Breast Reduction

The Procedure

The Hospital

A Breast Reduction is performed under General Anaesthetic in hospital. This procedure is generally performed as a day surgery. However, very large reductions may require 1 night in hospital.

Recovery

We recommend two weeks off work (more if your role is very physical). You will wear a garment (like a soft bra) for 6 weeks and have bruising and swelling for two weeks.

Medicare Rebate

There is a Medicare item number for a Breast Reduction (45523). Read more in the FAQ section below.

3D Vectra Simulation

To explore what a breast reduction may look like on your own body, you can book a $100 Vectra 3D surgery simulation with our Practice Manager Jessica. This simulation is not perfect for all reductions, but is a good chance to talk about rebates, choice of hospital, and review of previous patient case studies.


Book a $100 Vectra Simulation

Video

For more information on breast reduction, please see our narrated 3D Animation. The Animation takes a few moments to upload so please be patient as it is worth the short delay.

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For our Specialist Plastic Surgeon

The fees below are the total out of pocket costs. These include the surgeon’s fee, hospital fee (for patients without private health insurance), anaesthetist’s fee, garment, LED light therapy for scar minimisation and follow up visits.

Patients must be able to demonstrate clinical need, including neck, shoulder and back pain and/or chronic skin irritation. It is worth discussing these symptoms with your GP to ensure that the clinical need is documented in your referral for surgery.

More FAQs about reduction costs are on our blog here.


Dr Moncrieff's fees:

$18,000 for a privately insured patient seeking a standard reduction or from $20,000 when combined with liposuction which takes additional theatre time. 

For patients without insurance, total out of pocket fees start at $25,000.


Costs quoted above are total out of pocket costs - meaning the final cost to patients after rebates (if applicable) are applied. Patients are required to pay in full prior to surgery and then claim any applicable rebates.

Before & After

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Breast reduction and nipple reshape

About the patient

Age

20 years old

Time

7 months post surgery

Description

This patient had a breast reduction and uplift with nipple reshape to transform from an F cup to a C cup.

Breast reduction and nipple reshape

About the patient

Age

20 years old

Time

7 months post surgery

Description

This patient had a breast reduction and uplift with nipple reshape to transform from a G cup to a D cup.

Breast reduction and nipple reshape

About the patient

Age

48 years old

Time

6 months post surgery

Description

This patient had a breast reduction and uplift with nipple reshape to correct severe asymmetry.

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View Our Patient Gallery

Dr Moncrieff is an experienced Specialist Plastic Surgeon with an exclusive focus on breast and body surgery for women. See examples of this procedure below or visit the full gallery now.

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Frequently Asked Questions

FAQS

FAQS

Yes, with the Medicare Item Number: 45523.

Are you with NIB?

For patients insured with NIB, please note they are advising a number of their patients that they will not guarantee cover until after the operation to ensure it was truly non-cosmetic. NIB patients should simply ensure they confirm that their level of cover includes the item number 45523, as Dr Moncrieff only quotes this number when he believes a patient has the clinical need required for that Medicare number and therefore meet the standards required if you have cover for breast reductions. You may also consider changing funds and this article may assist.

Yes we do. We understand that surgery is a serious investment. To help you understand your payment options you may like to read our dedicated article here.

There is no specific breast size that qualifies universally for breast reduction surgery, as the decision to undergo the procedure is based on individual factors and symptoms rather than a specific cup size or breast measurement. Patients seeking breast reduction surgery are typically troubled by disproportionately large breasts that cause physical discomfort, pain or functional limitations.

As a specialist plastic surgeon and a father of three, I recognise that being able to make the choice to breastfeed is very important for women and their families! That’s because when I perform this surgery, I invest the time to protect the milk ducts, nerves, breast tissue and glandular tissue as much as possible.

As a result, many women I operate on go on to successfully breastfeed after a breast reduction or lift surgery.

And while many women think the nipple is removed in a breast reduction, the technique I use does not involve removal. Instead, I reshape the areola and position it with the nerves and milk ducts intact to the new position on the chest wall.

Some patients of mine who have had breast reductions between babies have actually reported that they weren’t able to feed the first time around due to the excessive size of their breasts, but were able to breast feed the second baby after their reduction.

But of course, there are no guarantees! Just as with women who have not had surgery, some women are not able to breast feed at all and others will need the assistance of a lactation consultant to help manage early feeding issues.

To read the full answer, visit this article.

Dr Moncrieff performs breast reduction surgery on women of all ages, shapes and sizes and they all have different starting and finishing cup sizes depending on those factors. Routinely, Dr Moncrieff’s breast reduction patients can drop anywhere from 2-5 cup sizes post-surgery. More information about how small a breast reduction can make you is here.

We understand there is no access to public training hospitals for breast reductions in the Hunter. 

And Dr Moncrieff is not able to offer no-gap reductions as the cost of providing 5 star care in our practice far exceeds the nominal amount the private health funds are willing to pay for this procedure.

For more information on these topics, please visit the dedicated article here.

The level of pain experienced during breast reduction surgery varies from person to person. It's important to note that breast reduction is a surgical procedure, and like any surgery, it involves some degree of discomfort and recovery time. Breast reduction surgery will involve swelling, bruising, bloating and discomfort in the immediate post-operative period.

Our anesthetists will prescribe post-surgery medications to help manage pain and discomfort in the immediate post-operative period. Patients are advised to follow our post-operative care instructions carefully to minimise discomfort and promote healing. In most cases, discomfort gradually decreases over the days and weeks following surgery.

Learn about our 5 star difference here.

The minimum age for breast reduction surgery can vary depending on several factors, including the individual's physical breast development, emotional maturity, and medical need for surgery. Patients under the age of 18 require parental consent and a referral letter from their GP prior to scheduling an initial consultation with Dr Moncrieff.

If you are considering having a baby in the next year or two, or if breastfeeding is important to you, Dr Moncrieff will encourage you to complete your family before going ahead with breast surgery to achieve maximum longevity from your surgical results. However, if children are more than a few years away, there is no problem enjoying your surgical results before you become a mum. More information about pregnancy and plastic can be found here.

Breast reduction surgery has come a long way over time. Dr Moncrieff uses a modern anchor incision breast reductions with internal bra, which is the use of internal sutures to provide strength to the new breast shape, rather than just relying on external stitches.

This technique allows for volume reduction, reshaping of the breast, nipple/areola reduction and a breast lift all in the one operation. This is achieved with only a short vertical scar up the breast, incision around the areola and another under the breast fold.

The nipple is not 'removed' in the vast majority of cases, as the risk of graft failure is too high. Instead, it remains attached to the blood supply and moved upwards.

Dr Moncrieff also incorporates liposuction techniques into many of his breast reduction cases to achieve the best possible result.

A breast lift is performed in an identical way, but with less focus on reducing the volume of breast tissue and more focus on lifting and reshaping the skin.

For more information on breast reduction, please see our narrated 3D Animation above.

Dr Moncrieff finds that many women with large breasts request that he makes them β€œalmost flat chested” to alleviate their discomfort after years of struggling with neck, back and shoulder pain. In most cases, this kind of request is actually impossible without serious health and aesthetic issues.

The main reason that very large breasts can’t be made as small as an A or B cup is due to the limited blood supply to the nipple area during surgery. If too much breast tissue is removed, the excessive reduction in blood supply can potentially result in nipple and tissue death. The other main factor in determining your new breast size is balancing your overall figure from an aesthetic point of view. If you are curvy all over, very small breasts can make other parts of the body look out of proportion.

More information about how small a breast reduction can make you can be found here.

Your weight can make a big difference to the safety and outcome of your surgery – so we can’t ignore it.

In this article, Dr Moncrieff outlines why it matters and the weight range to aim for before starting the surgical journey.

A BMI at or under 28 is required for most patients for surgery, with a BMI of 30 being the maximum that Dr Moncrieff will accept due to increased risks of surgery.  An easy BMI calculator is here.

All surgery is serious and you need to weigh up the potential benefits with the risks. 

There are two main categories of risks and complications to consider when considering breast reduction surgery.

The first category of risks apply to all forms of major surgery and include: infection, bleeding and an adverse reaction to the anaesthetic. 

The next category of risks and complications which are more specific to breast reductions include: change in nipple sensation or loss of nipple sensation, delayed or slow healing wounds (including death of tissue), asymmetry and in rare cases, loss of the nipple.

Your surgeon will discuss these risks, and how you can reduce them before and after surgery, in your consultation. You will also be given written material covering these risks.

More information about the risks of plastic surgery and broader general surgery can be found on our dedicated risks page.

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