Types Of Breast Lift

By Jerome Edelstein, MD

Periareolar (Donut) Breast LiftThe periareolar (“donut” or Benelli) technique is suitable for the treatment of mild to moderate ptosis (classified as grade I or II) and is the least invasive form of breast lift. Your surgeon performs the periareolar technique by removing excess tissue from the area that surrounds the areola. This is carried out through incisions made in a donut-shape (hence the technique’s nickname), but, in cases where extra lift is required, extra tissue may also be removed from the top of the areola. Your surgeon then lifts the nipple and areola before stitching the residual skin to the areola.

After the surgery is finished, the skin surrounding the areola may begin to wrinkle. This is a natural side effect, occurring due to the circumference of the remaining skin being slightly larger than that of the areola’s outer rim. After a few months of healing, the skin begins to relax and the wrinkling subsides. Since periareolar mastopexy requires relatively few incisions to create a successful lift, it leaves behind only minimal, localized scarring around the areola.Vertical Mastopexy Breast LiftWe use vertical mastopexy (also known as a lollipop or a LeJour breast lift) to treat patients with moderate (grade II) ptosis. The technique is also suitable for women with small breasts affected by severe drooping. The procedure involves the removal of a donut-shaped piece of tissue (as in a periareolar lift) before creating a straight, vertical incision running from beneath the areola to where the breast meets the rest of the body (infra-mammary crease).

The vertical mastopexy technique provides a greater level of lift than the periareolar procedure, but also leads to more visible scarring due to the extra incision required.Full/Anchor MastopexyThe most common form of a breast uplift, as some may call it, makes use of the full mastopexy (also referred to as the anchor or inverted-T lift) technique. We recommend this form of lift for patients seeking the correction of severe (grade III) ptosis, breast asymmetry or abnormal nipple placement. It’s also ideal for those who require dramatic breast reshaping. In full mastopexy, an anchor-shaped incision is created, running around the areola, as in a peri-areolar lift, plus the vertical incision as in the vertical lift, and then an incision along the crease under the breast as well. This allows for the removal of a crescent-shaped piece of skin from the area where the breasts and ribcage meet. After this tissue has been removed, your surgeon is able to reposition the nipple(s) as well for a dramatic and aesthetically pleasing result.

The more extensive incisions involved results in a greater amount of scarring than that left behind by periareolar or vertical breast lifts, but your surgeon is careful to minimize the visibility of these marks.

For any breast lift technique, scarring can be minimized by carefully following pre- and post-surgical instructions provided to you by your surgeon. Products, such as silicone sheeting for scars and Dermatix, can also help minimize their appearance.