AboutAlan M. Engler, MD, FACS Expertise Dr. Engler has answered over 2300 plastic surgery questions for Allexperts. His expertise is in cosmetic plastic surgery including breast surgery (breast enlargement with implants, breast reduction, breast lifts), liposuction, eyelid surgery, tummy tucks, facelifts etc.
Dr. Engler has been listed as one New York`s Top Doctors, and as "One of the World's Most Famous Aesthetic Surgeons" (Aesthetic Surgery, TASCHEN Books, Angelika Taschen, Editor). He is the author of 4 books, including "BodySculpture" (a best-selling plastic surgery book on breast surgery, liposuction and tummy tucks), "EyeScapes" (Plastic Surgery of the Eyelids), "Restylane," and "The Slim Book of Liposuction."
Dr. Engler has two US Patents for surgical instruments that he's designed, and has appeared on numerous television shows, including The Tyra Banks Show, The Ricki Lake Show (four times), and the Dr. Keith Ablow Show. Videos of his appearances are available on YouTube (SEARCH FOR "DR. ENGLER"). His website is www.bodysculpture.com.
Experience Dr. Alan Engler is a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York and the author of BodySculpture - Plastic Surgery of the Body for Men and Women (ISBN 0966382749) one of the top-selling plastic surgery books on amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, etc.
Organizations belong to ASAPS (American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery); ASPS (American Society of Plastic Surgeons); ACS (American College of Surgeons); Clinical Assistant Professor of Plastic Surgery at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York
Question I'm 5'4" 140lbs and have a D cup. I'm having breast reduction surgery on July 10th. I would like to go down to a B cup. I had a mammogram that showed all dense breast tissue. Will the doctor be able to remove at least 350 grams of tissue per side?
Answer Hi Shannon,
There's more about breast reduction at www.bodysculpture.com.
Depending on one's body size it's about 200-250 grams of tissue per bra cup size. But it's less for women who are petite and more for women who are large and, anyway, the weight - which is what most insurance companies use as criteria for coverage - is dependent to a large degree on how dense the breast tissue is. While bra cup size depends on volume, the insurance issue depends on weight.
Younger patients typically have denser breast tissue; part of the natural effect of aging is the gradual replacement of that breast tissue with fat (nothing personal to anyone, of course...) so that, even for the same size breasts, the tissue will normally get lighter over time.
SO - my guess is that if you are a real D and are going down to a real B (ie, not a small D into a full C who wants to be a full B into a small C) then you should have no problem getting 350 grams out from each side. The more any of these other issues apply to you - actual cup size, density of breasts, smaller frame - the more it becomes a potential concern (in terms of how much tissue you'll get out; not whether or not you'll have a nice result).
