1. What is a Breast Lift?

A breast lift is also called a mastopexy which is simply lifting the breast, elevating it on the chest itself which usually involves lifting the nipple and the areola to a higher position.


2. How is breast lift surgery done?

Breast lift surgery is generally done under anesthesia as an outpatient. There are a variety of types of breast lift surgery. There are very small breast lift procedures where only a small amount of skin, kind of a shape of a quarter moon is removed from above the areola, it just lifts the nipple up a little bit. Slightly larger procedures remove a donut shape of skin around which will again lift the nipple a little higher but it doesn’t lift the entire breast. A standard breast lift removes skin on the lower aspect of the breast and repositions the nipple to a higher position. Generally, the skin is removed and sometimes this includes a portion of the areola which is sometimes stretched out and become too large for the size of the breast. If so this is typically made small again during surgery. Breast lift surgery is generally done as an outpatient.


3. What is the recovery period like?

Typically for patients having breast lift surgery without any the other procedures such as breast implant, the recovery is really minimal. Since the operation is primarily a skin operation and there is very little work done to the breast tissue itself and nothing is done to the muscle of the chest, most patients have very little discomfort and can be back to work within just a few days to assume full activities typically in about a week.


4. Who is an ideal candidate for breast lift surgery?

The best candidates for breast lift surgery are typically those who are happy with the size of their breasts, but simply would like their breasts lifted to a higher position on the chest. They are usually patients that have had children and have breastfed, or patients that have lost a considerable amount of weight, since pregnancy and breast feeding does tend to stretch out the skin and cause the breast to sag over time. It is usually best to wait until one has had all of their children before getting breast lift surgery.


5. Are there risks and complications to a breast lift surgery?

The main risks to breast lift surgery include anesthesia, bleeding, and the scars that occur as a result of removing the skin. For a standard breast lift where a considerable amount of skin is removed the scar run around the edge of the areola straight down to the crease underneath the breast. And that’s probably the biggest concern that most patients have with breast lift surgery. There’s a relatively little risk of losing sensation to the nipple during breast lit surgery unless breast augmentation is done at the same time.


6. How long do the results last?

As long as the procedure is done after a patient has had all their children and therefore they do not go through the changes with breast feeding or wind up losing a lot of weight after the surgery, much of the results can be permanent. Although the breast can sag somewhat over time it is unlikely it will ever sag down to the point they were at prior to the surgery.