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Am I a good candidate for the short scar vertical technique lollipop scar? I am a 36DD and want to be a 36 full C

asked 10 months ago by vivi040372 in Fontana, CA
Latest answer by Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS
Question viewed 1,328 times
Tags: age 35-44, 150-169 lbs, 5 ft 4 in to 5 ft 7 in, candidate, DD to C cup, lollipop, vertical scar

my plastic surgeon wants to make a short, small incision underneath my breasts and I wanted to eliminate this extra scar and just do the short scar vertical technique lollipop scar. I am 5 ft 4 in. weigh 150 lbs and 39 years old. My skin elasticity is good. He says the cut underneath my breast will eliminate "dog ears" from the vertical incisions? Is this correct?

12 answers to Am I a good candidate for the short scar vertical technique lollipop scar? I am a 36DD and want to be a 36 full C

Short Scar Reduction Mammoplasty great procedure for most

I agree with your plastic surgeons advise that for you the the minimal Incision Breast Reduction/Breast Lift would be a Great Procedure for you. The minimal incision Breast Reduction surgery using a “vertical” or “lollipop” scar technique. This method has been used in Brazil and France for many years but is performed by a minority of Plastic Surgeons in this country. The benefits include: approximately fifty percent less scarring, a narrower... more

Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS
Orange County Plastic Surgeon

Breast Reduction Technique

Thank you for the question and pictures. I think you will have a very nice breast reduction results, with the results depending more on the surgeon's skill than on the specific procedure/technique performed. It may behoove you to seek consultation with several well experienced board-certified plastic surgeons. Do your due diligence and see their patients in person or with the help of before and after pictures. I hope this helps.

Tom J. Pousti, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

Breast reduction techniques

Large breasts can restrict your lifestyle and cause a variety of medical problems. Even drastic weight loss won't result in more than negligible shrinkage. Breast reduction surgery removes excess breast tissue and reshapes the contour of the breasts so that they are smaller and perkier. Any type of incision for a breast reduction will leave a scar, but there are ways now that are minimal scarring and give a pleasing, perky result. I commonly use a minimal incision technique (Le Jour),... more

Michelle Copeland, MD, DMD
New York Plastic Surgeon

You will do very well with a vertical lift

Vivi, You will have a very nice result with a vertical breast lift. There is about a 1 in 20 chance that you might need a dog ear correction six months after your initial lift. Even if you do, the breast shape will be much better than if you have an inverted T lift. Good luck! see video

Kenneth R. Francis, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

After 12 years of only Vertical lifts I reconsidered

The very young patients are the ones I try very hard to avoid the small horizontal scar.This is for two reasons, they scar much stronger (hypertrophic) and their excellent skin elasticity allows the bottom of the breast (the "dogear") to re-model in a reasonable time. After looking at my results objectively for the rest of the patients that require a significant elevation in nipple/areolar position, I feel I can give them a more beautiful and long lasting result. My advice is take... more

Manuel M. Pena, MD
Naples Plastic Surgeon

Short Scar Breast Reduction

Your plastic surgeon is correct when he or she states that the dog ear will be eliminated with a short horizontal incision but the the beauty of the short scar technique is that the dog ear retracts into the crease of the breast. You must allow time for this to occur but it does. I believe that you are a reasonable candidate but I recommend a complete exam by a board certified plastic surgeon.

Earl Stephenson Jr., MD, DDS
Atlanta Plastic Surgeon

Candidate for Vertical Lift

I do most of my cases using the LeJour, or vertical lift technique. The main limitation of the technique is the removal of large amounts of tissue for the reduction. Because you want to still be full, you are a good candidate for the technique. "Dog ears" do happen with the vertical technique, but mainly when we have lots of excess skin left over from doing a big reduction, or in weight loss patients with very lax skin. I dont see you as being a big... more

John LoMonaco, MD
Houston Plastic Surgeon

Breast Reduction

Hello Vivi, As you can see, surgeons have differing opinions about the merits or detractions of either the purely vertical mastopexy or the anchor scar mastopexy. The benefit of a vertical mastopexy/reduction is that it eliminates the inframammary scar. Problems include poorly repositioned nipple (usually too low, but also too high), long vertical scar, wide areola, less than desirable scar appearance, and breast drop out. The benefit of the anchor scar mastopexy/reduction is... more

Gerald Minniti, MD, FACS
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Vertical, short scar vs "T" incision breast lift

Thank you for the photos. You are an excellent candidate for a vertical or lollipop breast lift. As I said it before,one man's vertical lift is not the same as another's. I've been doing vertical lifts and reductions for over a decade with excellent results. I've done the anchor or T incision for ten years prior to this. People who continue to just do the anchor scar will tell you that the horizontal scar will stay in the breast crease and no one will see it.... more

George Marosan, MD
Bellevue Plastic Surgeon

Crease incision allows better skin tailoring!

Vertical lifts are "all the rage" now that more and more surgeons have begun to learn these techniques of partial or modified breast lifting. The problem with this and other "newer" procedures is that surgeons become enamored with the "pros" of such less-scar procedures, and try to apply these techniques to more and more patients, some of whom may not be appropriate for short-scar or no-crease scar techniques. (It's the old "I've got this new... more

Richard H. Tholen, MD, FACS
Minneapolis Plastic Surgeon

Vertical lift

I believe that you are an excellent candidate for a vertical lift. In the majority of cases I do, I do not have to take out a "dog ear" at the bottom. I have shown these techniques during the teaching course that I give at the national aesthetic meeting. Good luck.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

IMO you need a "T" incision

Fundamentally, the problem with a lollipop incision in your case is that too long of a vertical limb would be left for a nice perky result in the long term. Many patients have come to me after having been sold on the vertical elsewhere with vertical limbs anywhere from 9-13 cm long from the crease to the bottom of the areola and this resulted in a very baggy lower pole which could hold several pencils between the breast and the abdomen. Since the crease incision is the least... more