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The Breast Reduction Consultation
Allow about an hour for your free consultation at our office, which is conveniently located in Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr. Eisenberg will examine and measure your breasts in the presence of one of his office staff, and if you desire, your significant other. You'll proceed to the consultation room, where you can ask Dr. Eisenberg all of your questions and review pictures of his actual patients who are of similar height, weight and body frame as you. The goal of breast reduction surgery is to reduce your breasts to an appropriate size; this size will be determined with you during consultation.Next, we will send a letter and two photographs - a front and side view of your breasts only (without your face) - to the medical director of your insurance company. After the insurance company reviews your case, they will contact you to let you know if the request has been approved or denied. This usually takes about three to four weeks.
If your insurance company approves you for surgery, we'll schedule a date for the breast reduction and for your preoperative laboratory testing and evaluation by the nursing staff and anesthesiologists at Nazareth Hospital, just a few blocks from our office. If your insurance company denies your surgery, you still have the option to pay for it yourself. Testing includes drawing blood to determine if you are anemic, pregnant or have bleeding problems. Depending on your age and family history, you may be asked to get a mammogram (breast x-ray) before surgery. We want to be certain that you are in good health for surgery.
Surgery
Your surgery is done in the safety of a Nazareth Hospital operating room, where you are cared for by Dr. Eisenberg and his team of discreet and highly qualified registered nurses and certified anesthesiologists. A breast reduction takes about three to four hours and is performed under general anesthesia.
Dr. Eisenberg will first mark the position in which the new nipple will be sewn and the breast tissue that will be removed; the markings often resemble the shape of a keyhole. During the reduction, he will remove the glandular tissue, fat and skin, and move the nipple-still attached to the breast -- to a higher and more youthful position. In very rare circumstances, when the breast is so large that circulation to the nipple cannot be maintained, the nipple is removed and grafted. The breast and its envelope of skin are brought together to restore the breast shape and to make a new bra of your own skin.
After the operation, you are cared for in the recovery room by compassionate nurses and then transferred to a hospital room for an overnight stay. The next morning, before Dr. Eisenberg discharges you from the hospital, you will be placed in your special support bra, which is to be worn continuously for two weeks and then part-time for an additional six weeks. You must arrange for someone to drive you home.
Recovery
Patients report to us that they have minimal discomfort after breast reduction surgery.
This is because surgery is performed on the soft tissue, and there is no stretching of the skin and muscle as there is during an augmentation. Most times, we are able to use dissolvable stitches; when this is the case there are no stitches that have to be removed.
You can shower the day after surgery. It's best to have someone stay with you following surgery, so that you can rest. If you have small children, you will need help lifting them for the first few days.
By the third day, many patients are able to comfortably lift their children for short periods of time and drive a car-if they are not taking narcotics. More than 90 percent of our patients are back to work on the fifth day, if they work in an office setting, longer if their work requires lifting, pushing or pulling. Patients can generally return to aerobics in 2 to 3 weeks and upper body weightlifting in six weeks. Sexual activity should be curtailed for one week following surgery to reduce the risk of bleeding.
Within a few days of your surgery, Dr. Eisenberg and the hospital will call you to check on your well-being. Your first post-operative visit is usually within a week. Patients generally return for rechecks at three weeks, six weeks, three months and nine months, if possible.
