Tulsa Surgical Arts

7322 E 91st St, Tulsa, OK 74133 · 918-392-7900 · tulsasurgicalarts.com

Oklahoma Surgical Arts · 12400 Saint Andrew’s Dr, Oklahoma City, OK 73120 · 405-751-0042

Breast Reduction

Plain-language patient guide

What this surgery is

Breast reduction makes very large breasts smaller, lighter, and lifted. It removes breast tissue, fat, and extra skin. Most women have it to relieve neck pain, back pain, shoulder grooves, and rashes under the breasts.

Relief from the weight is often felt within days.

What happens during it

You get anesthesia (medicine that makes you sleep).
The surgeon makes cuts around the nipple, down the front of the breast, and often along the breast fold.
Extra tissue, fat, and skin are removed.
The remaining breast is shaped and lifted. The nipple moves up, still attached to its blood supply.
The cuts are closed in layers. A soft surgical bra goes on.
Surgery takes about three hours. Most people go home the same day.

Main risks

Every surgery has risks. Here are the main ones for this surgery, in plain words. We will go over all of them with you in person.

Changed nipple feeling. It usually improves but can be permanent.
Breastfeeding may not be possible for some women afterward.
Slow healing where the scars meet under the breast. Small open spots usually heal with dressing care.
Loss of blood flow to the nipple. This is rare. Smoking raises the risk a lot.
Bleeding. Some bleeding can need another trip to the operating room.
Infection. Signs are spreading redness, warmth, pus, or fever.
Scars. Every cut leaves a scar. Most fade over a year. Some stay raised or wide.
Numb skin near the cuts. Feeling usually returns over months. Small areas can stay numb.
Blood clots in the legs. A clot can travel to the lungs. That is an emergency.
Problems from anesthesia (the medicine that makes you sleep). These are rare in healthy people.
Uneven results. The two sides of the body are never a perfect match.
The need for another surgery to fix a problem or improve the result.

What recovery is like

First few days: Soreness and swelling. Many women already feel the weight relief. Walk every few hours.
One week: Most desk workers return to work. No lifting over ten pounds.
Two weeks: Swelling keeps fading. Light exercise below the waist.
Six weeks: Full exercise, including running, feels easier with the new size.
One year: Scars fade and flatten.

When to call us right away

In any emergency, call 911 first.

Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department now — do not drive yourself, do not wait:

Chest pain or pressure, shortness of breath, or trouble breathing.
Fainting, sudden confusion, or weakness on one side of the body.
You have chest pain or trouble breathing.
One leg swells, or one calf hurts more than the other.
Blood soaks a bandage and does not slow down with gentle pressure.

Otherwise call us at 918-392-7900, day or night, if:

The skin of a nipple turns dark blue or black. This needs to be seen today.
You have a fever of 101.5°F (38.6°C) or higher.
Redness spreads out from a cut, or you see pus.
Your pain gets much worse instead of better.
A wound pulls open, or stitches come apart.

Reviewed and approved by Austin Kluis, MD — 2026-08-23.