Breastfeeding and Breast Surgery

Breastfeeding and breast surgery is a commonly discussed topic within our clinics. Patients often question whether breast surgery will affect their ability to breastfeed, if breastfeeding will change the results from breast surgery and what type of breast surgery is best for breasts affected by breastfeeding. Our expert team of consultant breast surgeons are very experienced in answering these questions and will be able to offer their specialist advice at a clinic local to you.

Will I still be able to breastfeed?

This is one of our most frequently asked questions with any type of breast or nipple surgery. In general terms, cosmetic breast surgery should not impact your ability to breast feed however it can affect your ability to produce a full supply of milk.

Procedure	Effects on breast feeding
Breast Enlargement	Breast Implants should not impact your physical ability to breastfeed. Implants can cause a reduction in supply of milk. A periareola incision may cause scar formation close to the milk ducts which can block them. Incisions made under the breast are less likely to impact breastfeeding. There have been no clinical reports of problems in babies of mothers with silicone implants.
Breast Uplift	Incisions being made around the areola or surgical techniques that include detaching the areolae and nipples can cause damage to nerves or milk ducts. Damaged milk ducts can grow back or form new pathways. Nipple sensation can take some time to return following breast surgery.
Breast Reduction	Breast glandular tissue is removed from the breast which often includes milk ducts which can cause a reduction in the amount of milk that is supplied. A free nipple breast reduction involves removing the nipple from the breast which can impact the ability to breastfeed. A pedicled breast reduction keeps the nipple intact but some sensitivity may still be affected.

Our surgeons are all trained in the latest techniques and will endeavour to preserve the function of lactation-related structures as much as possible. We recommend discussing breastfeeding post-surgery with your surgeon during your consultation as they may be able to alter their technique or offer their advice to help you make a fully informed decision before consenting to surgery.

Will breastfeeding affect my breast surgery results?

Breastfeeding is not known to directly alter your breast surgery results however the changes that occur to your natural breast tissue and skin during both pregnancy and breastfeeding may cause a change in appearance to your breast surgery results.

During pregnancy, your natural breast tissue enlarges and post-birth it will become engorged with milk, and all of this will cause the skin of the breasts to stretch. Once you have finished breastfeeding, your breasts may stay the same size, return to their pre-pregnancy size or reduce to a smaller size. If they are reduced in size, the stretched skin may sag which causes deflated-looking breasts.

If you have had breast implants, the stretched skin may mean that the implants no longer give fullness to the breasts and if you had a reduction or uplift you may notice that your results have drooped. In these instances some patients to undergo subsequent breast surgery to help restore their previous breast surgery results.

What breast surgery is best for breasts affected by breastfeeding?

Breastfeeding can take its toll on your breasts, the increase in milk demand can cause the breasts to enlarge and then as the milk demand decreases, so will the breasts. This can result in stretched breast tissue, breast sagging and an overall deflated look.

The best breast surgery following breastfeeding will depend on your individual circumstances and what you wish to achieve from the procedure. We recommend booking a consultation with an experienced breast surgeon who will be able to offer their expert advice.

A breast enlargement procedure may be recommended for patients who are lacking full ness to their breasts.
A breast uplift procedure may be recommended for patients who want a more uplifted appearance to the breasts.
A breast lift with implants may be recommended for patients who want to increase the size of their breasts but also improve any breast sagging that may already be visible or may be more visible once an implant is in place.
A breast reduction may be advised for patients who feel their breasts are too large following pregnancy or breast feeding and wish to reduce the size.
For patients who already have implants, a breast implant removal procedure, breast implant replacement or breast auto augmentation procedure may be recommended to help improve their results.

To find out more about which breast surgery is right for you, click here.

Breast Surgery after breastfeeding at The Private Clinic

At The Private Clinic, we pride ourselves on being able to offer consultations with our team of the best breast surgery consultant surgeons who all offer the highest level of care and expertise.
We do recommend that patients wait at least 3 months, ideally 6 months after they finish breastfeeding to allow the breasts to stop producing milk, your hormones to return to pre-pregnancy levels and your breasts to settle in their final post-partum size.

If you’ve just finished breastfeeding and visit The Private Clinic for a breast surgery consultation, you must share your breastfeeding history with our surgeons as well as any future breastfeeding plans. This will help our surgeons to create a personalised treatment plan to suit you and your breast surgery goals.

Breast Surgeons at The Private Clinic

Breast surgery at our clinics is performed by some of the UK’s top consultant plastic surgeons who have decades of experience and specialist experience in breast surgery.

Mr Davood Fallahdar, MD&Surg (Hons), FRCS (Eng), Chir Plast (Hons), MicroSurg (Hons), ORL (H&N) GMC Number: 4686602
Ms Helena Antoniadou, MBBS, MD & Surg (Hons), FRCS (Eng). GMC Number: 3700956
Mr Maisam Fazel, MA(Cantab), MB BChir, MSEd, FRCS. GMC Number : 4767420
Mr Giuseppe Di Taranto, MD. GMC Number: 7614248
Sandip Hindocha – Consultant Aesthetic Plastic Surgeon, MD, MPhil, MBChB, MRCS, MFFLM, FRCS (Plast). GMC Number: 6122218
Ms Rieka Taghizadeh, MBChb, MRCS (Glas), FRCS (Plast), GMC Number: 4743910
Mr George Samouris, MD. GMC Number: 7064009

Why choose The Private Clinic for Breast Surgery?

Expert Cosmetic breast surgeons who have decades of experience.
Dedicated post-operative care and appointments with your surgeon and nursing team, including a 24-hour help line.
We have state of the art hospital facilities.
Giving you the best results and patient care is our priority we have a 5-star Trust Pilot rating.
Locations in London Harley Street, Birmingham, Buckinghamshire(virtual consultations only), Leeds, Manchester and Northampton.
We work with our partnered finance provider ‘Chrysalis Finance’ to offer 0% finance* to our patients. Get in touch to find out more.