A women’s breasts can change over time, losing their youthful shape and firmness. Breast lift surgery (mastopexy) is commonly sought by women who have had children, lost a significant amount of weight, or would like to restore a more youthful, uplifted, profile to their breasts. In breast lift surgery, the cosmetic or plastic surgeon will remove excess skin and will tighten the surrounding tissue to reshape and create a more youthful looking breast.
If you are satisfied with the size of your breast but wish to restore a more youthful, uplifted profile, you may be a good candidate for a breast lift. If, however, you believe there you have too little or too much breast volume, you may wish to consider combining breast augmentation or breast reduction together with your lift in order to achieve your desired look.
Types of Breast Lifts
There are variations to the number and placement of the incisions used for breast lift surgery. The exact technique used by the surgeon will vary based on a patient’s existing breast tissue, the amount of excess skin to be removed, and the desired profile of the patient. Your cosmetic or plastic surgeon will recommend the type of breast lift that will achieve the best results with the least amount of scarring possible.
Crescent Lift
The “crescent lift” technique is used for women who have a very small amount of sagging to correct. The procedure involves a small incision running halfway around the top half of the edge of the areola. Typically, a crescent lift is only employed when a patient is also undergoing breast augmentation. Even still, the use of the cresent lift is less likely to be employed than other methods.
Peri-Areolar or “Donut” Lift
As with the crescent lift, the “donut lift” is designed for women who are experiencing mild sagging, but would still benefit from a breast lift. The procedure involves a circular incision running around the outside edge of the areola. This lift can also be effective in helping reduce areola size if that is one of your objectives. The resulting scar will trace the edge of the areola. As with the crescent lift, this procedure is commonly performed in conjunction with breast augmentation.
Vertical or “Lollipop” Lift
One of the more commonly employed lift techniques is the “lollipop” lift. The reason for its popularity is that it allows the surgeon to remove excess skin and reshape the entire breast with modest, easy to hide scars. A lollipop lift involves two incisions: one around the edge of the areola, and one running vertically from the bottom of the areola to the bottom of your breast fold, creating a “lollipop” shape.
Inverted T or “Anchor” Lift
One of the most traditional methods of performing a breast lift, the “anchor” lift allows the surgeon to remove a significant amount of excess skin in order to best address issues of significant sagging. The anchor lift uses three incisions: one around the areola, the second vertically from the bottom edge of the areola to the crease under the breast and the third along the bottom of the breast in the crease fold. While the anchor lift comes with the most incisions and as such the greatest amount of scarring, these typically will fade with proper care and are easily hidden by a bra or bikini top. Additionally, if you are undergoing a breast reduction in addition to your lift your surgeon will likely also use this technique.
Breast Lift Surgery
Breast lift surgery is a relatively straightforward, outpatient procedure, that is performed while the patient is under general anesthesia. There are variations to the number and placement of the incisions used for breast lift surgery. Given the particulars of your specific case and desired outcome for the shape and appearance of your breasts, your surgeon will employ one of the four methods of conducting a lift (described above) after having discussed it with you during your consultation. During the procedure, the nipple and areola will be moved to a higher position, without disconnecting them from their blood supply, in order to maintain nerve sensation to the nipple. At the same time, the surgeon will remove excess skin and will reshape the breast tissue in order to create a more youthful, uplifted, appearance.
Recovery After Breast Lift Surgery
As with most other breast enhancement surgeries, most patients take about 1 week off from work to rest and heal at home. While you will still be able to move about the house and participate in light activities, it’s important to carefully follow your plastic or cosmetic surgeons’ directions for self-care after surgery. You will likely need to refrain from heavy lifting and vigorous activities for at least several weeks. Additionally, upper body exercise is discouraged until your chest muscles have fully healed. You will also likely need to wear a soft surgical bra or compression bandage to aid in healing for several weeks after surgery. At your follow-up appointments, your surgeon will gradually clear you to resume certain activities and transition to regular bras.
Breast Lift Considerations
While breast lift surgery will give your breasts a more perky, youthful look, it will not significantly change the size of your breasts or give them a more prominent projection. If, however, you believe that you have too little or too much breast volume, you may wish to consider combining breast augmentation or breast reduction together with your lift in order to achieve your desired look.
It is also important to note that the effects of a breast lift will slowly diminish over time as a result of weight fluctuations and the natural aging process. In addition, and as with most other breast augmentation procedures, breast lift surgery will leave some scarring. If properly cared for these scars will typically fade with time and are easily hidden by a bra or bikini top.
As one of the more popular elective procedures in the world, breast lifts are quite safe. However, no surgery is completely free of risk. Some of the possible complications include bleeding, infection and reactions to anesthesia.
