It’s important for our self-esteem and confidence that we like the way we look and feel no matter our age. Over time, women may notice changes to their silhouettes that cause them discomfort or unhappiness. If you’re dissatisfied with the present shape or size of your breasts, there are solutions available to you. Call the compassionate and highly skilled professionals at Bella Forma CSC & Medspa in Duluth, GA to discuss a life-changing breast lift.
What Is a Breast Lift?
A breast lift, or mastopexy, is a surgical procedure that can give women the shape they either used to have or have always wanted. If you’re happy with the size of your breasts but would like them lifted higher on your chest plate to give you a firmer and a perkier look, this procedure can help you achieve those results. After this procedure, women feel more comfortable and confident in all their clothes, including form-fitting clothing, bathing suits, and lingerie.
Breast lifts can be customized based on each patient’s goals, and there is no “one size fits all” procedure. Your doctor will listen to your specific desired outcome and talk you through what to expect and how he’ll attain the look you want.
Why Choose a Breast Lift?
When most people think of breast-related surgery, they think implants. Implants can serve a tremendous purpose in boosting a woman’s self-esteem and restoring the shape she once had that time or motherhood have taken away. If you’re happy with the size of your breasts but not with the shape, position, or symmetry of them, a lift can address those concerns.
A lift is a great option if your cup size hasn’t changed but your breasts seem to need a bra more than they ever did before. A good test to see if you could benefit from a breast lift is the pencil test. Ideally, breasts would be lifted and firm enough to not hold a pencil when it’s placed in the crease under the breasts. If the crease under your breasts can hold the pencil, a lift may provide the solution you’re looking for.
What Causes Breasts to Sag?
There are a few major factors that can lead to a loss of firmness and result in sagging breasts and unwanted positioning of the nipple and areola. The first is just the passage of time. When we age, we lose collagen and elastin, which are responsible for firm skin and strong underlying tissue structure. As we age, gravity begins to win as our structure naturally breaks down, leaving breasts hanging lower on our chest than when we were young.
Another factor in sagging breasts is motherhood. Motherhood brings a few changes to the breasts. During pregnancy, weight gain and milk production can cause breasts to enlarge, but as breastfeeding stops and the weight is lost, breasts can be left sagging and hanging lower on the chest than before.
Weight gain and loss can cause the skin of the breasts to lose elasticity and the desired perkiness of a proportional profile. Some women are genetically predisposed to have weaker muscle tone and breast structure so they may experience sagging in adolescence. Whatever the cause, a lift can address all these issues.
What Issues Can a Breast Lift Address?
It’s not just sagging breasts this procedure can address. While it’s not always comfortable to talk about, women should feel empowered enough to own their own desired aesthetic and talk about the issues they’re experiencing. One such issue is downward facing nipples. The nipple and areola should face outward and not sit lower than the crease underneath your breasts. A lift can reposition breast tissue to help you achieve that aesthetic.
If you have asymmetrical breasts, you’re not alone. Many women have one breast that is slightly larger than the other and, for most people, it’s not significant enough for anyone else to notice or to cause them discomfort. If your breasts’ asymmetry makes you uncomfortable or self-conscious, however, a lift can position the tissue differently in each breast to make them appear more symmetrical without adding volume to either.
How Is a Lift Different From Augmentation?
Often, women think a lift automatically means they will have to get implants. Not so. Augmentation, or implants, is a completely different procedure from a lift and each has a different goal.
Breast augmentation will increase the size and enhance the shape of the breasts and may include implants. A lift does not include implants and will only improve the position of the breasts. If a woman has only one concern, each procedure can be done as a stand-alone surgery. They can also be done in conjunction with each other if the woman would also like to add volume to her breasts while they’re being lifted.
While a lift isn’t adding any volume, it can appear, sometimes, to have the same effect on breast size as a small implant. Some women experience a “deflated” look to their breasts. When the excess skin is removed and the native breast tissue repositioned higher on the chest, not only are the breasts perkier, but the movement of existing breast tissue makes the now firmer breasts appear larger.
What to Expect
An in-depth consultation is needed with a plastic surgeon to decide the right course of action and type of breast lift you’ll need. Each woman is different, so each procedure will be tailored to that woman’s specific body and desired results. Cosmetic surgeons will examine the breast area and, using a marker, show you where the issues lie and the places they will make incisions to help you achieve your goals.
The Incisions
The location of the incisions your surgeon will make depends on several factors, including:
- Position of the breasts and nipples
- Amount of excess fat
- Severity of the sagging
- Surgeon’s preference
- Patient’s preference
There are three common techniques for incisions. You and your surgeon will discuss each one so you understand how each one will affect the lift and the other areas of concern you have. Each type of incision involves different areas of the breast, so you and your physician can choose the location that will benefit you the most.
The Procedure
When you have both agreed on a course of treatment, the incision, and the result you’re looking for, your surgery date will be scheduled. During your procedure, your surgeon will focus on:
- Lifting and reshaping the underlying breast tissue to achieve the targeted contour and firmness
- Repositioning the nipple and areola to a more natural, youthful height and position
- If part of the treatment plan, reducing areolas by excising perimeter skin
- Removing excess skin to compensate for lost elasticity
Each patient, surgery, and surgery center varies, so preparation and aftercare instructions will be individualized and personal. It’s important to follow any pre and post-surgery directions your surgeon has given you and contact them with questions and concerns at any point in the process.
Who Is a Good Candidate?
Most adult women in good overall health and who are unhappy with the position of their breasts or nipples and areolas may be good candidates for this procedure. Only your surgeon can determine if this procedure is right for you, so a consultation is necessary. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding will need to wait to have their breasts lifted. You and your surgeon can discuss if a lift is right for you if you’re still planning on having more children and breastfeeding.
If you’ve grown tired of the self-consciousness you feel because your breasts aren’t the shape you’d like them to be, or if they have dropped from their perky, youthful position, talk to your surgeon about this procedure.
The most important part of the motivation for wanting this kind of surgery is that it’s simply because it’s what will make you feel better and more confident. It’s never a good idea to have surgery to fulfill the wishes of someone else or chase an ideal image. Making this decision for you and only you will ensure you are thrilled with your results.
Breast Augmentation
Unlike a lift that addresses only the position of the breasts, augmentation helps women achieve the size, shape, and volume they’d like to have. You don’t have to live with a breast size that makes you unhappy. A consultation with a skilled surgeon can start the process of achieving the proportions and silhouette you’ve always wanted.
After you and your surgeon have discussed your goals for surgery, you may be able to view your expected results through a simulation program in their office. These systems allow you to see what your results will look like so you’re completely comfortable with your plan. During surgery, your doctor will place implants behind the breast tissue or under the chest muscle.
Implants are surgical-grade sacs filled with either sterile saline or silicone. Where and how your surgeon makes incisions depends on the kind of surgery you’re having, your surgeon’s preferences, and your individual circumstances. Your medical team will give you detailed aftercare instructions to ensure you have a quick and comfortable recovery.
Breast Reduction
Women can be just as unhappy with large breasts as they can with small. Whenever a woman feels her breasts are out of proportion with the rest of her body or don’t match what she’d like her image to portray, she’s a candidate for surgery.
Some women have genetically large breasts that can cause them physical pain, as their bodies have to adapt to carrying around disproportionate weight in the breast area. Women with large breasts may find enjoyable activities like exercise uncomfortable and challenging, while others can feel emotional distress or more significant mental health issues.
While most breast reduction surgeries are performed to reduce physical and emotional strain on the patient, that doesn’t have to be the case. If a woman is simply unhappy with the aesthetic of her breasts and would like a reduction in their size, she’s a viable candidate for surgery and should have a consultation with her surgeon.
Choosing the Right Surgeon
Deciding to have this type of cosmetic surgery is deeply personal and should only be trusted to the very best surgeons. You want to be sure you’re choosing a doctor who will get to know you as a person so he can offer you the very best options to achieve the kinds of results you’re looking for.
Call Bella Forma CSC & Medspa in Duluth, GA and schedule a consultation with Dr. Janho. Dr. Janho leads our team and, together, we are committed to offering comprehensive and compassionate care to each client that walks into our modern and technologically advanced facility. A more confident, fulfilled and self-assured you can be just a consultation away.
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