Breast Lift

When breast tissues starts to droop and sag, this results in breasts that are positioned lower on the chest wall. The nipple areolar complex may also descend and appear too low relative to the breast. We refer to this as breast ptosis, which a normal process we see during aging pregnancy, breast-feeding, weight gain/loss and hormonal changes. A breast lift by Dr Adelyn Ho can help restore a more youthful look with perkier, firmer, and uplifting breasts.

A breast lift, also known as a mastopexy,  is a procedure to help address breast ptosis and recreate the appearance and feel of a more youthful breast.  A breast lift removes excess skin from the breast and tightens the surrounding tissue to reshape and support the breast contour. When desired, this often involves reducing the size of the areola, as this can become stretched over time with pregnancy and breast feeding. It is also common for breast volume in the upper breast to decrease over time, and this can be addressed with both a breast augmentation and lift.

The goals of this procedure are to improve the breast shape and restore the position of the nipple areolar complex. Appropriate candidates for this procedure are healthy with a stable weight and express that would like to lift their breasts with the same breast volume. Patients that express that they would like a larger breast volume in addition to improved shape may benefit from a breast augmentation and lift.

One of Dr. Ho’s goals for your breast surgery is to make your incisions as unnoticeable as possible. However, a breast lift cannot be done without creating some scars on the breast. For this reason, there are some women that would benefit from a mastopexy to optimize the breast shape, however, they decide not to have this procedure done because they do not want scars. Scar are strategically placed to help hide them as best as possible and they continue to fade over the first year after your surgery. There are several techniques that can be used to perform a breast lift successfully, and this depends on your starting breast size, shape, and extent of ptosis. The most common scar patterns are:

• Periareolar – circular or “donut” pattern around the areola
• Vertical- around the areola with a vertical limb that extends from the 6 o’clock position of the areola to the breast crease, and commonly referred to as a “lollipop” scar
• Wise pattern mastopexy (anchor or inverted-T pattern) which has a scar around the areola, a vertical scar from the 6 o’clock position down to the crease, and along the breast crease.

When there is both a desire to lift the breast and increase the fullness, this is commonly combined with a breast augmentation to achieve these goals. For patients that are looking to have smaller and more lifted breasts, a breast lift with breast tissue reduction is another common combination that can ensure the breasts have an attractive and smaller shape that are well-positioned on the chest. Patients with very large breasts (hypermastia) may have symptoms such as back pain, neck tension, shoulder grooves, and poor posture. They may feel self-conscious, have trouble exercising, and find it hard to find clothing that fits. A breast reduction may be able to help alleviate some of these symptoms.

A Breast Mastopexy is performed as an outpatient procedure at a private surgical facility. Immediately after surgery, you will be taken into a recovery area for close monitoring and will be permitted to go home the same day with a responsible adult when you are stable for discharge, typically after an hour. It is important that you have someone that will stay with you for the first 24 hours. All patients wear a Surgical Couture bra by LaBratory, to support their breasts during the healing period. There will be a gauze dressing over the incisions which can be left on for up to two weeks. Patients can start to shower the next day after surgery. You will receive a prescription for pain medication and antibiotics before or on the day of surgery. It is recommended that you set an alarm for the first two days of surgery every 4-6 hours so that you remember to take your pain medication regularly. You will be given detailed postoperative instructions that you should follow carefully.