Breast Lift
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- What is breast lift surgery?
- At what age can breast lift surgery be performed?
- Does breast lift surgery have any impact on breast feeding?
- How much pain is associated with breast lift surgery?
- What are some variations to the common breast lifting technique?
- What type of scarring should I expect?
- Will my nipple sensation be the same after breast lift surgery?
- Will my insurance cover breast lift surgery?
- Is it unsafe to perform breast augmentation synchronously with breast lift surgery?
- If I need a breast augmentation and breast lift how can I reduce the increased risk of complications?
- Does implant size matter if I want to have a breast lift and augmentation at the same time.
Breast lift surgery is performed to enhance the firmness and youthful appearance of breasts by reshaping and raising the breasts higher on the chest. It can be performed in conjunction with breast implant augmentation to enhance the shape, position and size of your breasts.
At what age can breast lift surgery be performed?
Breast lift surgery can be performed at any age, but cosmetic surgeons usually recommend patients to wait until breasts are fully developed in order to minimize subsequent surgeries. Although pregnancy and breast-feeding may significantly alter the size and shape of your breasts, many women still opt to undergo breast lift surgery before having children and feel that they can address any changes in their breast appearance later on.
Does breast lift surgery have any impact on breast-feeding?
Since breast lift surgery leaves the milk ducts and nipples intact, your ability to breast-feed should be generally unaffected. Despite this, patients are encouraged not to expect to be able to breast feed based on studies that have demonstrated that some mothers who have never had breast surgery, have difficulty with breast-feeding.
How much pain is associated with breast lift surgery?
Most patients experience soreness for 2 to 4 days following breast lift surgery and the amount of pain depends upon the surgical technique and extent of dissection that was performed. Patients with minimal sagging of the breasts require a surgical technique with fewer incisions and may experience less pain during the recovery period. The pain is usually greatest within the first 48 hours after surgery, but will diminish each day and is easily relieved by pain medications.
What are some variations to the common breast lifting technique?
Depending on the breast size and amount of sagging, there are various techniques that can be utilized. For patients with minimal sagging, a vertical mastopexy can be used which results in the incisions limited to a vertical incision extending from the areola down to the breast crease. For patients with more extensive sagging, the inverted T Weiss pattern incisions is utilized which results in a vertical incision extending from the areola down to the breast crease as well as in the breast crease itself.
What type of scarring should I expect?
The type of scarring depends on the type of breast lift procedure performed. Traditional breast lift surgery produces anchor-like scars that extend around the nipple, down the middle of the breast, and under the fold of the breast, termed the inverted T Weiss pattern mastopexy. Vertical incision breast reductions create shorter scars that also surround the nipple and extend vertically down the breast, but do not continue under the breast. Only patients with very minimal sagging of the breasts may use the peri-areolar mastopexy, which uses a concentric-shaped incision around the areola. Although scarring is a factor that should be considered by patients desiring breast lift surgery, patients should keep in mind that surgical incisions are required to resect unwanted breast tissue and to create a shapely breast. Additionally, scars that result from breast lift surgery can usually be hidden under bras or bathing suit tops. Finally, sutures that are used today are far superior to those used less than a decade ago and allow plastic surgeons to achieve significantly lighter and thinner scars.
Will my nipple sensation be the same after breast lift surgery?
Since breast lift surgery only involves the removal of skin around the nipple and areola, and does not require severing of the nerves, permanent loss of nipple sensation is unlikely. However, patients usually experience some numbness in the breast and nipple area during the first several weeks after surgery due to breast tissue swelling. In rare cases, the loss of feeling can last longer or become permanent due to possible nerve damage as these nerves are not apparent to the naked eye and may be severed if aberrant in their location and in the line of surgical dissection.
Will my insurance cover breast lift surgery?
In most cases, breast lift surgery is considered a ‘lifestyle choice’ rather than a ‘medical necessity’ and is not covered by insurance companies. However, if you require a breast lift to allow for a symmetry procedure of the contralateral breast following breast reconstruction surgery for breast cancer, then insurance will cover this surgery.
Is it unsafe to perform breast augmentation synchronously with breast lift surgery?
The combined breast augmentation and breast lift surgery has been associated with increased risk of complications. Increased complications have included a higher risk of skin compromise, poor surgical scars, and infection. This is because breast lift surgery requires removal of redundant skin and subsequent tightening of the breast skin, which is compounded by placement of a breast implant, which pushes out on the tightened skin tissues. However, this procedure is a mainstay of the plastic surgeon’s armamentarium as many of the same patients who need a breast lift of their sagging breasts also need augmentation of their deflated breasts. In fact, most post partum mothers describe a deflation of their breast synchronously with the sagging of their breasts following nursing. As such, many patients seek correction of their breast sagging and breast deflation. In order to minimize complications, plastic surgeons should counsel patients regarding the increased risk of combining these procedures.
If I need a breast augmentation and breast lift how can I reduce the increased risk of complications?
When patients need both a breast lift and breast implant augmentation, patients must be counselled regarding the appropriate surgical plan that will provide them both effective results and one which will minimize postoperative complications. If minimal to moderate degree of breast sagging is present, then a single procedure that combines breast implant augmentation and a breast lift surgery can be performed. However, if severe breast sagging is present, then it is prudent to perform a two staged surgery; first, the breast lift is performed to correct breast sagging; following healing of breast skin incisions, patients may proceed with breast augmentation. Patients can expect to complete their surgeries within a three-month period.
Does implant size matter if I want to have a breast lift and augmentation at the same time.
When breast augmentation and breast lift procedures are to be performed synchronously, it is prudent for patients to avoid unnecessary risks associated with this surgery. First, patients must make sure that their breast sagging is minimal to moderate. Second, patients must be willing to be satisfied with moderate augmentation using a medium sized implant (100cc to 300cc). When patients require a conservative breast lift procedure and choose a reasonable sized implant for augmentation, they will steer away from most complications.
