Over time, a woman’s breasts can change, losing their youthful shape and firmness. These changes and loss of skin elasticity can result from various factors, including weight loss or gain, pregnancy, breastfeeding, gravity, aging and heredity.
These changes in a woman’s breasts can negatively affect her confidence. A breast lift can rejuvenate a woman’s figure with a breast appearance that is both youthful and shapely.
What is a breast lift?
A breast lift (mastopexy) is a surgical procedure that elevates and firms the breasts by removing excess skin and fatty tissue to recontour and maintain an improved appearance. Breast lift surgery will not significantly improve the size of your breasts or round out the upper part of your breasts. Therefore, if you desire larger, fuller breasts, you may opt to combine a breast lift with a breast augmentation procedure. On the other hand, if you wish to have smaller breasts, you may wish to consider combining a breast lift with a breast reduction surgery.
Candidates for Breast Lift
Breast lift surgery is a highly individualized procedure and you should do it for yourself, not to fulfill the desires of someone else or try to fit into any sort of ideal image. Although a breast lift can be performed for patients of any age, it is best wait until you are done have having children and breastfeeding.
Procedure
Step 1: The Incisions
The method of incision placement during a breast lift varies depending on certain factors, including:
- Position of the breasts and nipples
- Severity of sagging
- Amount of excess fat and skin to be removed
- The surgeon’s preference
- Your preference
There are three common techniques for incisions:
- Donut Lift
An incision is made around the perimeter of the areola of each breast. - Lollipop Lift
An incision is made around the areola and then vertically down to the crease of the breasts. - Anchor Lift
An incision is made around the areola, vertically down to the crease of the breasts, and then horizontally along the breast crease. During your consultation, Dr. Rajae Janho will discuss the benefits of these locations and help you choose the location that will be most beneficial for you.
Step 2: Reshaping Your Breasts
After the incisions are made:
- The underlying breast tissue is lifted and reshaped to improve breast contour and firmness
- The nipple and areola are repositioned to a natural, more youthful height
- If necessary, enlarged areolas are reduced by excising skin at the perimeter
- Excess breast skin is removed to compensate for a loss of elasticity
Step 3: Incision Closure
Once the desired amount of excess skin has been removed and the remaining tissue has been tightened, the incisions are closed using sutures. Sutures are layered deep within the breast tissue to create and support the newly shaped breasts. Sutures, skin adhesives, and/or surgical tape may be used to close the skin.
