Dense Breasts & Breast Reduction in Korea What You Should Know Before Surgery-Dr.KIM JAEWOO from THE plastic surgery clinic
✦ Dense Breasts & Breast Reduction Surgery
Dense breasts are characterized by a higher proportion of glandular tissue and relatively dense fatty tissue within the breast. These characteristics create several important considerations when performing breast reduction surgery.
π Simple explanation:
This means the breast feels more firm than soft, so surgery is a bit more delicate compared to softer breasts.
First — Limitation in Reduction Volume
First, there is a limitation in the amount of reduction.
In cases of dense breasts without severe ptosis, the extent to which the breast size can be reduced may be limited.
While individual differences exist, in such cases the maximum safe reduction is often around 40–50%.
π What this means for you:
Even if you want a much smaller size, the surgeon may recommend a safe reduction range rather than making it too small, to avoid complications or unnatural results.
Second — Achieving a Natural Shape
Second, achieving a natural shape after surgery is crucial.
Glandular tissue, when palpated, feels firm—similar to a rubber eraser.
After excising this firm tissue,
creating a naturally rounded and aesthetically pleasing breast contour is extremely important.
If the surgeon is not experienced in handling dense glandular tissue, the postoperative breast shape may appear unnatural or irregular.
π Easy way to understand:
Because the tissue is firm, it doesn’t “settle” easily.
So shaping the breast nicely is actually more important than just removing volume.
✦ Surgical Considerations
For these reasons, careful surgical planning is essential.
During surgery, continuous attention must be paid to maintaining a beautiful breast contour.
In addition, dense breasts tend to carry a relatively higher risk of postoperative bleeding, so meticulous hemostasis during surgery is critical.
π Patient tip:
This is why choosing an experienced surgeon really matters, especially for dense breast cases.
Case Introduction
Today, I would like to introduce a case of vertical scar breast reduction in a woman in her 50s who had both dense breasts and macromastia.
Although her breasts were quite large, the degree of ptosis was not severe.
Therefore, while there were limitations to how much reduction could safely be achieved,
I explained that we would reduce the size as much as possible within a safe range.
π Key takeaway from this case:
The goal was not just to make the breasts smaller,
but to find the best balance between size,
shape, and safety.
Thank you.
This was Dr. Kim jae woo
from THE plastic surgery clinic.
