How a Breast Reduction Can Reduce Back Pain and Enhance Self-Confidence

At Frederick H. Watkins, MD, in Rockville, Maryland, and McLean, Virginia, we talk to women every day about the pain and suffering related to large breasts. From shoulder grooves to neck pain and backaches, oversized breasts can lead to chronic health issues. If your big boobs have become a source of discomfort, we can help.

Dr. Watkins listens carefully to your unique symptoms and your personal experiences. If your physical pain and emotional distress stem directly from weighty breast tissue, you may be a good candidate for breast reduction surgery, also called mammaplasty. 

Here are a few of the complications caused by large breasts and how mammaplasty can help. 

The problems with big breasts

Small-breasted women may roll their eyes at you when you mention the plight of having big boobs, but other large-breasted women understand your complaints completely — and so does Dr. Watkins. Here are just some of the issues we see related to excess breast matter.

Bra strap grooves

Large breasts are heavy breasts, which means that your bra has a hefty load to carry. Hour after hour, day after day, your bra straps dig into your shoulders and sink deeper into your flesh. Not only is this painful, but eventually those grooves remain even when your bra is off, leaving your skin permanently marked.

Skin rashes

Large breasts hang over your rib cage and cover a greater area of your skin than small breasts do. As you move, skin-on-skin rubbing causes friction, which leads to perspiration, irritation, and skin rashes. In some cases, this rubbing can even develop open sores and infections.

Breathing issues

Studies show that having large breasts, technically called macromastia, can inhibit your ability to breathe properly. The weight of the breast tissue restricts the movement of your chest wall, which in turn interferes with your lung function. 

Poor posture and pain

It’s not hard to understand that carrying heavy weight in front of your body causes you to slump forward, throwing your posture out of whack. This puts strain on your neck and back muscles and leads to chronic pain.

Low self-esteem

Since many people equate large breasts with beauty, it’s hard for them to imagine any woman wanting to reduce the size of her breasts. What they don’t realize is that living with big breasts is not all it’s cracked up to be. It’s difficult to find clothes that fit, big boobs bump into people and objects, and they tend to draw uncomfortable glances and stares. 

This causes some big-breasted women to hide their chest and avoid certain social situations, which can lead to low self-esteem and a crippling lack of confidence.

Limits exercises

Certain exercises are difficult to do when you have big breasts. For example, jogging and running cause painful bouncing that tears your tissues. If these challenges keep you from getting enough exercise, it can lead to unwanted weight gain and other health issues. 

How breast reduction resolves these problems

Dr. Watkins, our board-certified, highly experienced plastic surgeon, examines your breasts and considers your symptoms and overall health before recommending mammaplasty. If you’re a good candidate, he may perform liposuction to remove excess fat, surgery to remove excess glandular and skin tissue, or a combination of both procedures.

Although mammaplasty is major surgery and requires about six weeks to fully recover, you’ll notice some of the benefits right away. For example, if you have back and neck pain, it should resolve immediately because the weight no longer throws you out of balance.

Is a breast reduction right for you?

If you grew large breasts during puberty, it may have affected the bones in your spine as well as your back and neck muscles as they were still developing. This explains why some young girls experience back and neck pain early on.

Some women develop large breasts after delivering their children, and the breast tissue doesn’t return to its pre-pregnancy size afterward. 

Either way, you may be a good fit for mammaplasty. Schedule a consultation with Dr. Watkins at either of our two locations to find out if breast reduction surgery can restore your health and confidence. Call or click to get in touch with our friendly staff today.