Please visit our Photo Gallery Page to see examples of Breast Lifts

BREAST LIFT GENERAL INFORMATION

Breast lift or mastopexy is surgical shaping or sculpting of the breasts. Breast sag can involve the nipple only, the breast only, or a combination of both nipple level and breast level. There are a number of options available to address the different degrees of breast sag including a variety of lifts. These lifts can be done in concert with either breast augmentation or tissue removal (breast reduction). Surgical decisions are based on the individual patient's needs. Exciting changes have occurred with breast lift techniques and now considerable sag can be addressed in many individuals without the necessity of having a scar along the crease beneath the breast.

Indications:  Sagging breasts due to weight loss, pregnancy, aging or inheritance.  Often the nipple needs to be raised along with the sagging tissue. Enlarged areolas (pigmented area around nipple).

Intended Result:  An elevated, more shapely contour.

Procedure Description:  This procedure is done on an outpatient basis under general anesthesia.  The design of the incisions and thus the scars vary with the type of lift.  For the smaller amounts of sag, the scar may be along the upper border of the areola.  In other cases the scar is all the way around the areola.  A more powerful lift commonly done for greater amounts of sag also includes a scar on the underside of the breast.  Not uncommonly, breast implants are placed at the same time.

Recuperation and Healing:  A wrap-around dressing is placed for several days.  The discomfort is controlled with oral medications.  Most sutures dissolve on their own and the rest are removed in 1 week.  One can return to work in 5-7 days.

Other Options:  Breast Reduction or Augmentation at the same time may enhance the result.

Types of Sag

TYPES OF BREAST SAG AND SOLUTIONS

Descent of all or part of the breast tissue down the chest is a normal part of aging in many women.  It may be related to pregnancy, weight gain, or just inherited poor elasticity of the skin.  For the latter reason, it can even be seen in teenagers.  Certain shapes or mal-development of the breast can lead to sag very early in life.  An example is a "constricted breast"- a breast that is so narrow that it can't support its weight on the chest wall, so sag develops early.

One of the primary gauges of sag is the relationship between the nipple and the fold beneath the breast (inframammary fold/IMF). Breast sag is progressively worse as the nipple to IMF relationship falls from above the fold (a), at the fold (b), and to below the fold (c,d).  Sag is at its worst when the nipple is not only well below the fold, but is also the lowest part of the breast (d).  There is another type of sag in which the nipple really doesn't fall but stays above the fold, and the entire breast and IMF move downward like a paint drop on a wall (e). Finally some forms of sag are related to poor development of the breast, especially if the breast never developed adequate width.  These are "constricted breasts" mentioned above, also known as "tuberous breasts" or the "snoopy deformity." We have to consider the various types of sag in our decision-making.

In any discussion of surgical solutions for breast sag, breast implants should be mentioned.  They sometimes are used instead of or along with a breast lift.  There are certain lifts that should be used only with breast implants.  For more information on this topic please refer to the Breast Augmentation section of the Hubbard Plastic Surgery web site.

Probably the most common surgical approach to correcting sag involves the inverted "T" scar line pattern.

Breast Lift

Vertical Breast Lift (usually no horizontal scar beneath)

This general approach provides the surgeon with a variety of options. 

Sometimes the nipple isn't raised but the overall breast tightened some and shaped.   More often the nipple is raised, the areola (pigmented skin) made smaller and the breast raised, tightened some and shaped. On occasion better shape is accomplished by removing some breast tissue from the far lateral side of the breast.  Overall, the shaping action in this surgery brings out the true artistic abilities of a plastic surgeon.  I place the patient in an almost sitting position in the operating room and progressively sculpt the breast by sequentially tightening in multiple directions.  With quite significant sag, patients gladly accept the scar lines as a tradeoff for such great improvement in shape.  Many breast lifts are not permanent but the amount of sag that returns is often so small that most women do not seek another procedure years later.

Minimizing Scar

State-of-the-art breast lift surgery has accomplished another step forward by eliminating a large portion of the scar. A wonderful improvement in shape can now be accomplished with no horizontal scar beneath the breast in many patients. Surprisingly, these techniques can lead to more long lasting improvement in shape as well. This is quite an advance for many patients since often the most troublesome part of the scar is that which extends far out beneath the arm or to the middle of the chest. In many cases these aspects can be completely eliminated.

More Information:  

Many breasts have a tendency to sag as a normal part of aging or due to the stretching of skin from pregnancy or weight loss. Basically this sag is a result of having too much skin for the amount of breast tissue. There are a variety of solutions to breast sag depending on the amount of sag and the goals of each patient. Sometimes if there is only a small amount of sag, the skin to breast tissue disproportion can be corrected by breast implants alone. Often though, a patient may not want breast enlargement or the amount of extra skin is too great. The solution then becomes excising the skin in a certain pattern that nicely shapes the breasts. One may still choose breast implants for extra cleavage at the same time the skin is tightened. There are a variety of options depending on the amount of sag, skin quality, age and personal goals of the patient. This is why a consultation with Dr. Hubbard is so important. He will present the most beneficial options, take the time to listen to your concerns and answer your questions. This surgery should be personalized to you. At Hubbard Plastic Surgery we are committed to excellence at each step of the cosmetic surgery experience.

Please visit our Photo Gallery Page to see examples of Breast Lifts or click on the following links for information on other procedures.

• Breast Augmentation
• Breast Reduction

Before Breast Lift with Small Reduction

After Breast Lift with Small Reduction

Before Breast Lift with Small Reduction

After Breast Lift with Small Reduction