Breast Augmentation vs. Breast Reduction: Contrasting Procedures, Common Goals

Breast augmentation and breast reduction are two sides of the cosmetic breast surgery coin. While seemingly opposites, these two plastic surgery procedures actually have the same goals: to make you feel more comfortable and confident with your own body. It’s all about matching your breast size and shape to your needs and lifestyle.

For example, Jill Parsons recently told her story about her life-changing breast reduction surgery in Road and Trail Talk Magazine. An aspiring competitive runner, Parson’s overly large breasts caused her difficulties in breathing and shopping for clothes. It also created neck and back pain and unwanted attention from both men and women. As a 25- year old woman who wore size six jeans and a 36DDD bra, she compared her discomfort to having a sandbag draped around her neck. The health threats were so great that her breast reduction surgery was covered by her insurance. She recovered within two weeks and was back training in the gym in a month. Unburdened of five extra pounds on her chest, breathing difficulties and unwanted stares, she had the confidence to work her way up to achieving her goal of running a half marathon.

As a contrasting example, Dr. Robert Wald, an Orange County breast augmentation specialist, does life changing work through breast lifts, breast enhancements and breast reconstruction in addition to breast reduction surgery. With patients in Orange County and Riverside County, breast augmentation plays an important role in restoring the femininity and self-esteem in women who have undergone changes due to aging, pregnancy or breast cancer. These women can confidently wear the clothing and swimsuits that they may once have caused them embarrassment.

The story of Jill Parsons’ breast reduction and the successes of Dr. Wald’s breast augmentation procedures both illustrate cases where breast surgery led to a significant and positive lifestyle change. When it comes to breasts, bigger is not always better—it’s all about feeling comfortable in your body.

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Despite personal views, plastic surgery has gone mainstream, and is obviously here to stay. The release of plastic surgery statistics has become an annual ritual, almost on par with announcing awards show nominees. Every year the numbers are analyzed to see what trends are revealed, and the 2008 data, released last month from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), provided a few surprises.

Paramount among these was the emergence of breast augmentation as the number one cosmetic surgery procedure, knocking off liposuction which has traditionally held the spot. Though cosmetic surgery overall declined in 2008 (which also happens to be a first), the surge in cosmetic implant use was mirrored by an increase of approximately 39% in breast reconstruction. This comes on the heels of FDA clearance for silicone gel breast implants 2 years ago, suggesting that the controversies that have plagued this breast implants type in the past have since faded.

A longer view reveals a more telling trend, however. While cosmetic surgery was down by a few percentage points, non-surgical and minimally invasive cosmetic procedures-Botox or dermal filler injections, lasers and the like-were up. One widely held interpretation of this is that people are shifting into “maintenance mode” by opting for more affordable procedures with minimal or no downtime until the economy improves and they can justify their facelift. Botox might be the new lipstick, a modern version of the historical increase in lipstick sales with every major economic downturn in the past.

Forecasting Plastic Surgery Trends

But broader analysis reveals that non-surgical cosmetic procedures have been increasing a lot more than surgery for several years. Although 1.7 million surgical procedures were done in the U.S. last year, non-surgical procedures checked in at more than 10 million. This is due, in part, to continually improving products and technologies, and with this has come greater social acceptance. Many of them are even household words now. Plastic surgeons have adapted by expanding their repertoires to include minimally invasive technologies and beauty services at their practices.

The big question on everyone’s mind is what all this means for the economy and where we are headed. One could easily subscribe to the theory that plastic surgery bookings anticipate an upturn, and if the first quarter of the year is an indication, then the economy is headed in the right direction. Some are freshening up their appearance as they change careers, others taking advantage of time off in between jobs. Either way, it is a vote of confidence; whether it is right for you, as always, is a personal choice.

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