What is a Breast Lift?

Over time, your breast muscles can weaken and the skin lose elasticity – pregnancy, large fluctuations in weight or breastfeeding may all play a part in contributing to this change.

A breast lift can help improve sagging and make your nipples and areolas appear higher on your chest. Your surgeon will make incisions around your areolas, remove excess skin and tissue, resize or even reduce them if necessary.

Excess skin

A breast lift is a surgical procedure used to lift sagging breast tissue. This procedure may be done alone or combined with implant or natural breast augmentation for more dramatic results. Breast lifts should only be performed by board-certified plastic surgeons and typically take about two hours from start to finish, after which patients return home soon afterwards; any postoperative bruising and swelling usually subside within about seven days and drains may be placed near incisions to speed healing; scars should gradually fade over time but may still remain visible at times.

Rapid weight loss causes skin elasticity to diminish rapidly, especially in the breast area. Sagging skin makes you appear older and less healthy; thus leading to breast lift surgery which removes excess nipple and breast skin as well as restores it back to its pre-weight loss state; it may also improve positioning of areolas.

Before surgery, your physician will discuss your medical history and breasts to assess if you are an appropriate candidate for this procedure. Be sure to tell them of any medications taken – including aspirin and similar blood-thinning agents – as well as whether or not you smoke; smoking hinders wound-healing processes and increases risks after surgery.

Your surgeon will give you a hospital gown and thoroughly sterilize and mark the surgical area before creating an incision around your areola and possibly down the center of your breast to create a “lollipop” shape. An alternative incision technique called anchor incision begins at your areola and continues vertically until reaching your breast crease.

Your surgeon will perform this procedure to reshape and tighten any remaining breast tissue and fat, and to reposition nipples and areolas to a more attractive position.

Breast lifts can help correct many problems caused by pregnancy, weight fluctuations and aging. They’re an ideal solution for women unhappy with the size or shape of their breasts after weight loss; though there may be risks involved. These could include bleeding, damage to deeper structures or an appearance of sag in later years.

Excess fat

Over time, pregnancy, nursing, gravity and natural aging take their toll on women’s breasts. Over time the tissue loses elasticity and begins to sag lower-looking. A breast lift procedure known as mastopexy can improve this appearance by lifting them higher while tightening/reshaping any remaining skin and tightening any remaining nipple/areola tissue; creating an esthetically more appealing chest shape.

Surgery typically takes place in either a hospital, surgical center, or at your cosmetic surgeon’s office-based facility and is generally completed as outpatient surgery for maximum convenience and cost containment. Your cosmetic surgeon may utilize various techniques depending on the nature and severity of your case in order to address both its goals and needs.

For example, if your breasts and nipple have very minimal to no sagging, you could qualify for a “crescent lift.” This technique involves reducing the size of the areola to create a more youthful and attractive shape. However, if you wish to reshape and tighten them as well as reduce moderate to severe sagging issues more extensively, your cosmetic surgeon may suggest an extensive lift which involves multiple incisions.

As with most surgeries, breast lift procedures involve some risks, including bruises, soreness and swelling post-procedure; however these side effects should diminish within several days post-surgery and will be treated by your cosmetic surgeon with prescription pain medication for your comfort during recovery.

Fat necrosis, which happens when your body cannot supply the transferred fat cells with enough oxygenated blood, causes them to die off and form bumps in the breast tissue, leaving scars visible beneath a bra or bathing suit. Breast lift surgery may also temporarily decrease sensation in nipples and breasts due to tissue edema; however, this should resolve itself within six weeks.

Excess breast tissue

Breast hypertrophy (the abnormally excessive growth of glandular tissue) is a prevalent issue among young women and may lead to sagging of their breasts, as excess tissue stretches and distorts their shape. With a breast lift procedure, cosmetic surgeons can reduce this stretch by cutting away part of the stretched skin that pulls too tightly, making the nipple and areola appear smaller, which may be appealing features for some women.

Breast lift surgery can also help correct issues with nipple and areola positioning. Here, the surgeon will reposition the nipple higher on the patient’s chest while potentially removing excess tissue around areolas. Furthermore, vertical lift techniques may also be utilized to remove extra breast tissue while simultaneously reshaping nipples; this procedure involves making vertical incisions around each areola, leaving small scars that remain undetectable from view.

Once completed, doctors typically cover the surgical site with gauze and a support bra to minimize postoperative trauma and drain excess blood or fluid through thin tubes placed at incision sites to drain any remaining pooling of fluid or blood – these tubes will usually be removed when their drainage has stopped, usually before patients leave home. Patients will then receive instructions from their physician about caring for wounds as well as showering regularly to keep areas clean; additionally they’ll likely get advice regarding avoiding too much pressure on breasts.

After having their breasts lifted, patients are likely to experience pain for 24-36 hours following surgery, though this should subside with medication over time and typically goes away within a month. Some swelling of breast tissue will occur as is normal but should subside within weeks; its effects should remain permanent however pregnancy and breastfeeding may reduce them slightly; there is always the chance of infection and deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Furthermore, breastfeeding might present issues after this procedure has taken place; complications could include these risks but should never preclude its completion!

Nipples

Breast lift surgery entails having your nipples raised to a higher position by your surgeon, while possibly also reducing areola size or extracting any excess skin around them. A plastic surgeon typically employs mastopexy for this operation as it lifts and reshapes breasts into firmer shapes for firmer appearance – often combined with breast implants or fat grafting when there has been general loss of breast shape.

Pregnancy, breastfeeding, sudden weight fluctuations and aging can cause the breasts to lose their natural curve. Women who are unhappy with their sagging breasts often seek a breast lift at MP Plastic Surgery where surgeons specialize in reconstructive surgery for women to reposition nipples in more youthful positions while tightening loose breast tissue and minimizing stretch marks.

Your cosmetic surgeon may use one or more incision patterns to perform a breast lift, depending on the degree of your sagging. One option includes an incision starting around the areola and continuing down vertically toward your breast crease – known as an anchor lift; it has been around since 1907 yet continues to produce excellent results today. Alternatively, they may employ the lollipop incision method which creates a keyhole-shaped scar in the center of each breast, leaving smaller scars than its predecessors.

Your body may experience pain following breast or areola surgery for several weeks following, and this should diminish as your body heals. If prolonged or intense discomfort persists beyond this point, contact your healthcare provider immediately as this could indicate infection or other complications.

At times, you may experience numbness in your nipples, breasts and incision sites for six weeks or longer due to lack of oxygen and healthy blood flow due to skin separation from muscle layers. A moisturizer could be applied regularly over this time period but be sure not to get near any incision sites!