5'6, 300lbs: Am I to fat for breast reduction?

You are certainly more heavy than what most surgeons and insurance carriers will consider to be ideal for breast reduction surgery. Obesity increases the risks of surgery including wound healing, fat necrosis, nipple necrosis, among others. It also makes it more difficult to achieve the best cosmetic result. Losing the weight to make yourself a better candidate is always the best option. It will also be the best way to optimize your chances of obtaining insurance coverage for the procedure. With that being said, if you simply can not lose the weight and are having serious pain symptoms and issues with skin hygiene, some surgeons will take the risk and help you with surgery. You would need to completely understand the risks of surgery and otherwise be a great candidate from a health standpoint. The surgery can be completed on obese patients with great results, but it is more difficult and certainly has more chances of having post operative complications.  

Thank you for the question. I'm sure that you have heard that it is best to achieve a long-term stable weight prior to undergoing any type of body contouring surgery. Doing so will increase the safety of the operation and minimize the chances that additional surgery will be necessary down the line. Therefore, best to look into  additional help with your weight loss "programs”. Best wishes; I am sure that eventually you will be a good candidate for breast reduction/lifting surgery. This operation tends to be one of the most patient pleasing operations performed.

Women who have large breasts may experience a variety of problems from the weight and size of their breasts, such as back, neck and shoulder pain and skin irritation. Many women who suffer from back pain due to the size of their breast find that the pain is unrelieved by over the counter medications, support garments, bras, and physical therapy. Some women even develop significant arthritic changes in their neck and upper back. They often find that their persistent symptoms cause a significant restriction of daily activities. Occasionally, women with large breast, suffer from non-seasonal rashes underneath their breast that are unresponsive to local hygiene and topical creams and powders. Women with large breast may notice shoulder grooving with skin irritation due to their bra straps and support garments. They may also notice pain and numbness in their arms and hands. Breast reduction is usually performed for relief of these symptoms rather than to enhance the appearance of the breasts. Breast reduction surgery removes excess breast fat, glandular tissue and skin to achieve a breast size in proportion with your body and to alleviate the discomfort associated with overly large breasts. The best candidates are those who are mature enough to understand the procedure and have realistic expectations about the results. There are a variety of different surgical techniques used to reduce and reshape the female breast. I recommend that you make an appointment with a board certified plastic surgeon to discuss your surgical options.

Women with heavy breasts benefit greatly in many ways from a breast reduction. But it is considered an elective surgery, meaning their is no medical reason to rush into the operation. Surgical risks including death go up dramatically for patients with a BMI over 35. Your BMI is nearly 50. At your height it would be important to get your weight near 200 before considering elective surgery.