Breast reduction in Paris 16 — treatment of breast hypertrophy

Breast hypertrophy is not only a question of appearance: it is a weight carried permanently, with consequences for the back, the shoulders, physical activity and clothing.

Breast reduction decreases the volume of the breasts and corrects the ptosis that almost always accompanies it. The comfort obtained is generally reported as considerable and rapid.

What is breast hypertrophy?

Breast hypertrophy means excessive development of the gland in relation to the morphology of the chest. It is frequently accompanied by ptosis, by neck and back pain, by grooves cut by bra straps and by irritation in the inframammary fold.

Why consider a breast reduction?

When a chest that is too large is disabling day to day, prevents sport and complicates dressing.

When the attention it attracts in public becomes hard to bear.

When it is the moment you feel ready, and you have accepted the idea of having scars. This last condition is decisive: breast reduction exchanges volume for scars, and that exchange must be chosen.

From what age can surgery be performed?

Surgery is possible from the age of 17, provided the volume of the breasts is stable.

How does the operation proceed?

The objective is twofold: to reduce the volume of the breasts and to correct the drooping shape usually associated with it.

Part of the content of the breast — gland and fat — and part of the skin must be removed, which necessarily involves scars. The operation takes place under general anaesthesia; one to three nights in hospital are necessary.

Where are the scars?

In the great majority of cases three scars are necessary: around the areola, vertical from the bottom of the areola to the fold, and horizontal in the inframammary fold. This is what is known as the inverted-T breast reduction.

What is the recovery like?

The operation is not painful for most patients. A non-underwired sports bra is fitted before discharge and stopping all sporting activity is recommended for one month.

The scars are quite inflamed around the first month, with redness and itching. These phenomena are normal and subside within a few months.

What support follows a breast reduction?

The scars of a reduction are more extensive than those of an augmentation: local care therefore lasts a little longer, and it is delivered by nurses at the practice and the clinic. The support bra is worn for several weeks. Two review consultations are scheduled, one within seven days, the other between day ten and day fourteen. The anaesthetist follows pain relief in the early days, and manual lymphatic drainage may be offered at home. See post-operative care.

When is the result final?

The final result is judged at one year, the time for the shape to stabilise and for the scars to mature.

What are the risks?

Besides those linked to general anaesthesia, altered sensation of the areola is sometimes seen, often temporary.

Very rarely, problems with the blood supply to the areola can lead to partial or total necrosis, requiring fairly lengthy local care to achieve healing. This complication is far more frequent in patients who smoke, as are healing problems with wound breakdown. That is why stopping smoking is a condition here, not a piece of advice.

The other complications are set out in detail in the SoFCPRE information leaflet.

Is breast reduction reimbursed?

Breast reduction may be eligible for reimbursement by French health insurance where the volume removed reaches the regulatory threshold per breast and the functional impact is documented. A prior authorisation request is sent to the medical adviser, who may call the patient in. Approval is not automatic and the conditions are examined in consultation.

Frequently asked questions

Is breastfeeding still possible?

It remains possible in many cases, since the technique preserves the continuity between the gland and the nipple, but no technique can guarantee it. This point must be raised before the operation if a pregnancy is planned.

Can the breasts grow again after the operation?

Significant weight gain or a pregnancy can increase breast volume again. That is why the operation is considered at a stable weight.

Last updated: August 2026 · Medical content reviewed by Dr Benjamin Pulvermacker, board-qualified plastic surgeon in Paris 16.

Who this operation suits — and who it does not

It suits women whose breast hypertrophy causes neck and back pain, irritated skin folds, difficulty with sport and with clothing. The functional impact is the heart of the indication, and it opens the way to reimbursement once the volume removed reaches the regulatory threshold. It does not suit — or does not yet suit — patients during significant weight change, before breast development is complete, or when a pregnancy with breastfeeding is imminent: pregnancy alters an operated breast, and breastfeeding, though possible, is never guaranteed.

Limits and specific risks

The scars are the real subject of this operation: around the areola, vertical and often horizontal in the fold as well (an inverted T), permanent even as they fade. Specific risks: altered areolar sensation, delayed healing at the junctions, fat necrosis, residual asymmetry, areolar necrosis — exceptional, but made more likely by smoking. All tissue removed is sent for pathological analysis, as a matter of course.