Breast Reduction Surgery in Wilmington, NC

Some women are unhappy with their breasts because they believe they are too large. Macromastia (oversized, large breasts) can be both physically and mentally challenging for many women. It can cause neck and back pain, a loss of center of balance, and problems with routine activities of daily living or exercise. Not only might you be concerned with them aesthetically, they may also be causing you discomfort. Breast reduction surgery can help you feel more comfortable and look better.

What to Expect

The breast reduction is like the mastopexy in that we lift and shape the breasts using the same method of removing excess skin and tightening up the surrounding tissues. However, before tightening them up, we can reduce breast size and volume by removing excess fat and tissue.

The 3-hour breast reduction will only remove an actual weight of 2-7 pounds; however, it feels like 25 pounds have been removed from the back and neck of the candidate who has this procedure.

Breast Reduction Consultation

This procedure requires a face to face consultation with the candidate and surgeon. At times, a free nipple graft is required and will be discussed at the time of consult.

Insurance Requirements

Breast reduction is often covered by select insurances.

The following documentation requirements are requested by all insurance companies to be considered as proof for medical necessity for a breast reduction.  The amount of breast tissue that is estimated to be removed also plays a major role in approval by insurance, but this varies based on the specific insurance company and your body surface area.

• Six weeks of chiropractic or physical therapy treatment in the past 12 months.  We would need copies of these treatment records (not just a letter, but all records) to submit with the prior authorization request for this.
• Documentation of a support bra fitting.  This can be obtained from anywhere other than Victoria Secret that does bra fittings (Lane Bryant, The Bra Shoppe, Dillards, Soma-- to name a few).  You would need to get a business card with the company, name of the person who did the fitting, and your bra size.  We would need this to submit to insurance also.
• If your Body Mass Index (BMI) is over 27, your insurance company will want to see that you have attempted weight loss to reduce the size of your breasts.  This could be nutrition records or simply weigh-ins with your Primary Care showing your weight reducing on the weigh-ins.  Weigh-ins showing weight gain is not supportive documentation for this requirement.
• If your insurance is AETNA, they also require any females over the age of 40 years of age or older to submit a copy of their most recent mammogram report that was negative for cancer and performed within the two years prior to the date of the planned reduction.

In order to submit a prior authorization request to your insurance company, we would need all of the above-mentioned documentation in the office before the submission of the request.