Some women develop breasts that are not naturally firm while others may experience sagging or a loss of shape due to the effects of aging, weight loss, pregnancy and/or breastfeeding. Most women seeking breast correction or improvement can benefit from a lift, regardless of their age.
Ideal breast lift candidates present nipples that are positioned below the level of the crease under the breast (where the breast meets the rest of the body).
Exercise and a healthy diet can do wonders for toning muscles and improving overall health but cannot affect breast skin. Building muscle bulk can help to tighten skin in other areas of the body, but, currently only plastic surgery is capable of reducing breast skin laxity.
Since some mastopexy procedures require your surgeon to cut the milk ducts while repositioning the breasts, the surgery can have a negative impact on breastfeeding. However, the risk is minimal. Patients are urged to discuss this issue with their surgeon during their consultation if breastfeeding is a concern.
Unless a patient has stopped using nicotine long enough for the body to completely rid itself of the substance (typically two weeks after the last cigarette), a breast lift may lead to complications. Surgeons often check their patients for nicotine levels before the procedure. If a woman has recently smoked, the mastopexy will be cancelled.
Mastopexy reduces breast sagging and raises the nipple/areola. Patients will have firmer breasts that sit upright for a more youthful appearance.
Because stretch marks are a form of scar (caused by skin distension) some may be removed from areas where the skin is removed during surgery. Typically, existing stretch marks are removed from the lower breast while those on the upper area will remain. Fortunately, a side effect of the skin tightening process involved in mastopexy can be the partial smoothing of any stretch marks surrounding the operating area.
Your surgeon removes tissue from around the areola and below the breast, if necessary. This tightens the breast tissue and allows the nipple/areola to be moved to a higher position to create the “lift”.
Many patients wish to receive larger-scale body improvements along with their breast lift and choose to undergo liposuction or a tummy tuck alongside their mastopexy. These procedures can help reverse signs of aging or correct the kind of problems that commonly develop following pregnancy. Surgery can also be coupled with breast enlargement or reduction. Your surgeon will discuss your individual goals before the operation.
Every woman recovers differently. Generally speaking, however, the first five to seven days recovering from breast surgery is spent resting at home. During this time, patients take a mild pain medicine to alleviate discomfort and cannot drive or operate machinery. After roughly one week, patients are able to resume light exercise (like walking), but should not engage in more vigorous activities such as aerobics or running. At three weeks they will be able to resume running, aerobics, and weight training.
We recommend that breast lift patients schedule at least two weeks off from work in order to properly recover. If the patient’s job involves strenuous physical activities, work may need to be postponed longer. If you’ve had more than one procedure performed, such a tummy tuck and breast lift, then your after surgery care instructions will also be different.
In order to maximize results and ensure patient safety, post-operation appointments will be scheduled. These check-ups allow your surgeon to fully review the healing process, scarring and results. Patients may also call the clinic during their recovery for answers to any questions or help with any concerns they have.
When any skin is removed from the body it will lead to a scar. In mastopexy, the periareolar technique results in a scar that is usually limited to a circular mark around the areola. The lollipop technique involves an additional vertical incision and creates scars that both circle the areola and extend downward to the breast crease. Severe cases of breast sagging are typically treated using the “anchor” technique, which includes the circle and line scars described above as well as a curved mark underneath their breast in the natural crease.
Your surgeon is better able to predict future scarring on a case-by-case basis and will always work to minimize and hide scarring. However, they will not treat severe sagging with insufficient surgical techniques just to reduce scarring, as this approach can lead to very disappointing results. Every patient must weigh the benefits of their breast lift against the drawback of scarring for themselves before deciding if mastopexy is right for them.
Every woman’s skin continues to change over time. This means that the breasts may gradually show signs of stretching or sagging years after surgery. An improved breast contour is less likely to degrade over time than skin tension.
Since almost every breast lift requires your surgeon to make incisions around the nipple, losing sensation in this area is a possible risk. If this complication does occur, patients may need to wait for the nerves to grow back. If sensation has not returned after two years, it’s likely that the nipples may never regain their normal sense of touch.
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