Breast reduction removes excess tissue to create lighter, better-balanced breasts and relieve physical symptoms. Dr Thomas Colson uses a superomedial pedicle (Hall-Findlay), and the Thorek technique for gigantomastia; a functional indication may be eligible for insurance pre-authorisation.
Breast reduction removes excess gland, fat and skin to create a lighter, higher, better-balanced breast — and to relieve the back, neck and shoulder symptoms that large breasts can cause. For most patients Dr Colson uses a superomedial pedicle, in the manner of Hall-Findlay, keeping the nipple on a robust blood supply.
For very large, heavy breasts (gigantomastia), he uses the Thorek technique with amputation and free nipple grafting, which in these cases shortens healing and reduces the risk of skin or gland necrosis.
Where large breasts cause documented symptoms, the reduction may be functional rather than cosmetic. A pre-authorisation request can then be made, and part of the treatment may be eligible for coverage with Daman or Thiqa within the SEHA network — assessed individually.
In line with UAE Department of Health guidelines on modesty and medical advertising, breast surgical results are not published online. Outcomes relevant to your own anatomy are reviewed privately during your consultation, alongside a Crisalix 3D simulation of your planned result.
Breast reduction is often performed for functional reasons and relieves symptoms reliably, but it is a larger operation than a lift and its trade-offs are correspondingly greater. Dr Colson reviews the following with every patient before consent.
| Risk | What it means | How it is managed |
|---|---|---|
| Scarring | Reduction leaves permanent scars, usually in an inverted-T pattern for larger reductions and a vertical pattern for smaller ones. | Pattern matched to the volume removed and agreed before surgery; scar-care protocol from the second week. |
| Change or loss of nipple sensation | Common early and usually improving. Permanent alteration is more likely than after a lift, and more likely the larger the reduction. | The superomedial pedicle is designed to carry the nerve supply with the nipple. |
| Effect on breastfeeding | Breastfeeding is more often affected after a reduction than after a lift, and cannot be guaranteed. | Discussed explicitly when pregnancy is planned; pedicle technique preserves glandular continuity where possible. |
| Free nipple graft (Thorek technique) | In gigantomastia the nipple may have to be transferred as a free graft. This means permanent loss of nipple sensation, no possibility of breastfeeding, and possible change in nipple colour or partial graft loss. | Only proposed when the alternative carries a higher risk of losing the nipple altogether; discussed in detail beforehand. |
| Delayed wound healing | Most often at the T-junction where three suture lines meet; more common with larger reductions. | Dressings and time; markedly more common in smokers and in poorly controlled diabetes. |
| Reduced blood supply to the nipple-areola complex | Rare, but the most serious specific risk, and higher in very large reductions. | Pedicle chosen for the resection; stopping smoking around surgery is a condition of the operation. |
| Residual asymmetry and shape change over time | The two sides are never identical, and the breast continues to change with weight, pregnancy and age. | Minor revision is sometimes proposed once the scars have matured. |
| Bleeding, infection, anaesthetic and thromboembolic risk | As for any surgery, including deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. | Pre-operative assessment, sterile technique and early mobilisation. Calf pain or breathlessness needs emergency care. |
Breast tissue removed at reduction is sent for histological examination as a matter of routine. Occasionally this identifies an unsuspected abnormality, which is then managed on its own merits. This is standard practice at SKMC and is one reason a reduction is a genuinely medical operation rather than a purely aesthetic one.
Under UAE Department of Health rules on health media and advertising, patient information must be balanced. None of the above is a reason to avoid surgery — it is the material on which an informed decision is made, and each point is discussed again, applied to your own anatomy, before you consent.
Consultations and surgery with Dr Thomas Colson are performed exclusively at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) in Abu Dhabi, within the SEHA network. A pre-operative Crisalix 3D simulation lets patients preview the planned breast shape before deciding.