What a Breast Lift Can Do For You

Breast Lift, also known as mastopexy, lifts the breasts by removing excess skin and tightening the surrounding tissue to reshape and support the breasts. A breast lift can also reduce the size on enlarged areolas.

A new statistic published by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons shows that breast lifts have grown a staggering 70% since 2000, outpacing breast implant surgery 2 to 1.

Breast Lift surgery can improve your overall body contour with a breast profile that is more youthful and perky. Women’s breasts often change over time, losing their youthful shape and firmness. These changes can result from:

• Pregnancy
• Breastfeeding
• Weight fluctuations
• Aging
• Gravity
• Heredity

A breast lift will not significantly change the size of your breasts or upper fullness. If you want your breasts to be fuller and larger, a breast lift with augmentation may be the best option. If you want smaller breasts, you might want to consider a breast reduction with a breast lift.

Candidates for Breast Lift

Breast lift surgery is a highly individualized procedure. You should never have surgery to please anyone other than yourself or try to fulfill the desire to look more like someone else.

Good candidates for breast lift surgery:

• Physically healthy
• At a stable weight
• Non-smokers
• Bothered by sagging breasts that have lost their shape and volume
• Breasts appear flatter at the top with an elongated shape
• Nipples fall below the breast crease and point downward
• Stretched skin
• Enlarged areolas

Cost of Breast Lift Surgery

Breast lift surgery costs can vary widely from surgeon to surgeon and region to region. The fee will be largely based on the surgeon’s experience, type of breast lift, and geographic location.

Most health insurance plans will not cover breast lift surgery, but most plastic surgery practices offer financing plans. Joseph T Cruise, MD’s office has three options: Care Credit, Alphaeon, and Prosper.

Cost may include the following:

• Surgeon’s fee
• Anesthesia fee
• Surgery center fee
• Post-operative garments
• Prescription medications
• Overnight stay if traveling from out of the area

On average the cost of a breast lift performed by Dr. Joseph Cruise ranges between $13,000-$15,000.

When choosing a doctor for a breast lift, remember that the surgeon’s experience and your comfort with him or her are just as important as the final cost of the surgery.

When selecting a plastic surgeon for a breast lift, keep in mind the surgeon’s experience, proven results, and your comfort with him or her are just as important, if not more important, than the final cost.

Types of Breast Lifts

There are a variety of breast lift techniques available to lift and reshape the breasts. The appropriate technique is based on:

• Breast size and shape
• Size and position of the areolas
• The degree of breast sag
• Skin quality and elasticity as well as the amount of redundant skin
• Desired goals

There are three common breast lift incisions. The greater the degree of breast sag and skin excess will require more incisions to properly lift and reshape the breasts and to protect the blood supply.

Read more about the Types of Breast Lifts and find out which one might be right for you.

Once the incisions are made the following steps occur:

• The breast tissue is lifted and reshaped to improve breast contour. In some cases, Joseph T Cruise, MD will remove some of the low hanging breast tissue to prevent it from sagging again in the future.
• The nipple and areola are repositioned higher on the breast.
• If necessary, enlarged areolas are reduced by excising skin along the perimeter.
• Excess breast skin is removed.
• Incisions are closed

Concern About Incisions

Some incisions are well hidden in the breast contours such as the horizontal incision in the lower crease. The most visible is the vertical incision from the bottom of the areola to the breast crease. Incision lines are permanent, but in most cases will fade and significantly improve over time. Joseph T Cruise, MD uses a specialized technique by suturing both inside and outside the breast. He also requires patients to use surgical tape for several weeks following surgery. All of this aids in keeping tension off the incisions, which prevents them from widening or opening up. This is crucial to ensuring the lines are kept thin.

Most women want the fewest scars possible, but it’s important the right breast lift is performed to obtain the best result. Cutting corners to avoid incisions will only lead to complications. Listen to your surgeon and do not diminish your result by demanding an incision that will not be appropriate for you.

Breast Lift Recovery  

Immediately following surgery, dressings will be applied to the incisions and an ace bandage type material will be wrapped around your breasts to provide compression.

Drains may be used to get rid of excess blood and fluid that may collect within the breasts. This measure is taken to avoid addition swelling and prevent a hematoma. A drain is a small, thin tube that is placed under the skin. Drains may be left in anywhere from 24-72 hours or longer if necessary. You will be given instructions on how to manage your drains at home.

Take all prescription medications as instructed.

Joseph T Cruise, MD will see you the day after surgery. At this time the bandages will likely be removed and replaced by a sports bra that you will wear for the next several weeks.

If you have a desk job, you may be able to return 5-7 days after surgery. If you have a job which requires physical activity, you may need up to two weeks off. Some patients are able to request modified job duties so they can return sooner.

Complete recovery details can be on Joseph T Cruise, MD’s After Breast Lift Surgery page.