Breast Reduction Surgery (Reduction Mammoplasty) in Melbourne

What is Breast Reduction Surgery?

Breast reduction (reduction mammoplasty) is surgery to reduce the size and weight of the breasts and reshape them into a lighter, more balanced position on the chest. For most of the women I see in Melbourne it isn’t about appearance — it’s about relief. Many have lived with heavy breasts (macromastia) for years: the neck, back and shoulder pain, the grooves the bra straps leave, the skin irritation and rashes in summer, the exercise they’ve quietly given up. What they want is usually simple — comfort, freedom of movement, and proportion. This page explains what a breast reduction actually involves, who it suits, and how I approach it.

Most of the women who come to me about breast reduction have been thinking about it for years — not months. Years. What they describe first is the weight of it: the ache, the headaches, the two bras worn just to get through the day. They tell me they’d love to run or exercise but it’s simply too heavy; that they buy everything a size bigger just for their chest; that they long to buy a bra off the shelf and wear bathers to the beach. For most of my patients, this isn’t vanity — it’s relief, and it’s freedom. There’s an element of appearance too, and the honest word for it is proportion: a body that feels in balance, where a woman is seen for herself, not defined by her chest arriving in the room before she does.

Download my Guide to Breast Reduction

A free, honest guide to what the surgery involves — recovery, scars, cost, and the questions I’m asked most — yours to read at your own pace. Download the guide (PDF) →

What happens during breast reduction surgery?

A breast reduction is often thought of as simply “taking tissue away.” It’s more considered than that. Your breast is glandular tissue and fat within a skin envelope, and over a lifetime — through weight, pregnancy, breastfeeding, hormones and gravity — that tissue settles low and out to the side, and the nipple descends.

What I’m really doing in theatre is restoring the breast to where it began — bringing it to a more balanced, natural position on the chest wall. I manage three things together: the extra volume, the skin, and the shape — and all of it while keeping the breast, and the nipple, safe and well supported. My aim is targeted: as little scarring as the operation allows for the greatest improvement, placed and sized carefully to limit — not avoid, but limit — both the scarring and the chance of things drifting back over time.

I also tell every patient something simple and honest: you’ll still wear a bra afterwards. You still have breasts, and as long as you carry weight on your chest it needs support — gravity keeps working on all of us. A reduction lightens the load; it doesn’t switch gravity off.

What results can I realistically expect?

I want to see the world through your eyes. Before I decide how to operate, I want to understand what you are hoping for — what you want to be able to do, and how you’d like to feel in your body. The right operation depends far more on your vision than on any single measurement.

I’ll always be honest with you about what surgery can and can’t do. Many women feel a real improvement in the discomfort — but I never promise a reduction will fix your back, neck or shoulder pain. Those symptoms are multifactorial; heavy breasts certainly don’t help, and reducing the load often makes a genuine difference, but I can’t guarantee it. Sensation can change too: many women recover the same sensation they had before, while some have more and some have less. I’d rather you have the honest picture from the start than be surprised later.

Am I a good candidate for breast reduction?

This is one of the most important parts of the consultation, and it’s about far more than your breasts. What I’m really working out is whether surgery is likely to give you an excellent result that will also last.

Alongside examining your breasts, I consider the whole picture:

• the physical symptoms you’re living with — pain, heaviness, skin irritation, and the limits on exercise and daily life
• your general health and how well your body is likely to heal
• your nutrition and overall wellbeing, which genuinely affect recovery
• whether your weight is relatively stable
• whether significant hormonal change or a pregnancy is underway or planned
• how much your breasts are affecting your comfort, confidence and quality of life

Life continues after surgery — gravity continues, and your body keeps changing. A reduction can’t stop that, but it can reset where you start from, and the best timing is usually when your body and life have reached a stable point. I often think of suitability in two simple words: willing and able. Whether a reduction is genuinely right for you is something we confirm together at your consultation.

Breast reduction vs breast lift: which do I need?

One of the most common questions I hear is which operation do I actually need? It’s rarely about cup size. When I assess a breast, I’m really asking three things: how much tissue do you have, where is that tissue positioned, and is there too much, too little, or enough tissue simply in the wrong place?

If there’s excess tissue causing weight, droop and symptoms, a breast reduction reduces the load and restores shape at the same time. If there’s enough tissue but it has descended, a breast lift alone may be all that’s needed. If volume has genuinely been lost, a lift with implants or fat transfer may add fullness. For women who have lost a large amount of weight, the reshaping approach is different again, and I cover that on the breast lift / post-weight-loss page. There’s no one-size-fits-all operation — which is exactly why the assessment matters.

Breast reduction techniques: how I operate

There isn’t a single “breast reduction.” There’s a family of techniques, and part of my job is choosing — and sometimes combining — the ones that suit your anatomy and your goals.

My core method is the Hall-Findlay technique, a vertical (or “lollipop”) approach to reshaping the breast, and I’ve attended a workshop with Dr Elizabeth Hall-Findlay to refine it first-hand. Her textbook, Aesthetic Breast Surgery: Concepts & Techniques, is one of the reference works I return to. In suitable patients, a vertical approach gives strong control over the new shape while avoiding a long horizontal scar. For very large or heavy reductions, an additional horizontal scar (an “anchor” or Wise pattern) is sometimes needed to remove and reshape safely — I’ll always tell you honestly if that applies to you.

Keeping the nipple alive and sensate is central to the operation. The nipple stays attached to a pedicle — a flap of your own tissue that carries its blood supply and nerves. Depending on your anatomy, the best pedicle may be superomedial, lateral, or another design; I choose the one that suits your breast rather than forcing every breast into one method. Where your skin can take up the excess and we can reduce the volume with less cutting, that’s the direction I’ll choose. For breasts that are predominantly fatty rather than heavy with glandular tissue, liposuction can sometimes do part of the work through smaller incisions, and I may use associated liposuction to address the lateral (side) fullness that’s so often overlooked.

The right combination is decided together at your consultation, once I’ve assessed your tissues. Not every technique suits every patient, and I don’t claim one method is superior for everyone.

Can I have a second (repeat) breast reduction?

More women are asking me this, and the honest answer is yes — a second breast reduction, sometimes years or decades after the first, is possible. Breasts keep living: weight change, pregnancy, hormones and menopause can all bring back the size and heaviness a woman thought she’d left behind, and she is just as entitled to relief the second time.

A re-reduction is a more considered operation than a first, though, and I approach it carefully. Wherever possible I want to know what was done the first time — particularly how the nipple was kept alive — because protecting its blood supply and sensation is the central concern once a breast has already been operated on. Where the previous surgery is known and the tissue is healthy, I can usually reduce and reshape again through the existing scars. Where the earlier technique is unknown, I’m more conservative, and occasionally a different approach is the safer choice. The risks — to healing, to sensation, and to the nipple in particular — are a little higher the second time, and I’ll always talk you through them honestly before we decide anything together.

What a good breast reduction result looks like

A good result isn’t measured in cup size. What I’m really working towards is proportion and balance for your body — the shape and position of the breast, the quality of the tissues, the placement of the nipple, and how it all sits with the rest of your figure, so you feel balanced and comfortable, and seen for yourself.

I look closely at the quality of the tissues and the skin envelope — its stretch, and how it’s likely to behave, because how skin has behaved in the past is often the best guide to its future. I assess width and length, the footprint, the balance between upper and lower pole, projection and symmetry, and I always give attention to lateral fullness. My intention is, as far as possible, to reverse what life, weight change, pregnancies and breastfeeding have done — in a way that looks natural for your body.

Breast reduction scars: what to expect

You will have scars. This involves cutting, and cutting leaves scars — no one can operate without them, and I never minimise that. What I can do is look after them: place them as inconspicuously as possible, keep them as short as the operation allows, and guide your healing carefully. Their final appearance depends on the technique, meticulous closure, your own biology, and the care you give them afterwards, and with a structured scar-management program most scars continue to soften, flatten and fade over the first twelve months.

There are also internal scars you don’t see, and they matter — that scar tissue supports your new shape and holds the breast in position. So I tell patients: your scars are your friends. They’re your healing. My job is to help them form gently, kindly, and only as much as needed — so they support you, not trouble you later.

You can see real patient results in my breast reduction before-and-after gallery. These are my own patients, shown with their consent; results vary from person to person, and the gallery is intended for people aged 18 and over.

What the surgery involves

A breast reduction is performed under general anaesthetic, usually takes around two to three hours, and generally involves a night in hospital for monitoring. You’ll wear a support garment afterwards, and drains are sometimes used. It’s real surgery with a genuine recovery — most women won’t drive in the first week, and many are back to it in the second.

Breast reduction recovery timeline

Recovery is gradual rather than a single event, and I’ll guide you through each stage.

• First 1–2 weeks: rest and limited activity; most women don’t drive in the first week.
• Weeks 2–4: many return to non-strenuous work and light daily activity.
• Weeks 4–6: a gradual return to light exercise as you heal.
• 6–8 weeks and beyond: the breast continues to settle and soften into its final shape over the following months.

I review you closely afterwards — commonly at 1, 2, 4 and 6 weeks, then at 3, 6 and 12 months — because I see surgery as the beginning of our relationship, not the end of it.

Risks and complications of breast reduction

A breast reduction is a significant operation and, like all surgery, carries risks — I’d rather you understand them clearly than be surprised later. These can include bleeding, infection, delayed wound healing or wound separation, visible or thickened scarring, changes in nipple or breast sensation, asymmetry, partial loss of the ability to breastfeed, and — uncommonly — problems with the blood supply to the nipple or skin. There are the general risks of anaesthesia, and the small risk of serious complications such as blood clots (DVT or pulmonary embolism). Occasionally a further procedure is needed to refine the result. We discuss all of this honestly at your consultation, and you can read more on my risks and complications of surgery page.

How much does breast reduction cost in Melbourne?

There’s no single price for a breast reduction, because no two operations are the same. Your quote is made up of several separate parts — the surgeon’s fee, the anaesthetist’s fee, the surgical assistant’s fee and the hospital fees — and depends on the technique required, the complexity of your surgery and the length of your hospital stay. After I’ve assessed you, my team will provide a clear, itemised quote specific to your surgery.

Where a reduction is done for functional reasons — the pain and physical symptoms — there are cases where the Medicare criteria can be met, and your private health insurance may contribute. But it’s never automatic, and it isn’t something I can promise from the outset; it’s assessed on your individual situation, and you can check the current criteria on MBS Online. That’s part of what we work through carefully together at your consultation, so you know exactly where you stand before you decide anything. (See also: Medicare coverage & MBS item numbers and payment plans & options.)

A note before you decide

I often say this to the women weighing it up, and I mean it: you are allowed to look after yourself. Prioritising your own health and comfort doesn’t take anything from anyone — it’s like the oxygen mask on the plane, where you put your own on first so you can help the people you love. Your wellbeing matters, enormously.

When you come in, I’ll do my best to listen, to understand what you’re hoping for, and to give you honest advice about what’s possible. I can’t promise a particular result, but I can promise care, and honesty.

How to choose a breast reduction surgeon

A breast reduction is real surgery, and who performs it matters. I’m a Specialist Plastic Surgeon — that title is protected, and you can confirm any surgeon’s registration and specialty on the AHPRA public register before you book. You can also find recognised specialist plastic surgeons through the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons.

I’m also board certified by the Australian and New Zealand Board of Cosmetic Plastic Surgery — a certification I recertify every year. It means my training, my procedures and my standards aren’t assessed once and forgotten; they’re reviewed and upheld on an ongoing basis. I’m also a member of the Australasian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS), the peak body for specialist plastic surgeons in aesthetic surgery. I operate only in accredited hospitals, and a GP referral is now required for any surgical consultation — all of which exists to protect you.

Breast Reduction FAQs

How to book your consultation

A GP referral is now essential to see me for any type of surgery, so please arrange one before your appointment. A consultation fee of $300 applies, payable when you book.

To arrange a consultation with me:

Phone: (03) 9852 0545
Email: info@drcarmen.com.au
Rooms: 246 Mitcham Rd, Mitcham VIC 3132

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Dr Carmen Munteanu — MD, FRACS (Plas), Specialist Plastic Surgeon, over 25 years of experience, AHPRA MED0001211281. This page is general information only and is not personal medical advice. All surgery carries risks and possible complications, and results vary from person to person and cannot be guaranteed. Content and imagery are intended for people aged 18 and over. Before proceeding with any surgical or invasive procedure, seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.