Breast Lift in Vancouver

Breasts can change after pregnancy, breastfeeding, weight changes and aging. The skin and supporting tissues may stretch, the breast may sit lower on the chest, and the nipples or areolae may move downward. Some people also naturally develop breasts that sit lower on the chest, with nipples positioned lower from the outset. A breast lift, also called mastopexy, reshapes and repositions the breast when the main concern is sagging. Some patients need a lift alone, while others also want more fullness. Depending on your anatomy and goals, this may be achieved with fat grafting, by reshaping your own breast tissue during the lift, known as auto-augmentation, or with an implant. If the goal is a smaller, lighter breast, a breast reduction may be more appropriate. 

A breast lift removes excess skin and reshapes the breast tissue so the breast sits in a higher position. The nipple and areola are repositioned, and an enlarged or stretched areola may also be reduced when appropriate. The goal is to improve breast shape, position and proportion. A breast lift does not add new breast volume on its own, although the existing tissue can be reshaped to create a different contour.

A breast lift may be worth considering when the breast has dropped lower on the chest, the nipple sits at or below the breast crease or points downward, the areola has stretched, or the breast has lost shape and firmness. Natural asymmetry can also be addressed as part of the surgical plan. Your general health, weight stability, nicotine use, future pregnancy plans, breast imaging history and expectations about scars also matter. If your breasts are still changing because of pregnancy, breastfeeding or major weight change, it may be better to wait before deciding on surgery.

The right procedure depends on both your breast position and the amount of volume you want.

• Breast lift alone: may be enough if you are happy with your breast volume and mainly want to improve shape and nipple position.
• Breast lift with fat grafting: can add some fullness using fat transferred from another area of your body.
• Auto-augmentation breast lift: reshapes and repositions your existing breast tissue to improve contour and fullness without an implant.
• Breast augmentation with lift: adds an implant when a greater increase in volume or projection is desired.
• Breast reduction: may be more appropriate if you want smaller, lighter breasts as well as a lifted shape.

Yes. Depending on your anatomy and goals, fullness may sometimes be improved with auto-augmentation, which uses your existing breast tissue, or fat grafting, which transfers fat from another area of your body.Neither provides the same degree or type of volume as an implant. If you want a larger increase in breast size or more pronounced upper-breast fullness, an implant may better match your goals.

Breast position and skin

The amount of sagging and excess skin affects how much lifting is required and which incision pattern is likely to give the best balance between shape and scar length.

Existing breast volume

The amount of breast tissue you have is only part of the picture. Where that tissue sits also affects the final shape. Some patients have adequate breast volume, but much of it has settled into the lower part of the breast. In selected patients, existing tissue can be reshaped and repositioned during the lift to improve the contour without adding an implant. If additional volume is still desired, fat grafting or breast augmentation can be considered separately.

Nipple and areola position

The nipple and areola are planned in relation to the breast and chest rather than moved to one standard position. Stretched areolae may also be reduced when this is appropriate for the overall breast proportions.

Breast symmetry

Most breasts are naturally different. Differences in breast size, shape, skin, nipple height and areola size are reviewed before surgery so the plan can address what is realistically correctable while recognizing that perfect symmetry cannot be guaranteed.

A breast lift cannot be performed without permanent scars. The scar pattern depends mainly on how much skin needs to be removed and how much the breast and nipple need to be lifted. Asking for the shortest possible scar is not always the same as choosing the technique that will create the best breast shape for your anatomy.

Periareolar breast lift

A periareolar, or “donut,” scar sits around the edge of the areola. It can be useful in selected situations where the amount of lifting and skin removal required is limited.

Vertical or lollipop breast lift

A vertical breast lift places a scar around the areola and a vertical scar from the lower areola to the breast crease. Patients often search for this as a “lollipop breast lift” or “lollipop scar breast lift.” It allows more reshaping and skin removal than a periareolar approach.

Wise-pattern or anchor breast lift

A Wise-pattern, or anchor, lift adds a scar along the breast crease to the periareolar and vertical scars. It is used when more skin removal and reshaping are required. During consultation, Dr. Ho explains why a particular scar pattern is recommended and what trade-off that creates between scar length and breast shape.

Before surgery, the breast shape and planned nipple position are marked while you are upright. During the operation, excess skin is removed, the breast tissue is reshaped and supported, and the nipple-areola complex is repositioned. The exact incision pattern depends on the amount of lift and reshaping required.

The exact reshaping technique depends on the surgical plan. When auto-augmentation is part of the procedure, some of the patient’s existing breast tissue is repositioned as part of the lift. If fat grafting is also planned, fat is harvested from another area of the body and transferred to the breast. These additions are individualized and are not necessary for every breast lift.

Dr. Ho currently performs breast lift as an outpatient procedure at a private surgical facility. After surgery, you are monitored in recovery and usually return home the same day with a responsible adult. You should have someone stay with you for the first 24 hours.

Recovery is gradual and should be guided by how your incisions and breast tissues are healing. Dr. Ho provides detailed postoperative instructions for dressings, showering, support, activity and follow-up.

• A postoperative bra is used to support the breasts during healing.
• Dressings remain over the incisions for up to two weeks, depending on the postoperative plan.
• Patients can generally begin showering the day after surgery under the current practice instructions.
• Time away from work depends on the physical demands of your job and whether the breast lift is combined with another procedure.
• Heavy lifting and strenuous exercise are restricted during early healing and should be resumed gradually when Dr. Ho clears you.
• Breast shape, swelling and scars continue to change over the following weeks and months, so the early postoperative appearance is not the final result.

If the surgery is combined with implants, fat grafting, reduction, explantation or another procedure, the recovery plan follows the combined operation rather than a breast lift alone.

Before-and-after photographs are useful for understanding how breast position, nipple position, asymmetry and scar patterns can change after surgery. They are also helpful for seeing the difference between a lift alone and a lift combined with fat grafting, auto-augmentation, an implant, or another breast procedure when those approaches were actually used.

View Breast Lift Before & After Photos

Breast lift is elective surgery and involves permanent scars and surgical risks. The risks that matter most depend on your health, breast anatomy, degree of lifting and whether another procedure is performed at the same time.

• Bleeding or hematoma, fluid collection, infection, delayed healing or wound separation.
• Breast asymmetry or contour differences that remain after healing.
• Temporary or permanent changes in breast or nipple sensation.
• Changes in blood supply or healing of the nipple and areola, including rare partial or complete tissue loss.
• Unfavourable or widened scars.
• Blood clots and other anesthesia or cardiopulmonary complications.
• Possible need for revision or additional surgery.

Breast surgery can also affect future breastfeeding. If future pregnancy or breastfeeding is important to you, discuss this before surgery so it can be considered in the timing and surgical plan.

The fee for breast lift surgery depends on the surgical plan and whether it is performed alone or combined with another breast procedure. A personalized quote is provided after consultation. Beautifi financing is available through Dr. Ho’s practice for eligible procedures and packages of $1,000 and above, subject to Beautifi’s eligibility and lending terms.

Dr. Adelyn Ho, MD, MPH, FRCSC is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon in Vancouver and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Her training includes a focused interest in breast surgery and an additional microsurgery fellowship at the University of Southern California.

For breast lift surgery, the consultation is used to decide what is actually causing the concern: breast position, skin excess, nipple position, volume, asymmetry, areola size, or a combination of these. The goal is a plan that makes the trade-offs clear, including the scar pattern and whether a lift alone is likely to achieve what you want.

If your breasts have changed in position or shape and you are considering a breast lift, consultation is an opportunity to determine whether the main issue is sagging, volume, breast size, asymmetry or a combination of these. Dr. Ho can then explain whether a lift alone, fat grafting, auto-augmentation using your own breast tissue, augmentation with lift, reduction or another approach is most appropriate, where the scars would be placed, and what recovery and long-term changes to expect.

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604-806-3650 | info@dradelynho.com