Gigantomastia? Ever heard that? Well, ask Dubai-based 60-year-old Rehana (name changed) who had been living a nightmare for the past three decades with the rare disorder where breasts grow excessively humongous due to excessive hormone levels.
However, today she’s a happy lot. She recently successfully got rid of the condition after a team of doctors led by Dr. Rajeev B. Ahuja, Senior Consultant, Department of Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery at Sir Gangaram Hospital conducted breast-reduction surgery on her.
Normally, breasts stop growing around your teenage years, however, some women grow up until their mid-twenties. But then there are conditions that cause growth all their life, like macromastia or gigantomastia, Dr Ahuja says adding that breast reduction surgery is the only option.
“In Rehana’s case, the breasts were reaching two inches below the navel. Most of the time, the disorder occurs spontaneously or due to overly sensitive breast tissues to the hormones. At times, after pregnancy breasts don’t revert back to the normal size. Patients feel as if they are carrying a huge weight over their chest. Surgery was challenging and lasted for five and half hours.”
“We removed 1.3kg of breast tissue on the left side and 1.4kg of tissue on the right side on each side,” the doctor said. Rehana was discharged three days after the surgery. It was successful and the post-surgery period was smooth.
She shares her agony-filled journey due to gigantomastia. “Doing basic tasks such as buying clothes, sleeping on the back, among other activities became a huge task. Fed up with the everyday struggles, I decided to visit India for the treatment.”
Large breasts can be painful—physically and mentally. Doctors say large breasts can cause many health problems such as spinal cord damage, back pains, shoulder pains, bra scars or marks, skin irritation or rashes, breathing problems, numbness, fatigue, headaches, or migraines. For many women battling large breasts, breast reduction surgery will be needed to avoid any permanent physical disability, improved livelihoods, and greater psychosocial comfort.
Women having the condition usually suffer breast pain, back pain, and issues with posture if not treated in time it can make daily chores difficult. Ruth Makena Mugaa, who too had the breast reduction surgery has set up Gigantomastia Foundation to help such patients. It has overseen more than 200 surgeries since launching five years ago. Lack of awareness about the condition remains a major challenge, she says.
In 2019, Dr. Ajaya Kashyap, Medical Director, KAS Medical Centre, and MedSpa too had handled a similar case wherein a total of 11 kg from both the breasts was removed.
“Disproportionately large breasts lead to various physiological problems like severe back and shoulder pain, improper posture, and restricted physical activity. In the long run, this may also lead to the hunchback, which causes further health issues. In such cases, breast reduction is usually the best treatment option,” he had said.
While kyphosis itself is a painful and physically limiting condition, its progression could further lead to shortness of breath due to lung compression. Moreover, if the nerves running through the spine become compressed or pinched due to bending of the spine, the nerve signals could get disrupted and cause numbness or weakness in the limbs, and problems with the sense of balance, say doctors.
TYPES OF GIGANTOMASTIA
Source: Healthline