The horizontal scar along the bottom enables us to remove the extra skin. But in vertical mammoplasty, the excess skin is pleated up, or purse-stringed if you can imagine, onto itself and we rely on the skin shrinking down on itself over time.” (After vertical mammoplasty, patients must wear a tight-fitting sports bra at all times for one month because it’s important to maintain constant compression of the scar.)

In comparison, patients who undergo traditional breast reduction procedures see their breasts assume their final shape in a month.

So prior to vertical mammoplasty, patients undergo in-depth counseling, often viewing photographs, until they understand and accept that their breasts will look horrible, wrinkled, and lumpy for a short period of time. Most have no problem with this and are quite peaceful after surgery, saying, “Oh, yeah, my doctor said they’d look terrible at first but they’ll get better soon”…and they do.

And really, once you’ve been given the gift of smaller breasts, what’s a few months of unsightly breasts?

Indeed. “Vertical mammoplasty hasn’t changed the whole tenor of breast reduction surgery. It’s a great operation, certainly, and for the average person, it makes the decision easier. Like the traditional procedure, it has relatively few complications and patient satisfaction rate is close to 100%. Everyone has always been delighted with breast reduction surgery. Now we just have a new tool in the toolbox…an exciting alternative,” says Dr. Weiss.

And if you’re not a good candidate for LeJour, don’t fret. Remember: even with traditional inferior pedicle surgery, the scars fade over time. And the scars are located on the underside of the breast, anyway, so it’s not like they’re highly visible.

Bottom, or shall we say “horizontal,” line? When considering breast reduction surgery, you can’t lose. (Or you’ll lose either way.)

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