What words should I know about breast reduction surgery?

Areola

Pigmented skin surrounding the nipple

Breast reduction

Also known as reduction mammaplasty, the surgical removal of breast tissue to reduce the size of breasts

General anesthesia

Drugs and/or gases used during an operation to relieve pain and alter consciousness

Hematoma

Blood pooling beneath the skin

Intravenous sedation

Sedatives administered by injection into a vein to help you relax

Liposuction

Also called lipoplasty or suction lipectomy, a procedure that vacuums out fat from beneath the skin's surface to reduce fullness

Local anesthesia

A drug injected directly to the site of an incision during an operation to relieve pain

Mammogram

An x-ray image of the breast

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

A painless test to view tissue, similar to an x-ray

Reduction mammaplasty

The surgical removal of breast tissue to reduce the size of breasts; also known as breast reduction surgery

Sutures

Stitches used by surgeons to hold skin and tissue together