The Case of the Missing Areolae: Race and Breast Reduction Surgery

Writings about female breast reduction surgery have primarily focused on the size, location on the chest, and the techniques for such surgical reduction. Few have looked at how the areola is handled, nor whether there is an underlying racial context in decisions about this part of the female body. This multi-disciplinary, multi-technique, part analysis, part auto-ethnography seeks to open up and broaden the discussion, asking the question whether subliminal racial preferences play a role in surgeons’ decisions.