Consumer's Guide to Breast Reduction

Breast Reduction Assessment of Value and Outcomes (BRAVO) Study

Welcome to the Consumer’s Guide to Breast Reduction. We hope that the information included on this site assists you in becoming an informed health care consumer.

What is breast reduction?

Breast reduction (or reduction mammaplasty in surgical jargon) is an operation designed to reduce and reshape large breasts. Many women suffer from pain and other symptoms associated with large breasts. Discomfort associated with large breasts can include chronic back, neck, and shoulder pain, as well as painful shoulder grooves from bra straps.

Large breast size may also limit women’s abilities to perform routine daily activities and may cause significant emotional distress. By reducing breast size and restoring a more youthful breast shape, breast reduction surgery can relieve many of these symptoms.

What is the purpose of this site?

This Web site contains information to assist you in making choices about breast reduction, whether you are ready for surgery, still deciding, or just curious about what is involved with the procedure. Our goal is to give you clear and current information about breast reduction surgery and your options. We hope this site answers many of your questions, lets you know what to expect, and helps you make a decision that you feel good about.

How should I use this site?

If you are planning to talk to a surgeon about breast reduction surgery, we recommend that you spend some time reviewing this information before your first visit. The information on this web site will help you and your surgeon choose the options that are best for you. This site may also be useful in clarifying issues raised during your first consultation.

Where does this information come from?

Several sources of information have been used in building this site. Our primary source is the Breast Reduction Assessment of Value and Outcomes (BRAVO) Study. Sponsored by the Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation (PSEF), the BRAVO Study evaluated processes and outcomes of care in hundreds of women undergoing breast reduction surgery. To give you as many perspectives as possible, we also present findings from other studies in the current medical literature.

As you navigate the site, you will find balanced, timely, and relevant information on breast reduction surgery. The site should not be viewed as an advertisement for this procedure—We have included text and graphics describing both the benefits and risks of the operation. Using this information, each patient and her health care provider should decide whether breast reduction is the right choice for her.