(501) 224-1044
REDUCTION MAMMOPLASTY · LITTLE ROCK, AR
Breast Reduction
Large breasts cause problems that have nothing to do with appearance; back and shoulder pain, skin irritation, limits on what you can wear and what you can do. Breast reduction removes excess fat, tissue, and skin to give you smaller, firmer, better-proportioned breasts, and relief from the symptoms that brought you here. Dr. Homayoun Pournik, a fellowship-trained cosmetic surgeon, performs the procedure in Little Rock.
2–4 hrs
Outpatient procedure, home same day
1–2 wks
Back to work for most patients
3–6 mos
Final shape once swelling resolves
What a breast reduction changes
Not everyone wants to go bigger. Breast reduction, reduction mammoplasty, removes excess fat, breast tissue, and skin to reduce breast size. For most patients it is the last option left after diet and exercise fail to shift fatty tissue that was never going to respond to either.
RELIEF
The pain stops
Heavy breasts pull on your back, neck, and shoulders, and trap moisture underneath. Reducing the weight relieves the discomfort and ends the skin irritation that comes with it.
MOVEMENT
Doing what you want to do
Better mobility means the physical activities you have been avoiding become available again. For a lot of patients this is the reason, rather than a bonus.
PROPORTION
Clothes that fit
Smaller, firmer breasts in proportion with the rest of your figure, which changes what you can wear, and generally how you feel about being seen in it.
Two ways to do this
There are different breast reduction techniques, and which one suits you comes down to what your breasts are actually made of. Mostly fatty tissue points one way; mostly glandular tissue points the other. Dr. Pournik will tell you which you are at consultation.
Tumescent liposuction reduction
Often completed in under three hours, with minimal scarring, fewer risks, and a quick recovery compared to traditional surgery. Suited to breasts that are largely fatty tissue.
- Best for: mostly fatty tissue
- Scar: minimal
- Time: under 3 hours
Traditional surgical reduction
Better suited to women whose breasts are made up mostly of glandular tissue rather than fat, liposuction cannot remove glandular tissue, so the traditional approach is the one that works. Recovery takes longer.
- Best for: mostly glandular tissue
- Scar: hidden in the breast crease and below the areola
- Recovery: longer
Are you a candidate?
Breast reduction is one of the few cosmetic procedures where relief, not appearance, is usually the reason women pursue it. If your breast size is causing physical symptoms that have not responded to other approaches, and you are healthy enough to heal well, you are worth evaluating. A few signs point strongly toward being a good fit.
You are likely a candidate if:
- Your breast size causes back, neck, or shoulder pain that has not improved with physical therapy, exercise, or weight loss
- Bra straps leave grooves in your shoulders
- You get rashes or skin irritation in the fold beneath your breasts
- Your size limits what you can do, whether that is exercise or simply finding clothes that fit
- Your breasts are fully developed
- Your weight has been stable and you are not planning a significant loss
- You do not smoke, or you are willing to stop well before surgery
- You are in good general health with no conditions that interfere with healing
Before or after children
After, if you can. Breasts change during pregnancy and breastfeeding, so it is best to have your reduction once you are finished having children; the same advice given to mommy makeover patients. It is also worth knowing that permanent loss of sensation and an inability to breastfeed are both recognised long-term risks of this surgery, which is part of why the timing matters.
What to expect on procedure day
A tumescent liposuction breast reduction can often be completed in under three hours. Dr. Pournik removes the excess fat through small incisions, and the skin of your breasts conforms to the smaller size over the following weeks.
- Arrange for someone to drive you to and from your appointment, even though you will be awake during the procedure.
- Wear a loose, front-buttoning top that you will not have to pull over your head afterward.
- Expect drainage from the incision sites for the first day or two; this is normal and means the tumescent solution is working its way out.
- Plan to wear your compression garment continuously for the first several days.
- Stop smoking, taking blood thinners, and drinking alcohol before your procedure as directed.
Recovery and results
Recovery is gradual. Most patients are back to work within a week, while final results settle over several months as swelling fully resolves.
- FIRST FEW DAYS
Minimal pain. Any soreness is managed with over-the-counter medication rather than anything stronger. Swelling typically subsides within a few days. - DAYS 1 TO 2
Most patients return to non-strenuous work. - 2 WEEKS
Normal activities resume, and you should see visible improvement by this point. - WEEKS TO MONTHS
The skin of your breasts gradually conforms to the smaller size. Dr. Pournik and the team monitor you for post-surgical risks including hematoma and seroma throughout the recovery period. - SEVERAL MONTHS
Final results. Recovery takes longer for patients who have a traditional breast reduction rather than the liposuction method.
Why choose a board-certified surgeon
Breast reduction has to balance three things at once: how much tissue comes out, where the scars fall, and preserving blood supply and sensation to the nipple. Getting the proportion right for your frame is what separates a result that feels natural from one that only looks smaller.
Risks include changes in nipple sensation, asymmetry, delayed healing along the incisions, and reduced ability to breastfeed. Dr. Pournik reviews your specific risks at consultation so you can decide with full information.
WHAT SETS DR. POURNIK APART?
- Board certified by the American Board of Surgery
- High-volume fellowship training in breast reduction, lift, and augmentation
- Careful management of tension, scar placement, and nipple blood supply
- Twelve years of complex tissue and reconstructive surgery experience
Related procedures
Reduction is often part of a wider plan. Patients whose bodies changed through pregnancy frequently combine breast work with abdominal contouring in a staged mommy makeover, territory Dr. Pournik trained in directly. And the same procedure treats gynecomastia in men, where enlarged breast tissue is the concern.
- Male Breast Reduction
- Mommy Makeover
- Breast Lift
- Liposuction
WHY CHOOSE DR. POURNIK
Homayoun Pournik, MD
- Fellowship-Trained Cosmetic Surgeon
Dr. Pournik spent twelve years in transplant surgery; around 300 organ transplants, and the first robotic kidney transplant performed in either California or North Carolina. His cosmetic fellowship, through the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, covered roughly 1,800 procedures in a single year, with breast reduction among them, alongside high-definition liposuction and post-weight-loss reconstruction.
The practice’s on-site surgical facility is fully equipped with the technology and staff required to provide a safe breast reduction; the kind of procedure that can genuinely change a patient’s quality of life rather than just their reflection.
He asks every patient the same question at every follow-up: day one, one week, six months. Are you happy? “Nobody knows their body better than the patient,” he says. “I see them for five minutes. They’re seeing themselves for the rest of their life.”
BOARD CERTIFICATIONS & AFFILIATIONS
REAL PATIENTS
Before & After
Sensitive Content
These before and after photos contain nudity. Please click/tap to view the images.
Sensitive Content
These before and after photos contain nudity. Please click/tap to view the images.
Sensitive Content
These before and after photos contain nudity. Please click/tap to view the images.
Sensitive Content
These before and after photos contain nudity. Please click/tap to view the images.
Sensitive Content
These before and after photos contain nudity. Please click/tap to view the images.
CONTACT US
Achieve an attractive bustline
If large breasts have been limiting what you wear, what you do, and how you feel, a consultation is the place to find out what can change. Dr. Pournik will assess whether your breasts are mostly fatty or glandular tissue, explain which technique that points to, and tell you honestly what to expect.
Frequently asked questions
After, if you can. Breasts change during pregnancy and breastfeeding, so it is best to have your reduction once you are finished having children.
Most breasts are fully developed by about 17, though some women’s develop into their early twenties. Patients as young as 18 can schedule a reduction if large breasts are affecting their self-esteem or general health.
Tumescent liposuction requires incisions so small they are virtually unnoticeable. With the traditional surgical option, incisions are placed only in well-hidden areas. The crease under the breast and below the areola are common. Post-surgical scars can be difficult to detect even in revealing clothing.
It allows women with heavy breasts to feel confident in their figure, wear clothes that fit, and take part in the physical activities they love. The same procedure also treats gynecomastia in men.
It depends on what your breasts are made of. Mostly fatty tissue points to tumescent liposuction; mostly glandular tissue points to traditional surgery, because liposuction cannot remove glandular tissue. Dr. Pournik determines this at your consultation.
Most patients return to non-strenuous work within a day or two of a liposuction reduction, and to normal activities within about two weeks. Recovery takes longer after a traditional reduction.
Possibly not. An inability to breastfeed is a recognised long-term risk of breast reduction, along with permanent loss of sensation. This is worth weighing carefully if you have not finished having children.
Instagram
Facebook
Tiktok
Youtube
X
LinkedIn