Most women start to notice the first signs of a sagging bosom sometime in their forties. The breasts start to feel less firm and sit a little lower on the chest. Push-up bras can help hide the problem, but that’s only a temporary solution. The breast lift, one of the treatments offered by Bella Forma CSC & Medspa in Duluth, GA, can reshape the bosom and lift its position on the chest, offering women with drooping breasts a sleeker and more youthful look.
What Is a Breast Lift?
A breast lift, referred to in medical terms as mastopexy, improves the position of your existing breast tissue, giving your bosom more shape and definition. This treatment is commonly used to remedy breasts that are sagging and sit lower on the chest. Lift treatments essentially reshape the tissue in the breast to give it a better contour while also removing any extra skin that is contributing to sagging. For some patients, the nipple is also repositioned. On its own, a lift will give the bosom more shape and definition. Patients who also want to increase the size of their breasts can incorporate implants into the treatment.
Why Are They Necessary?
Pregnancies, weight fluctuations, and the aging process all take their toll on a woman’s body over time and deplete the elasticity of the skin in the chest area. Women often seek out a lift as a way of restoring a more youthful look to their bosom. Other patients turn to a lift as a way of resolving breasts that are uneven or that have different shapes. Lifts can also be used to reshape the chest after a mastectomy or an injury.
How Can I Tell if a Lift Is Right for Me?
There are several signs that your breasts are sagging enough that a lift may help. If you’ve lost fullness in the upper portion of your bosom and most of the tissue has shifted downward, with the nipple sitting below the fold of the breast, that may be a sign that a lift could help. If your breasts are not as firm as they once were, or if you have extra loose skin in the chest area, those could also be signs that it’s time for a lift. The pencil test is sometimes used to determine whether a bosom needs lifting. If a pencil placed in the fold beneath the breast remains in place unsupported, the breast may be sagging enough to merit a lift.
What Should I Expect?
The first step will be a consultation where we’ll review your medical history and your cosmetic goals. During this appointment, we’ll walk you through what’s involved in a lift and determine whether or not you are a good candidate. If you are entertaining the idea of incorporating implants into your lift, we can also talk about that option during the consultation. The next step will be to schedule your treatment, which will take place in our state-of-the-art facility.
The Day of Your Procedure
We’ll begin by marking your bosom, essentially developing guidelines that we can work from during the treatment. A lift almost always involves making an incision around the perimeter of the areola of each breast. In some cases, an additional incision is made from the areola down to the fold under the breast, and in still other cases, a final additional incision is made horizontally along the fold of the breast. The approach to your incisions, which will be discussed with you in advance, will depend on your current breast position and the severity of your case. Your preference regarding incisions will also be taken into account.
After making the incisions, the excess tissue in your bosom will be removed and the remaining tissue will be reshaped. The nipple and areola may also be repositioned for a more natural and youthful appearance. If the areola has become stretched out as a result of the sagging, it will be reduced in size by removing some of the skin at its perimeter. At the end of the process, sutures are used to close the incisions. The sutures are embedded deep in the breast to provide support to the reconstructed bosom.
Recovery
You’ll be able to head home after your treatment, and most of our patients return to work and their regular schedules in about two weeks. We ask patients to avoid rigorous activity for several weeks. The extent of your treatment, including whether or not it includes an implant, will influence your recovery.
Who Will Perform My Treatment?
Your treatment will be overseen by Dr. Janho. A native of Jerusalem, Dr. Janho attended Furman University in Greenville, S.C. and the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, S.C. He completed a general surgery residency at the New York Medical Center/Bellevue Hospital and spent a number of years working in emergency medicine at hospitals around the country before pursuing additional training in plastic surgery. In 2004, he opened Bella Forma Cosmetic Surgery Center. Dr. Janho attends surgical conferences around the world and has a true passion for his work.
What Kind of Results Can I Expect?
Most patients see results immediately after their treatment. The breasts will sit higher on the chest and will be firmer and better shaped. Although a breast lift doesn’t increase the size of the bosom, the breasts may appear larger because of the reshaping they’ve undergone. Most patients say they feel more confident, sexier, and more youthful after a lift. In some patients, the lift helps balance the overall appearance of the body by making the bosom more proportional to the other features.
What Other Benefits Are Associated With a Lift?
A lift offers benefits that go beyond cosmetic improvements. Most patients who have undergone a lift say they experience less chafing and are more comfortable overall. That’s because the lift removes some of the extra tissue that leads to sagging. Once that extra tissue is gone, you’ll experience less rubbing and irritation.
The convenience associated with a lift is also a major benefit. Lifts are an outpatient treatment performed in our comfortable and modern facility. You won’t have to worry about the hassle and inconvenience of a hospital stay. And although there is a recovery period associated with any cosmetic procedure, you’ll be back on your feet in no time.
How Long Will My Results Last?
A lift represents a permanent reshaping and repositioning of the breast. However, gravity and the aging process will continue to influence your body and your bosom, so you may continue to see subtle changes over time. Maintaining a healthy and consistent weight will go a long way toward preserving your results. A significant weight loss will deplete the amount of fat in your bosom, resulting in drooping. Significant weight gain can stress the tissue in the chest area, which can also result in drooping.
Am I a Good Candidate?
Having sagging breasts isn’t the only factor that signals an individual is a good candidate for a lift. Several other criteria help determine whether a woman should undergo this treatment.
Your Breasts Are Fully Developed
We refrain from performing lifts or other forms of augmentation on patients until their breasts have fully developed. For the majority of patients, this means waiting until the age of 18, or sometimes until the early 20s, to allow the development process to run its course. It’s fruitless to treat breasts that are still developing and evolving.
Your Breasts Are Uneven
Some women have breasts that don’t match even though they are fully developed. In some patients, the differences between the two breasts are significant and notable. The reshaping of tissue and the repositioning of the breasts that takes place in a lift can address this problem.
You Have Small or Medium-Sized Breasts
Women with breasts that are small or medium in size often see the best results from a lift. Larger breasts sometimes don’t respond as well to a lift and don’t produce results that last as long. If you have large breasts but are still interested in seeking out a more shapely and firm bosom, consult with your physician about the best treatment for your situation. Sometimes a breast reduction treatment can offer women with large bosoms the reshaping and firmness they desire.
You’re Healthy
As with any treatment, it helps if the patient is in good physical health and is a non-smoker. This treatment is not recommended for patients who have cellulitis, a bacterial skin infection, breast cancer, uncontrolled diabetes, or certain other health conditions.
You’re Not Pregnant
This treatment is not an option for women who are breastfeeding. In fact, it’s wise to delay this treatment until after your pregnancy years, because pregnancy-related shifts in your weight can influence the shape and profile of your breasts, potentially negating the results of your lift.
You’re Emotionally Stable and Mature
This is another criterion that is frequently considered, especially for patients undergoing cosmetic treatments. It helps if you’re emotionally stable enough to handle the range of potential outcomes associated with plastic surgery, as well as the change your body will undergo. It’s also important that patients make the deeply personal decision to undergo this treatment for themselves and not to satisfy another individual or to fit into society’s vision of what the ideal body looks like.
Can I Do Anything to Prevent Sagging?
There are a number of factors that play a role in sagging breasts, including genetics, having a large cup size, pregnancy, weight fluctuations, and the aging process. There’s no foolproof way of warding off a drooping bosom, a condition that is known medically as ptosis, but there are steps you can take that might help.
Refraining from smoking, living a healthy lifestyle, and maintaining a consistent weight are all good steps to take. Some sagging is almost inevitable, and that’s why many patients are turning to lifts or other augmentation treatments.
At What Age Do the Breasts Usually Start to Sag?
Every body is different, but the first signs of sagging and breast inelasticity usually start to show up when a woman is in her forties. A history of smoking, which can speed up the aging process, may cause sagging to develop earlier in life.
What Other Breast Treatments Does Your Practice Offer?
In addition to lifts, our practice offers a wide array of implants as well as a sizing system that allows our patients to simulate the various size options available. If you are unhappy with your bosom but unsure about which treatment to pursue, our staff can help assess your situation and determine the appropriate course of treatment.
Our Practice
If you’re ready to put your drooping bosom behind you and take a step toward a sleek new silhouette, call Bella Forma CSC & Medspa in Duluth, GA and schedule a breast lift consultation.
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