Breast Lift: What You Need to Know

Breast lift: what you need to know?

Breast Lift: What You Need to Know

Breast lift, medically known as a mastopexy, is a popular cosmetic procedure that removes excess skin around the breast. It helps rejuvenate the breasts with a saggy or droopy appearance and returns them to a perkier shape.

By removing the extra skin around the breasts, this procedure tightens the surrounding tissue to create a firmer and more youthful breast contour. 

Women who feel uncomfortable about the sagging of their breasts and want to regain their original shape and appearance may benefit from a breast lift procedure. 

Breasts may lose elasticity and sag over time because of factors such as age, pregnancy, weight changes, and having previously large breasts. A breast lift procedure is an operation to remove extra skin from the breasts to lift and reshape them, making them look more youthful, natural, and perkier. 

Breast Lift

Because breasts don’t contain muscle tissue and are made up of fatty tissue and ligaments, they cannot be transformed or built back up with mere exercises. 

That’s why a breast lift may be needed to tighten the skin in drooping or sagging breasts. This procedure can make the areolas smaller if they have grown in size over time.

However, it’s essential to understand that a breast lift does not change the breast size as a breast augmentation does with implants. Instead, it helps reshape the breasts and restore them to a higher position on the chest. 

Sometimes, a breast lift can be combined with breast augmentation or breast reduction procedures. 

Know more about breast reduction surgery here: Complete Guide to Breast Reduction Surgery: Benefits, Costs, Risks, & More.

Types of Breast Lifts

This procedure is not a one-size-fits-all. When considering a breast lift, your plastic surgeon will take into account your body shape, the degree of sagging, and the results you would like to achieve. During your consultation, the surgeon will suggest one of the following methods or techniques:

Vertical Breast Lift

A vertical lift, called the lollipop lift, is ideal for women with moderate breast sagging and requires more breast reshaping. 

This method involves creating two separate cuts: a round cut around the outer boundary of the areola and a vertical cut that starts from the bottom and goes down to the breast’s natural crease or inframammary fold. 

The incision shapes resemble a lollipop. Hence the nickname “lollipop lift.”

Anchor Breast Lift

This lifting technique is for women who require a dramatic improvement to sagging breasts. Its incisions are placed in the shape of an anchor, with one circling the outer edge of the areola and one vertically running from the bottom to the inframammary fold. 

There’s also one incision made horizontally along the natural breast crease.

Peri-Areolar Breast Lift

The “donut lift,” or peri-areolar breast lift, is a great choice for women who have only minor sagging, and desiring a subtle lift. This procedure involves a single, circular incision around the outer boundary of the areola.

This technique also results in minimal scarring.

Crescent Breast Lift

This type is usually recommended for those with minimal sagging. A crescent breast lift typically consists of a single cut that goes along the upper outside edge of the nipple. 

The outcome of this technique is a scar that is barely noticeable, as it blends in with the darker shade of the areola.

Non-surgical Breast Lift

A non-surgical breast lift can be a perfect choice because you wouldn’t need to undergo anesthesia, bleeding, infections, or scarring.

It typically involves contouring procedures, laser treatments, and skin tightening methods. 

While non-surgical breast lifts do not offer the same impressive results as surgical breast lifts, they are still worth considering if you want to perk up your breasts without surgery and downtime.

Vampire Breast Lift

The Vampire Breast Lift is a cosmetic procedure that has been gaining popularity in recent years thanks to its unique approach to enhancing the appearance of the breasts. 

This procedure combines the power of PRP or platelet-rich plasma therapy and hyaluronic acid fillers to create fuller, firmer, and more youthful-looking breasts. 

As with any surgical procedure, it’s essential to work with an experienced surgeon with expertise in the procedure you’re interested in. 

To begin the process of getting a breast lift, make an appointment with a certified plastic surgeon. 

During the consultation, you will learn more about your options. You may also ask any questions or concerns you have and receive expert recommendations. 

Your surgeon will assess your concerns to identify the severity of your breast sagging. They will then decide which technique works best for you. 

Based on that evaluation, your surgeon will give suggestions on techniques that will possibly give you the best results.

Who is a good candidate for a breast lift?

Anyone considering a breast lift procedure should be in sound physical condition, without any serious health problems or illnesses.  The ideal candidate should also be emotionally-stable and realistic about what the surgery can accomplish. 

Patients who can benefit the most from breast lifts have stretched skin and reduced breast volume due to pregnancy and aging. It might be a wise decision to delay getting a breast lift if you’re considering having more kids in the future. 

While no unique risks affect future pregnancies, for example, mastopexy usually doesn’t interfere with breastfeeding, pregnancy will likely stretch your breasts again and alter the procedure’s outcome.

If you want to improve the sagging of your breasts, this procedure may help you. 

Pregnant, breastfeeding, or intending to become pregnant women should avoid having mastopexy. The results of the surgery will also be less effective if a person is intending to lose a considerable amount of weight afterward.

Preparation for a Breast Lift

In preparation for your breast lift surgery, your surgeon may ask you to:

  • Get a laboratory test or a medical evaluation to see if you’re fit.
  • Take certain medications or adjust your existing ones.
  • Get a baseline mammogram before and after surgery to detect any future changes in your breast tissue.
  • Stop drinking and smoking.
  • Avoid taking medications, such as aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs, and herbal supplements, as they can increase bleeding.

It’s also important to ask someone to drive you to and from surgery and stay with you for at least a few days following the procedure. 

As you get ready for your operation, it’s important to remember that your medical team will give you guidelines when it comes to eating, drinking, and smoking close to the time of the surgery.  This is because poor healing and wider scars are typically common among smokers.

The Procedure

Dr. Salameh performing breast lift surgery in the clinic.

During breast lift surgery, most patients will be placed under general anesthesia so they can sleep through the operation. However, some people may be given local anesthesia and sedation if the incision is smaller, which will keep them awake but in a relaxed state. 

The amount of time for the surgery can range from 2.5 to 3 hours, depending on the specific procedure needed. The most common procedure involves an incision around the areola, a vertical incision, or a lollipop scar. 

When the extra skin has been removed, the nipple and areola are placed in a higher position. The surgeon alters the areola region to reconstruct the breast. 

The breast skin and tissue may also be repositioned to give the breast a more prominent shape. They may use a unique technique that uses your breast tissue instead of an implant to give a longer-lasting result than other, more commonly used methods. 

Disappearing sutures are typically positioned around the outer edge of the areola and may run in a straight line from the area around the nipple to the lower part of the breast.

Risks and Complications

This cosmetic surgery is generally safe when performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon. But as with any surgery, there is always a risk of complications or an adverse reaction to the anesthesia. 

Breast Lift Scars

It is uncommon, but if a patient experiences bruising and infection after a breast lift, it can cause more scarring. To reduce the chances of breast lift scars, it is important to adhere to the instructions given by the surgeon before and after the surgery.

The procedure of a breast lift involves the removal of extra skin, which results in lasting marks that can be concealed with clothing. 

It’s also important to consider that this procedure can leave you with nipples that are unevenly positioned or a permanent loss of feeling in your nipples or breasts.

Results

Breast lift surgery results are immediately visible. And over time, post-surgical swelling will resolve, and breast lift scars will fade. 

Here’s a before and after breast lift illustration:

 

Mastopexy or breast lift surgery incission illustration.

Incision lines are permanent but will eventually fade over time. 

The results of your breast lift procedure will be long-lasting. But, of course, your breasts can continue to change due to aging and gravity. Fortunately, you can retain your new look longer if you:

  • Maintain a healthy weight.
  • Keep a healthy lifestyle.
  • Follow your doctor’s instructions after surgery.

It’s also important to note that the incisions should not be subjected to excessive force, swelling, abrasion, or motion during healing. 

Your surgeon will also give you specific instructions on how to care for yourself.

Recovery

After the procedure, your surgeon will apply dressings or bandages to the incisions.

You’ll also need to wear an elastic bandage or support bra to reduce swelling and support your breasts as they heal.

The medical team may insert a narrow tube beneath the skin to remove any accumulated blood or liquid.

You will also be given specific instructions that may include:

  • How to care for your breasts after the procedure
  • Medicines to apply or take orally to aid healing and lessen the risk of infection
  • Specific concerns to look for at the surgical site
  • When to follow up with your surgeon

How much is a breast lift?

On average, the cost of a breast lift can range from $4,000 to $8,000. However, this is only an estimate, and the final cost can vary significantly depending on various factors.

Note that a highly experienced and reputable surgeon may charge more for their services. Additionally, the location of the surgery can also affect the cost, with surgeries performed in more expensive areas generally costing more.

Breast Lift in Indiana and Kentucky

Salameh Plastic Surgery Surgeons - Dr. Salameh and Dr. Saba

If you’re considering a breast lift in Indiana and Kentucky, our plastic surgeons and care team members at Salameh Plastic Surgery Center are experts in their field. 

We are a team of double-board-certified plastic surgeons and have years of experience in breast reconstruction surgeries. 

Our main objective is to make sure that patients are happy with the results of their procedures. 

Takeaway

Mastopexy is a procedure that can improve the appearance of breasts that have drooped or lost volume due to age or other factors by lifting, reshaping, and firming them. 

This procedure helps women achieve a perky and symmetrical shape for younger-looking breasts.

If you’re considering getting a breast lift soon, working with a board-certified plastic surgeon is important to ensure the best results. You may visit:

American Society of Plastic Surgeons

American Board of Plastic Surgeons

Leave a Reply