynecomastia.

To perform a breast reduction, there are several methods at once:

O-technique:
In the O-technique, also known as the Benelli method, only a round incision is made around the nipples. This allows for the removal of mammary gland tissue as well as fatty tissue, but the possibilities for shaping and tightening are quite limited. Thus, only a minor breast reduction is possible. However, the advantage of this method is that the scars virtually form the edges of the nipples, thus blurring them and making them hardly visible afterwards.

Hall Findlay & I-technique:
In the I-technique, the incision is also made around the nipples and then vertically down to the underbust crease. If the nipples are also rounded and reduced in size, this is known as the Hall Findlay method. With this method, slight to moderate reductions can be achieved. With these techniques, too, the scars usually heal fairly inconspicuously.

L-technique & T-technique:
In these methods, the incision also goes around the nipples, then vertically down to the underbust crease, and then in the underbust crease halfway (in the L technique) or in both directions (in the T technique). In this case, extensive breast reductions can be performed and the scars will not be more noticeable than with Hall Findlay and the I-technique.