Super Saggy Breasts - What to Do? (photo)

Your pictures and medical
history demonstrate significant breast enlargement.Under these circumstances, breast reduction
surgery would accomplish several objectives.The procedure obviously reduces the size of the breasts while lifting
them into normal position and reducing the size of the areola’s.Based on your concerns, it would seem that a
breast reduction would meet all of your needs.Breast reduction has some of the highest satisfaction
rates seen in plastic surgery.The
procedure alleviates many of the symptoms associated with enlarged
breasts.It also can significantly
improve breast aesthetics by reducing the size of the areola’s and lifting the
breasts into normal position.If you’re considering breast reduction surgery, it’s
important to consult a board certified plastic surgeon with experience in this
area.This plastic surgeon can formulate
a treatment plan that addresses your anatomic findings and achieves your
aesthetic goals.

Thank you for your question and photo.

You are the ideal candidate for the Ultimate Breast List technique. The UBL lifts and successfully reshapes the female breast to a more youthful, perky appearance without the need of breast implants for upper pole fullness. The areola is never separated and most of the lactating ducts are never disturbed, making breastfeeding possible.  A vertical scar is never needed, so scarring is minimal. Do your research. This is a great start.

Kind regards,

Dr H

A breast lift and a breast reduction have similar goals.  In both, the object is to elevate the nipple/areola on the breast while tightening the "sling" of skin below the areola, thus giving a perkier look to the breast.  In a breast reduction, there is one additional goal - to remove excess breast tissue.  Insurance companies tend to cover breast reductions which they see as a functional problem.  They do not cover breast lifts which they perceive as cosmetic.  You did not mention what cup size you are currently or what cup size you might like to be.  From your picture, it looks as thought you would benefit from a breast reduction, but whether or not enough tissue would be removed to qualify for insurance coverage is difficult to tell from your pictures.  Also, if you want to remain large-breasted then a lift with only a slight reduction (not covered by insurance) might be the answer.

Now is absolutely a good time to have surgery, as long as your health is good and you have no imminent plans to have a baby in the very near future. A lift with an anchor scar with a small reduction would give you a very nice result, and improve the match between the breasts. Your nipple will remain attached to the underlying breast tissue so you can ultimately breastfeed if you would like. Pregnancy and breastfeeding may impact the size, shape and symmetry of the breasts, so you might want to pursue a revision in the future, which tends to use the existing scars. You should be happy with your body, so if your breast contour makes you feel self conscious, you should think about meeting with a board-certified plastic surgeon to help you safely achieve your goals!

You are exactly right in wanting to preserve the size of your breasts even though you want a lift and a reduction. You are an excellent candidate for a lift with some degree of reduction. If too much is removed and you become a small C, you might find that you are too small.  You should discuss with your surgeon what you see as a successful result in terms of size. If you want a moderate reduction along with the lift, there should be no problem in achieving this. The more tissue is retained, the better the circulation to the nipple/areola will be, and the less chance of healing problems due to decreased blood supply to that area.

   While nipple sensation is usually retained after breast reduction, there is always some risk that it will be partially or even completely lost.  This can interfere with breast feeding.  If the ability to breast feed is important, you might want to wait until after having children

Based on your height and weight, you will probably NOT be a candidate for insurance-reimbursed breast reduction; insurance-mandated minimum resections would almost certainly leave you smaller than you wish.

Thus, as a self-pay cosmetic patient, you can choose just how much breast tissue remains after your breast lift--anything from present size (minus about 1-2 ounces of skin for the full breast lift without reduction) to as much cosmetic reduction you and your surgeon choose. Most breast lift and reduction techniques preserve nipple sensation AND ability to breast feed in a majority of patients (though about 50% of women who never have had breast surgery have some sort of difficulty breast feeding).

See several ABPS-certified plastic surgeons who do lots of breast surgery, evaluate their breast lift incisional approaches, and see before and after photographs of their work. (If you are a smoker or are exposed to second-hand smoke, you must stop and stay away from those who do smoke, in order to reduce the risk of dead skin from nicotine-induced vasoconstriction and ischemic tissue death.)

This can truly be life-changing for you! Best wishes and Happy New Year! Dr. Tholen

You appear to be an good candidate for a breast reduction. From your pictures you clearly have dents in the shoulder bra strap area from your heavy breasts. A breast reduction would be a lift and reduction in size and likely can still leave you with a full C or small D cup size. Good Luck!

     If you like the size of your breasts, then you would request a full breast lift.  If you would like the breasts reduced in size, then you would request a breast reduction.  The breast reduction also lifts the breasts.  If you have back, neck, and shoulder pain, a breast reduction could help. 

      Breast Reduction of Breast Lift for your anatomy should not affect breast feeding, but you should consult a board certified plastic surgeon to discuss the options.

Since you wish to still have large breasts you may benefit from a breast lift with a slight reduction. You will need to set up a consultation with a plastic surgeon to discuss your options and goals.

An unavoidable consequence of aging is the loss of elasticity, or tone, in skin and soft tissues. This process, which may be compounded by changes, which occur during and after pregnancy, will ultimately lead to 'drooping' of the breasts. A variety of surgical breast surgery techniques can be used for restoring the breasts to a more youthful position and shape. The goal is to both relocate the nipples to a higher position, and to restore breast projection (and to maintain projection for the long term).

Having a breast lift operation involves making a decision to trade an improved breast shape and contour for some (well-placed and concealed) surgical scars on the breast. For the Raleigh breast lift patient who is displeased that her nipples are downpointing, it may be a relatively easy decision. The surgical incisions are strategically placed to be as minimally noticeable as is possible. One component is around the areola, which is usually well concealed by the color difference between breast skin and areolar skin. The second component extends vertically from the '6 o'clock' position of the areola to the fold below the breast, and as the majority of this scar faces downward, it is usually quite acceptable.