What is Breast Lift?

Known as Mastopexy, a breast lift is a surgical procedure that is performed to change the shape of the woman’s breasts. It targets to remove the excess skin and reshape the breast tissue in order to raise or lift the breasts, nipple and areola, into a more forward position to create more youthful breast contour.

This surgery is commonly done when the breasts sag or when the nipples point downward. Through this surgery, breast lift can help the sagging breasts achieve firmer, perkier, and more aesthetically pleasing shape to restore the woman’s youthful and feminine body proportions.

Why Breast Lift Surgery Is Being Done?

Many women choose to undergo breast lift surgery as they get older because their breasts change, losing the elasticity and firmness. Here are the common reasons and causes why most women consider this kind of surgery:

• To restore a better breast shape after pregnancy and breastfeeding
• To improve breast contour after weight loss
• To have a beautiful, perky breast shape for those women who have drooping breasts during their teenage years
• To enhance the breast proportion due to aging that causes the breasts to sag

When to Undergo Breast Lift?

The only way to confirm if breast lift is right for you is to consult with a certified cosmetic surgeon and ask him questions about how breast lift might help improve your breast shape. Also, you can undergo breast lift surgery if you see some changes on your breasts such as the following:

• Nipples seem to point downward
• Nipple or areola sits below the crease underneath the breast
• Asymmetrical or unusual-shaped breasts
• Not comfortable with the breast size when wearing a bra (this can be improved with breast lift in combination with a breast augmentation)

Choosing the Right Cosmetic Surgeon for Breast Lift

If you consider to undergo breast lift surgery, you have to choose first the right cosmetic surgeon who can perform your desired surgery properly.

After deciding on your preferred surgeon, visit him for a consultation and ask him important questions about his experience in breast lift surgery. These questions include how frequently he performs the surgery and how many total procedures he has performed.

Also, you have to see the before and after photos of him performing the breast lift surgery for his previous patients. This will help you know how your cosmetic surgeon perform his aesthetic style of surgery.

Types of Breast Lifts

There are variety of incision techniques for breast lift surgery that are being done by cosmetic surgeons. Each technique is used depending on a patient’s existing breast tissue, amount of excess skin to be removed, and her personal goals for her breasts.

Your cosmetic surgeon will recommend the type of breast lift that is best for you without too much scarring as results after the surgery. Below are the different types of breast lifts:

• Crescent Lift (Minimal Scarring to Correct Minimal Sagging)
  Crescent Lift technique is used for women who have a very small amount of sagging in her breasts to correct. The technique is done by using a small incision to be inserted around the top half of the edge of the areola. This technique is usually performed when a patient is also having breast augmentation. However, this crescent incision type is less frequently used by most surgeons.

• Peri-Areolar or “Donut” Lift (Corrects Mild Sagging with a Single Scar)
  The good candidates for Peri-Areolar Lift are those who are experiencing mild sagging but still want to have breast lift. The incision technique is somehow similar with the crescent lift as it involves a circular incision that run around the edge of the areola. This is commonly performed in conjunction with breast augmentation. This technique is also worked effectively to help reduce the areola size.

• Vertical or “Lollipop” Lift (Corrects Moderate Sagging and Provides More Extensive Reshaping)
  Vertical Lift is a type of breast lift that is commonly used by the surgeons. This technique works when the surgeon remove excess skin to reshape the entire breast resulting with hidden scars.
  It involves two incisions. The first one is to insert the incision around the edge of the areola, while the second one is to run the incision vertically from the bottom of the areola to the inframammary fold that creates a “lollipop” shape.

• Inverted T or “Anchor” Lift (Dramatic Reshaping to Correct Extensive Sagging)
  The Inverted Lift is a technique used when a patient has a considerable sagging in her breasts. Through this, the surgeon remove a significant amount of excess skin and sagging tissues.

This technique involves three incisions. Incisions from around the edge of the areola, incisions to be inserted vertically from the bottom of the areola to the breast crease, and incisions along the inframammary fold that is hidden in the breast crease.

Breast Lift in Combination with Breast Augmentation

In some cases, breast lift alone may not achieve the patient’s desired results for their breasts, that’s why breast lift is sometimes associated with augmentation depending on what kind of breast surgery the patient and the surgeon may prefer.

If you feel your breasts look flattened or deflated from losing the volume because of aging, weight loss, or pregnancy, your surgeon might recommend placing breast implants during breast lift surgery. This is to help restore the fullness and shape to the breast.

If you desire to have larger and lifted breasts, breast augmentation with lift is a breast surgery that may be suitable for you as it can help you achieve those aesthetically natural-looking breasts.

How the Surgery is Being Done?

The breast lift surgery is typically performed in a hospital or as an outpatient surgical procedure. The procedure is sometimes done with sedation and local anesthesia which numbs only some part of your body. In some cases, general anesthesia which makes you unconscious throughout the surgery is usually recommended for this procedure. It generally takes about 1 to 2 hours to perform that depends on the extent of the surgery.

After the surgery, you will be able to go home to continue your recovery as advised by the surgeon. Your breasts will be bandaged or covered with a surgical bra as part of your recovery. You will be experiencing some soreness and swelling but they will go away soon. However, your surgeon will give you prescriptions like pain medication to help you become comfortable during your recovery.

Sometimes breast lift might only be temporary. This may happen when your skin naturally become less elastic, and there might occur some sagging especially if you have larger and heavier breasts as you age. So, it is more advisable to maintain a stable and healthy lifestyle after your surgery to help you maintain your enhanced natural-looking breasts.