Not infrequently, patients who come to see their plastic surgeon regarding a breast reduction or breast augmentation are disappointed to learn what they really need is a breast lift. Understanding what a breast lift accomplishes will go a long way toward demystifying the procedure, and hopefully will lead to a lot less disappointment and a lot more excitement about what a breast lift can offer.
Here Are Some Common Questions About Breast Lift Answered:
- 1. Does a Breast Lift Give You Larger Breasts?
No, a breast lift neither enlarges nor does it shrink breast size. A breast lift changes the contour and shape of the breast, giving it a more youthful appearance and firmer consistency. It can therefore sometimes give the appearance of shrinking the breast size, so occasionally patients who believe they want a breast reduction may get the desired effect from a breast lift alone — however most often to make the breast larger or smaller, either a breast augmentation with a breast implant or fat grafting, or a breast reduction, in which the surgeon removes fat and breast tissue to change size.
- 2. What Is the Most Common Reason a Breast Lift Is Often Necessary Among Patients Seeking Breast Reduction or Augmentation?
- Breast Sagging
When breasts sag, the skin becomes loose, and adding an implant will in fact make the sagging worse, as the implant will further stretch the overlying skin, and the implant will sit low on the chest wall. If a sagging breast is reduced, while there will be less fat and breast tissue present in the lower part of the breast, the upper part of the breast will continue to sag, sit low on the chest wall, and contribute to discomfort and back pain when working out, and the overall the appearance of the breast will not be significantly improved cosmetically.
- 3. Aside from Breast Sagging, What Are Some of the Other Issues Breast Lift Can Correct?
- Elongated or Flattened Breast Shape
Many people will have a gradual change in their breast shape over time, particularly if they have had fluctuations in weight or have breastfed. Elongated or flattened breasts can benefit greatly from a breast lift, restoring a rounder contour to the breasts and allowing the breast to sit higher in the chest wall. This will also improve the appearance of the decolletage.
- Enlarged or Down-Pointing Nipples
Some patients dislike the large size of their areola relative to their breast size, and laxity of tissue and sagging can lead to nipples sitting very low below the breast crease or pointing downward toward the floor. Because breast lift typically involves an incision around the nipple and its relocation higher on the chest, the size of the areola can be substantially modified and its orientation altered to point forward to give a more pleasing appearance.
- 4. What Are the Scars from a Breast Lift Like? Are They Worse Than Scars from Breast Augmentation or Breast Reduction Alone?
The typical breast lift scar is referred to as an “anchor scar” because there is an incision around the areola, another vertically downward to the breast crease, and a third horizontal incision in the crease of the breast. This kind of scar is also the most common type required for breast reductions in patients with very large cup sizes to start with, who are wanting to reduce by 2-3 cup sizes. Sometimes, if the breasts are not very large, and tissues are not as sagging, both breast lifts and breast reductions can be carried out with a “lollipop” scar which again involves incision around the areola, and one vertically to the crease, but does not involve a horizontal scar in the crease. Thus breast reduction scarring and breast lift scarring are typically the same, and the decision as to which type of incisions, and therefore which pattern of scarring, will result is usually made on the basis of the size of the breasts and the degree of reduction the patient desires.
Finally, it is important to note that for patients who do not have overly large or pendulous breasts who require a modest amount of lift, Breast Lifts can be achieved with a circumareolar scar alone, a so-called “Benelli Mastopexy.”
Breast augmentation without lift can be carried out with several options of incision- incision/scarring horizontally in the breast crease alone- incision/scarring around the areola alone, or incision/scarring in the axillae. Again depending on the amount of lifting required, a breast lift therefore might not require different scarring than breast augmentation alone, and can sometimes be achieved with a circumareolar scar, or a lollipop Pop scar. For breast augmentation with breast lift in large breasts with the need for a lot of lifting, an anchor type incision/scar is needed.
Because the incisions for breast lift are concealed in the border of the areola, and the vertical and horizontal incisions are hidden by the natural hang of the lower part of the breast, once they are healed they are usually not very noticeable. Improvements in wound care, which include new topical agents, and laser treatment for redness or pigment, has meant most patients have a high level of satisfaction with the appearance of post-breast lift scars.
If you are interested in more information on breast lift or would like to come for a consultation, call our Mississauga location at (905) 273-3045 or our Toronto location at (416) 207-9090 or request a consultation online.
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