If you have sagging breasts from multiple pregnancies, dramatic weight loss, or other factors, your breast tissue, nipple, and areola can be lifted back into a more youthful position through a breast lift procedure.
At eSSe Plastic Surgery, we perform breast lift surgery at our suites. Our surgeons Dr. Tracey Stokes and Dr. Laura Sudarsky perform many of these procedures every year, utilizing the best techniques available. If you are interested in breast lift surgery, contact us for a free consultation.
What Is a Breast Lift?
It happens over time. A woman’s breasts change throughout her adult life. Pregnancies, weight gain or loss, aging, and gravity can cause your breasts to lose their youthful shape, lift, and firmness.
Breast lift surgery defies mother nature’s gravitational pull – literally lifting the breasts to give them a more youthful, perky appearance. Excess skin is removed, the nipple and areola are repositioned higher on the breast, and the breast is reshaped to give it a more pleasing shape.
What Can a Breast Lift Address?
Sagging and Drooping Breasts
As women get older, the ligaments in the breast can begin to become stretched out which can cause breast tissue to begin to sag and droop. Other factors can contribute to sagging breasts such as pregnancy, breastfeeding, weight fluctuations, heavy breast tissue, improper support, and more. While these ligaments cannot be repaired once they have been stretched, drooping breasts can be restored through surgery. If large breasts are contributing to your sagging, we can also perform a breast reduction and lift.
Nipple Position
As the skin on the breasts loses elasticity, it is common for the nipple to begin pointing downwards. During a breast lift surgery, the nipple and areola can be repositioned higher on the breast so that they are in a more youthful location.
Excess Skin
When the skin on the breasts becomes stretched out during pregnancy or weight gain, it can leave the breasts looking deflated because of the excess skin. A breast lift is a good option for removing excess skin from the breasts so that they can sit higher on the chest.
Breast Lift Before and After
What Happens During Breast Lift Surgery?
Our breast lift surgery is an outpatient procedure performed in our state-of-the-art surgical suites under general anesthesia. For a simple no-implant breast lift, the procedure usually takes three hours. Surgery time may increase if you choose to include a breast reduction or augmentation.
After placing you under anesthesia, your plastic surgeon will make the necessary incisions on the breasts. If a breast reduction and lift are being performed, we will remove breast tissue and any excess skin. Then we will form a surgical support system using your own tissue and the breast will be placed into a more lifted position. Once the breast has been reshaped and repositioned, the incisions can be closed. With most breast lift surgeries you can go home on the same day and begin your recovery process.
What to Expect After Surgery
After the procedure you may experience minor discomfort, bruising, and swelling. Scars can take up to a year to fully mature and fade. You should be able to return to work within a week, depending on the physical nature of your job. You’ll resume normal activities, including mild exercise within a few weeks. Sexual activity should be avoided for one to two weeks, and extreme care should be taken several weeks after the procedure as breasts may be tender and sore.
Will You Have Scars After Breast Lift Surgery?
While scars are an inevitable part of breast lift surgery, we minimize visibility by using the best techniques and by matching each patient with the right type of incision. Your scars will fade and become less noticeable in the months after your surgery. By following post-care guidelines, you can further minimize the scars that you have from your surgery. We may use one of the following incision types with your breast lift surgery:
- Crescent Incision: This type of incision is indicated for patients with very mild sagging. Made on the upper half of the areola, this scar will be mostly hidden by the edge of the areola and will remove the least amount of tissue.
- Donut Incision: Donut incisions involve the removal of excess skin around the areola in the shape of a donut and are used in women with minimal sagging. This scar will also be hidden by the areola.
- Lollipop Incision: A lollipop incision is similar to a donut incision but also involves a visible scar from the areola to the base of the breast. This type of surgery allows for more tissue to be removed and the scar fades with time.
- Anchor Incision: For patients with more severe sagging, we will use an anchor incision. This is like a lollipop incision with an additional incision along the crease of the bottom of the breast. We can remove a large amount of excess skin using this incision and much of the scar will be hidden under the breasts.
Can a Breast Lift Be Combined With an Augmentation?
A breast lift with implants is a common procedure to both augment and lift the breasts. These two surgeries can be performed at the same time for patients who want to have larger breasts that are also better positioned on the chest.
Restore Your Breasts With a Breast Lift
Sagging and drooping in the breasts are common as women age. If you have noticed sagging in your breasts, have changed after pregnancy, or want a lift, we can help with our breast lift surgeries at eSSe Plastic Surgery in Ft. Lauderdale. Call us today or fill out an online form to schedule a complimentary consultation.
