If you are unhappy with the size of your breast implants, having them replaced with smaller implants can be a very good option. Whether or not a breast lift will be needed is different from one situation to another. It all depends upon a number of questions:
- Is there skin laxity currently?
- How is your skin and tissue elasticity?
- How much are you decreasing the size of your implants?
- How long have you had your implants?
- Have you been pregnant since you have had your implants?
- And, were larger implants placed in the hopes of avoiding a breast lift in the first place? If the answer to the last question is yes, prepare yourself for a breast lift. You probably needed it in the first place.
How implants will affect the breast and overlying tissue over time is very variable. If the tissues have thinned out, and the skin has lost a lot of elasticity (due to time, weight loss, pregnancy, or the weight of the current implants) then a lift is likely to be needed. If on the other hand, tissue elasticity is good and the size difference in the implants is not huge, you may get by without a lift. But if the skin is already stretched out, it is unlikely to change with downsizing of the implants.
Talking with a board certified plastic surgeon who has a lot of experience with breast surgery, and who has dealt with this issue before, is your best bet. Ask specific questions about how things will look, where scars will be, and what size implants are recommended. It is helpful if you have your doctor’s notes from the previous surgery. Listen carefully to what your surgeon tells you. Make sure you understand what you are being told, and make sure it makes sense to you.
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