Breast Lift (Mastopexy)

What Breast Lifts Don't Do
Breast lift surgery does not significantly change the size of your breasts or round out the upper part of your breast. If you want your breasts to look fuller, consider breast lift and augmentation surgery. If you want smaller breasts, consider combining breast lift and reduction surgery.

 

Is it right for me?
Breast lift surgery is a highly individualized procedure and you should do it for yourself, not to fulfill someone else's desires or to try to fit any sort of ideal image.

 

A breast lift is a good option for you if:

• You are physically healthy and maintain a stable weight

• You do not smoke

• You have realistic expectations

• You are bothered by the feeling that your breasts sag, have lost shape and volume

• Your breasts have a flatter, elongated shape or are pendulous

• When unsupported, your nipples fall below the breast crease

• Your nipples and areolas point downward

• You have stretched skin and enlarged areolas

• One breast is lower than the other

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Procedure Description: Breast Lift (Mastopexy)
 

Over the years, factors such as pregnancy, nursing, and the force of gravity take their toll on a woman's breasts. As the skin loses its elasticity, the breasts often lose their shape and firmness and begin to sag.  Breast lift, or mastopexy, is a surgical procedure to raise and reshape sagging breasts--at least, for a time. (No surgery can permanently delay the effects of gravity.) Mastopexy can also reduce the size of the areola, the darker skin surrounding the nipple. If your breasts are small or have lost volume--for example, after pregnancy--breast implants inserted in conjunction with mastopexy can increase both their firmness and their size. If you're considering a breast lift, this a basic explanation of the procedure--when it can help, how it's performed, and what results you can expect. It can't answer all of your questions, since a lot depends on your individual circumstances. Please be sure to ask your doctor if there is anything about the procedure you don't understand.

 

The Best Candidates for Breast Lift

A breast lift can enhance your appearance and your self-confidence, but it won't necessarily change your looks to match your ideal, or cause other people to treat you differently. Before you decide to have surgery, think carefully about your expectations and discuss them with your surgeon.

 

The best candidates for mastopexy are healthy, emotionally stable women who are realistic about what the surgery can accomplish. The best results are usually achieved in women with small, sagging breasts. Breasts of any size can be lifted, but the results may not last as long in heavy breasts.

 

Many women seek mastopexy because pregnancy and nursing have left them with stretched skin and less volume in their breasts. However, if you're planning to have more children, it may be a good idea to postpone your breast lift. While there are no special risks that affect future pregnancies (for example, mastopexy usually doesn't interfere with breast-feeding), pregnancy is likely to stretch your breasts again and offset the results of the procedure.

 

All Surgery Carries Some Uncertainty and Risk

A breast lift is not a simple operation, but it's normally safe when performed by a qualified plastic surgeon. Nevertheless, as with any surgery, there is always a possibility of complications or a reaction to the anesthesia. Bleeding and infection following a breast lift are uncommon, but they can cause scars to widen. You can reduce your risks by closely following your physician's advice both before and after surgery.

 

Mastopexy does leave permanent scars, although they'll be covered by your bra or bathing suit. (Poor healing and wider scars are more common in smokers.) On a rare occasion the procedure can also leave you with unevenly positioned nipples, or a permanent loss of feeling in your nipples or breasts.

 

Your New Look

Your surgeon will make every effort to make your scars as inconspicuous as possible. Still, it's important to remember that are permanent. Scars gradually become less obvious, sometimes eventually fading to thin white lines. Fortunately, the scars can usually be placed so that you can wear even low-cut tops.

 

You should also keep in mind that a breast lift won't keep you firm forever--the effects of gravity, pregnancy, aging, and weight fluctuations will eventually take their toll again. Women who have implants along with their breast lift may find the results last longer.

 

Your satisfaction with a breast lift is likely to be greater if you understand the procedure thoroughly and if your expectations are realistic.

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