Breast Lift

After your breast lift, you’ll have bandages or other dressings placed over your incisions. You’ll also need to wear a supportive surgical bra or elastic bandage to minimize swelling while you heal. Drainage tubes may be put in place after your surgery as well. You’ll receive specific instructions about what you can expect, including steps you’ll take during recovery and information about follow-up appointments and when stitches will be removed. Generally, you can expect some discomfort while healing, particularly in the first 2-3 days after your procedure. Bruising, redness, and swelling are also common, and your plastic surgeon will ensure you have prescribed medications to take to manage these. Most patients need to rest and recover for the first week or two after surgery before returning to work and other activities. You should wait about a month before resuming exercise but should expect longer for activity that puts pressure or strain on your chest like lifting or running. Healing is usually complete at about six weeks, but your results will continue to emerge over the course of the following months.

A breast lift is performed under general anesthesia. An incision is made around the nipple and may also extend vertically between the nipple and breast fold. The incision technique used depends on your unique anatomy, among other factors. Through the incision, your plastic surgeon will reshape and reposition the underlying breast tissue. In some cases, excess skin or other tissue can be removed to improve the contours and make up for lost elasticity. Enlarged areolae may be reduced, and the nipple and areolae will be lifted into a more upright position. Finally, the incisions will be closed. The result is a lifted, firm, and more youthful breast contour.

Because the aging process continues after your surgery, sagging is possible after your breast lift. However, most patients enjoy long-term results with a breast lift procedure.

A breast lift can reshape and recontour the breasts, but does not noticeably reduce size. Excess skin is usually removed during a breast lift, but this is for the purpose of reducing skin laxity. In most cases, the underlying fat and breast tissue is simply repositioned and lifted.

Most patients feel some discomfort after their procedure. However, this can be managed with medications prescribed by your plastic surgeon or by taking over-the-counter painkillers. To avoid unnecessary discomfort, you should follow your plastic surgeon’s directions during recovery and avoid strenuous activity.

A breast lift does not require implants, although implants with a breast lift are very common, especially for those looking to increase their breast size in addition to reducing signs of sagging. The procedure manipulates the existing breast tissue into a tightened and lifted position that results in a “perkier” appearance.

A breast augmentation is ideal for patients looking to increase breast volume and size, while a breast lift is best for restoring perkiness to breasts that have started to sag or lose volume due to breastfeeding or aging. However, there are many patients who can opt for both. Be sure to ask about the best options for you during your consultation.

With many breast lift procedures, each nipple and areola are usually surgically repositioned in order to provide greater symmetry. Since breasts are naturally asymmetrical, it’s possible your breast lift procedure will require a certain degree of repositioning, which will ultimately result in a more balanced appearance of the breasts.

A breast lift shouldn’t limit breastfeeding ability in the future, but with most breast lift procedures, it’s recommended that you are finished having children before undergoing one. There’s a likelihood that if you were to breastfeed after a breast lift, it could affect your results. As with any procedure, each patient is different, so please ask your plastic surgeon during your consultation if this is a concern for you.

For most women, nipple sensation will return during the recovery phase of a few months. It’s rare to see cases where there is long-term loss of nipple sensation, and more often that will happen to patients with larger implants and more extensive reductions or lifts. If this is a concern of yours, be sure to bring it up during your consultation.

An areola reduction is a procedure that can be done alongside a breast lift, which has the goal of reducing the overall size of the areola, making it complement the new appearance of perkier, more upright breasts. If this is something you want to address in your breast lift procedure, be sure to connect with your plastic surgeon about this during your consultation.

Some women experience some increase in cup size after a breast lift, but this is not the intended result. Breast lifts are best for lifting sagging breasts and reshaping them back to a more rounded, perkier appearance, and in fact, many patients report a reduction in breast size after a breast lift. What’s more important with a breast lift is the appearance — size is better addressed in a breast augmentation procedure.