Breast Reduction

Breast Reduction in Busan, Korea

Medically reviewed by Dr. Kim Ki-tae, MD — Board-Certified Specialist in Plastic Surgery, Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons; Director and founder, TAE Plastic Surgery Clinic TAE Plastic Surgery Clinic, Haeundae-gu, Busan

Breast reduction in Busan is surgery that brings excessively large breasts down to a more balanced size by removing excess skin and breast tissue, and it corrects sagging in the same operation. At TAE Plastic Surgery Clinic in Haeundae-gu the operation is planned through what the clinic calls Body Balance Design, and the technique is chosen from three documented incision routes. Which route you get depends on two things: how much tissue has to come out, and how far the breast has dropped.

What Is Breast Reduction?

Breast Reduction is a surgical procedure that reduces excessively large breasts to a more balanced size by partially removing excess skin and breast tissue while also correcting sagging.

• The clinic performs Body Balance Design-based breast reduction, using individualized diagnosis of body type, skin condition and breast tissue characteristics.

• Reduction and sagging correction happen in the same operation; the clinic does not treat them as two procedures.

• The technique is selected from three incision methods according to breast size and the degree of sagging.

• The amount of tissue requiring removal is one of the criteria that decides the method.

• Breast reduction removes breast tissue and skin permanently, though the remaining tissue can still change over time.

This is the one breast operation on the clinic's list that is driven as much by symptoms as by appearance. Patients with macromastia — excessively large breasts — may experience physical and psychological discomfort, and the clinic names them: neck, shoulder and back pain; spinal deformities; skin problems caused by sweating under the breasts; fatigue; hand numbness; restricted movement; and emotional stress caused by unwanted attention. That list is why a reduction consultation covers function and not only shape.

The clinic's stated approach is to assess skin condition and the underlying tissue structure together, because the two determine what any single treatment can realistically achieve. For a reduction, tissue characteristics matter as much as measured volume — how much can safely come out is a tissue question before it is a size question.

Who Performs Breast Reduction at TAE Plastic Surgery Clinic

**Dr. Kim Ki-tae
**Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon

Breast reduction is performed by Dr. Kim Ki-tae, the clinic's founder and sole doctor and the listed performing doctor for the parent Breast Plastic Surgery specialty.

Breast surgery is one of his documented core specializations. For this operation specifically, the clinic states that it identifies the most appropriate surgical method through accumulated clinical data and experience, matched against breast size, sagging level and how much reduction is required. That is a claim about method selection, and in a single-doctor clinic the person selecting the method is the person performing it.

Dr. Kim Ki-tae holds the Board-Certified Specialist designation in Plastic Surgery issued by the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. He graduated from Inje University College of Medicine and trained as a Clinical Fellow in the Department of Plastic Surgery at Pusan National University from March 2003 to February 2004. He founded TAE Plastic Surgery Clinic in 2005 and has practised there ever since.

He chairs the Academic Committee of the Laser Plastic Surgery Research Group at the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, sits on that society's Academic Committee, serves on the Legislation Committee of the Korean Association of Plastic Surgeons, and is General Affairs Director of the Busan Medical Association. He is a full member of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, an international member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, and a full member of the International Confederation for Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery.

TAE Plastic Surgery Clinic is a single-doctor clinic, so the surgeon who assesses you is the surgeon who treats you. His background is set out in full on the doctor page. Reduction is one of five procedures in the Breast Plastic Surgery specialty.

Breast Reduction Options and Types Available

Areola incision method	Vertical incision method	O-shaped incision method

The clinic publishes three incision methods and states the case each is for. This is the most concrete thing on the page, and it is worth reading before anything else.

Incision method	Used when	What the clinic states about it
Areola incision	Breasts are not excessively large, sagging is minimal, and reduction of approximately 150–250cc or less per side is required	Relatively shorter surgery time, faster recovery, smaller scars, and natural-looking lines after surgery
Vertical incision	A larger amount of reduction is required, or sagging is severe	Involves removal of fat tissue; helps create a natural breast shape while improving sagging
O-shaped incision	Used selectively for extremely large breasts with severe sagging	Helps tighten skin under the breast and significantly improve very large breasts, although it may leave a scar

The trade-off runs across the table from left to right. The areolar route gives the smallest scar but has a stated ceiling — roughly 150–250cc or less per side. Past that, or where the sagging is severe, the vertical route takes over. The O-shaped route is reserved for the extreme end and the clinic is candid that it may leave a scar. Choosing the smallest incision for a breast that needs the largest reduction is not an option the criteria allow.

This page's boundary with its siblings follows from that. If breast weight and the symptoms that come with it are the problem, you are on the right page. If the breast has dropped but is not oversized, the operation is Breast Lift / Sagging Breast Correction, which runs its own three-route framework based on volume. And if the breast is large, sagging and being corrected primarily for position, the clinic performs that as sagging correction combined with reduction — the lift page owns that decision, this page owns the case where volume itself is the complaint.

Who Is a Good Candidate for Breast Reduction?

Reduction may suit you if

• You have excessively large breasts and experience discomfort from them.

• You want to reduce breast size while improving sagging at the same time.

• You have physical or functional concerns such as neck, shoulder or back pain.

• You have skin problems caused by sweating under the breasts, fatigue, or restricted movement.

• You experience psychological distress related to breast size.

Reduction may need to be postponed or avoided if

• You are currently pregnant, or breastfeeding.

• An uncontrolled chronic or other medical condition raises your surgical risk.

• There is active infection at the surgical site.

• Anaesthesia or surgery cannot be undergone safely.

• Your expectations of the result are unrealistic, in which case counselling comes first.

Suitability is determined by the surgeon after reviewing your medical history, breast condition and treatment goals. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons publishes independent patient information on this operation, including the functional reasons it is performed (ASPS).

What to Expect: Procedure, Recovery, and Results Timeline

Diagnosis comes first and it is individualized. The clinic assesses body type, skin condition and breast tissue condition, and states that it uses Body Balance Design with state-of-the-art equipment to carry out that analysis before surgery. The output of the analysis is the surgical method — which incision, and how much comes out.

Preparation follows the clinic's standard surgical protocol. Blood-thinning medication and supplements are generally stopped one to two weeks in advance under medical guidance. Smoking and alcohol are avoided over the same period. Fasting is required before anaesthesia, and routine pre-operative blood tests are completed. Raise any chronic condition or regular medication at consultation.

The operation has four stages. Breast size, sagging, skin condition and tissue characteristics are evaluated. The appropriate reduction method is selected for your case. Excess breast skin and tissue are removed. Sagging is corrected to produce a more balanced breast shape.

This is major surgery and it commonly requires several hours, with the exact operating time varying according to how much tissue is removed and which technique is used. Anaesthesia may be general, or in selected cases local with sedation, depending on the surgical plan, patient factors and the anaesthesiologist's assessment. Pain afterward is generally managed with prescribed medication and other supportive measures.

Stage	What to expect
First few days	Pain, swelling, bruising and tightness are at their most noticeable
First week to ten days	Light daily activity generally resumes; discomfort improves steadily
Two to three weeks	Most of the swelling resolves and the change becomes visible
Two to four weeks	Heavy lifting, strenuous exercise, alcohol and smoking stay off the list, as does pressure on the breasts
Following months	Breast shape and scars continue to settle
Around three months	The settled result can be judged, once residual swelling has resolved

The clinic notes one technique-specific difference: the areola-incision method can involve shorter surgery and faster recovery in appropriately selected patients. That is a criterion for choosing the method, not a reason to request it.

Aftercare covers keeping the area clean and protected as advised, sleeping with the head elevated where that applies, and following the instructions on wound care, showering, sleeping position, support garments and medication. Every patient receives the clinic's written guidance, which sets out the day-by-day detail. Follow-up appointments assess wounds, swelling, healing, breast shape and any complications.

If you are travelling from the United States, the reduction timeline needs building into the trip rather than bolted onto it. Plan roughly one to two weeks in Korea. Clearance to fly generally comes after early swelling and bruising have started settling and the surgeon has reviewed you at a check, often past the one-week mark. International patients should confirm the recommended length of stay and the required post-operative schedule with the clinic before booking travel.

The clinic has not published a price or a price range for this procedure, so none is stated here, and cost is confirmed at consultation.

Combining Breast Reduction with Other Treatments

• Breast Lift / Sagging Breast Correction — the clinic performs sagging correction combined with reduction where breasts are excessively large and sagging.

• Breast Plastic Surgery — the parent specialty, where reduction is weighed against the clinic's other breast procedures.

Breast reduction already includes simultaneous correction of sagging, so it is not routinely paired with a separate lift. Whether it should be combined with any other cosmetic procedure depends on surgical safety, anaesthesia time, medical history and the surgeon's assessment.

Safety, Precision, and Clinic Standards

The clinic has operated at the same address in Haeundae, Busan since 2005. TAE Plastic Surgery Clinic is a Registered Medical Institution for Attracting Foreign Patients, certified by the Ministry of Health and Welfare under the Medical Overseas Expansion and Foreign Patients Attraction Act. TAE Plastic Surgery Clinic publishes neither case volumes nor complication rates for this procedure, and this page claims neither.

The clinic reports approximately 240 surgical procedures and approximately 3,600 non-surgical treatments a year; these are clinic-wide totals across everything it offers, not figures for this procedure.

What the clinic states it does to reduce risk is specific and checkable. It uses Body Balance Design to assess body type, skin and breast tissue and to customize the reduction approach. It offers different incision techniques according to breast size and degree of sagging. It describes state-of-the-art diagnostic and surgical equipment. Those are process claims, not outcome claims, and they are stated as such.

The risks belong in single sentences. Pain, swelling and bruising are expected. Bleeding and infection are possible. Wound healing can be delayed. Scars can be noticeable or widened. Nipple or breast sensation can change. Asymmetry and contour irregularities can occur. The ability to breastfeed can change, depending on the technique. Less common but more serious complications include blood clots, anaesthesia-related complications, and problems with the blood supply to tissue or to the nipple-areola. Partial or complete nipple-areola tissue loss is a rare but recognized complication. Revision surgery is sometimes needed.

Risk varies with the surgical technique, the amount of tissue removed, your medical history, your smoking status and your individual healing. The clinic states what it will not promise: a specific breast size, exact symmetry, scar appearance, nipple sensation, breastfeeding ability, or a complication-free recovery. Breast shape can also change later because of aging, weight fluctuation and pregnancy.

The clinic's own published claim for this procedure is deliberately bounded: reduction is intended to reduce excessive breast volume and may also address sagging and the physical discomfort associated with very large breasts, results vary between individuals, and any claim about effectiveness, breastfeeding outcomes, recovery, patient numbers, success rates or the superiority of a particular technique is one the clinic must confirm before it is published. Independent background on cosmetic surgery risk is published by the UK National Health Service (NHS). Neither the NHS nor ASPS is affiliated with this clinic, and neither endorses it.

The Bottom Line

• Breast reduction removes excess breast tissue and skin and corrects sagging in the same operation.

• Three incision routes are documented — areolar, vertical and O-shaped — and the criteria for each are published, including a stated volume range for the areolar route.

• Planning runs through Body Balance Design, which analyses body type, skin condition and breast tissue characteristics before the method is chosen.

• This is major surgery, commonly requiring several hours, and the recovery is longer than for augmentation.

• Breastfeeding ability can be affected, and the clinic lists it among the outcomes it will not promise.

• Tissue removal is permanent, but the remaining breast can still change with aging, weight and pregnancy.

FAQ

Who is a good candidate for breast reduction?

Patients with excessively large breasts who have physical or functional concerns — neck, shoulder or back pain, skin problems from sweating, fatigue, restricted movement — or psychological distress from breast size may be suitable. The clinic evaluates body type, skin and breast tissue through its Body Balance Design approach. Final suitability is decided by the surgeon.

How is the incision method chosen?

It follows from how much tissue must be removed and how far the breast has dropped. The areolar method applies where breasts are not excessively large, sagging is minimal, and roughly 150–250cc or less per side is coming out. Larger reductions or severe sagging move to the vertical method, and the O-shaped method is used selectively for extremely large breasts with severe sagging.

What anesthesia is used?

Anaesthesia may be general, or in selected cases local with sedation, depending on the surgical plan, patient factors and the anaesthesiologist's assessment. Pain afterward is managed with prescribed medication and supportive measures. Individual pain tolerance varies, and comfort measures can be adjusted on request.

Will I still be able to breastfeed?

The clinic states that breastfeeding ability may be affected, and that this depends on the technique used. It is listed among the outcomes the clinic will not promise. Raise it explicitly at consultation if future breastfeeding matters to you, because it is a factor in method selection.

When does the result settle?

A visible change is usually apparent within two to three weeks as most swelling resolves. Breast shape and scars continue to settle over the following months. The clinic describes the settled result as typically seen at around three months, with exact timing varying by individual healing.

Is the result permanent?

The removal of breast tissue and skin is permanent. The remaining breast tissue is not fixed, and can change over time because of aging, weight fluctuation, pregnancy, breastfeeding and hormonal change. A specific size or an unchanging shape is not something the clinic promises.

What if something concerns me after I fly home?

Get the clinic's post-operative contact details before you leave Korea. Significant or worsening pain, rapidly increasing swelling, bleeding, fever, wound separation, unusual discharge, breathing difficulty or chest pain needs prompt medical assessment where you are. For anything non-urgent, photographs can be sent to the clinic for remote review.

Book a Consultation at TAE Plastic Surgery Clinic

Breast reduction in Busan is performed at TAE Plastic Surgery Clinic, and the incision route is chosen at consultation from the clinic's published criteria rather than requested in advance. English-speaking assistance is available for both online and in-person consultations, and consultations are arranged through the clinic's contact page. Photographs and a medical history can be reviewed remotely first, and the plan is then confirmed in person at the clinic. TAE Plastic Surgery Clinic is at 4th Floor, Gunam Building, 27 Gunam-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea, and opens Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 18:00 and Saturday from 09:00 to 13:00, closed Sundays and public holidays.

Disclaimer

This page is for general informational purposes and does not constitute individualized medical advice. Candidacy, technique, anaesthesia and outcome can only be determined in an in-person consultation with a qualified doctor. Individual results vary.

References

• American Society of Plastic Surgeons — Breast Reduction

• NHS — Cosmetic procedures