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Waited for Breast Implants Until I Was Done Breastfeeding?

I had silicone implants under the muscle in 1989. They were great... Got them after one child. Now, 18 years later and breastfeeding 3 more.... I now need a breast lift. I am not sure I want the scars, but my I only have about 1 inch of skin visible under my nipple :-( I wonder if I had waited on the implants if I could have just had the implants now without the full lift and horrible scars....?

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breast feeding sagging silicone implant

Don't second guess yourself!

You've had four children, think you need a lift, and blame it on the implants? Possible, but unlikely. Odds are that you would have had to have the lift by now even if you never had implants. In fact, your implants may have helped keep your breasts perky all these years. Many women even get implants after losing weight or breastfeeding just to help perk up their breasts a bit. However, if you did have tiny breasts and put in huge implants, that in itself could have contributed. That's one... more

Steven Teitelbaum, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS

Mastopexy scars

This is an interesting question. It's difficult to predict breast behavior following breast feeding with implants. Some women undergo size fluctuations, but maintain aesthetic breasts. Other women undergo more dramatic changes and develop ptosis (sagging) that you have described. On the bright side, you have had implants for 18 years, which is a good implant lifespan. Scars are always difficult to justify in breast surgery, but it's... more

Jason R. Hess, MD

San Diego Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Waiting for Implants Until After Breast Feeding Won't Eliminate Needing a Lift

It is not likely that postponing your implant surgery would have eliminated the need for a breast lift. The changes in the breast that occur during pregnancy and nursing include deflation of the breast or loss of breast tissue, as well as drooping (the descent of the nipple and breast below the height of the breast crease), which is more an issue of tissue tone or elasticity. Implants do not lift or support the breast. If you have developed drooping with nursing, this... more

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Paul C. Zwiebel, MD

Denver Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

The More Things Change, The Less They Stay The Same

Breast augmentation is a wonderful operation, but patients must realize that every operation has its limitations. Patients should be aware that they will most likely require more than one, and possibly several, operations over their lifetime in order to maintain the appearance of their breasts. A breast augmentation that gives a woman a beautiful outcome at age 25 cannot be expected to look the same at age 35 or 45, for a variety of reasons. Pregnancy, breast feeding, and the usual slow... more

Athleo Louis Cambre, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

In general, you want to be done having children before...

In general, you want to be done having children before having breast implants if you are in the midst of starting your family. This is only so you have less chance of needing a revision if your breasts change after having another child. There is no health risk to having the implants and then getting pregnant, though. The implants don't promote or prevent sagging of the breasts, so you probably would be in the same situation either way right now. Just make sure the surgeon you go to has... more

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS

Seattle Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

That is hard to predict. The quality of each patient's...

That is hard to predict. The quality of each patient's tissues varies tremendously. As one ages the skin elasticity changes. Also, pregnancy alters the skin quality by stretching it out when engorged.

Steven Wallach, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Breast feeding and breast implants

Pregancy and breast feeding can change the shape and size of your breasts, and having implants before pregancy can certainly lead to revisions. That being said, going 18 years without the need for a revision is quite a good result!! Patients need to understand that breast implants are not a lifetime devices. Having breast implants guarantees you at least one additonal surgery somewhere in your lifetime. The risk of a spontaneous rupture of a breast implant is very, very low, but after... more

Robert Steely, MD

Houston Plastic Surgeon

Breast lift

I concur with my colleagues. Its impossible to predict how your breasts would change after breast feeding with our without implants. Regardless, it sounds like you would benefit from some form of breast lift. Depending on the degree of sagging and excess skin, your surgeon wil determine exactly what type of lift you will need: periareolar, lollipop, or tradition lollipop + breast crease scar.

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C. Bob Basu, MD

Houston Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Breast lift after breastfeeding

I think your breasts would have dropped whether you had implants or not. If my patients are planning on having children in the near future I encourage them to think about waiting but the decision is up to them.

Michael Philbin, MD

Minneapolis Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Breast Implants - Should I Have Waited Until I Was Done Breastfeeding?

Most women who have had multiple children, whether or not they breast feed or have breast implants, will experience deflation of the upper part of the breast, laxity of skin, and sagging of the breast. The degree with which this occurs is related to genetic factors, tissue characteristics of each person's breast (i.e the elasticity of the skin), the amount of weight gained during pregnancy, and the increased in size of the breast... more

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Jaime Perez MD

Tampa Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Timing of breast augmentation

It is quite likely that your breasts would have changed over the course of 18 years and 3 pregnancies with breastfeeding and that you may have benefited from breast lift now, regardless of previous breast implants. Additional scars are necessary for a breast lift to reposition the nipples, which based on your description are too low relative to the breasts.

Olivia Hutchinson, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS

Long term effects of breast implants

It is doubtful that if you had waited, you could just have implants placed to improve your breast shape after breast-feeding multiple children. All women's breasts sag with time as the skin loses its elasticity. This process is only sped up with multiple pregnancies and breast feeding. It is difficult to know if your breast implants also contributed to this process. Having a breast lift and/or new implants placed is not a disfiguring procedure and most women... more

Naveen Setty, MD

Plano Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Don't feel bad for having great breasts!

You got to enjoy your breast implants for many years before childbearing changed your breast shape. Be thankful! Your breasts would likely have required a lift after 4 kids, even if you didn't have implants, so you haven't shortchanged yourself at all. The time to have the breast lift surgery is when the idea of the scars (which usually really aren't awful, as you describe them) is better to you than your current breast shape.

Carmen Kavali, MD

Atlanta Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Some people will need a breast lift after breastfeeding.

Some people will need a breast lift after breastfeeding whether or not you have had implants. The scars after breast lift surgery can be very acceptable and fade with time. The scars may be a very acceptable trade off for the improved shape and position of the breast tissue. Make sure your surgeon is comfortable performing secondary or revision breast surgery.

Richard H. Fryer, MD

Salt Lake City Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Repositioning implants after multiple pregnancies

What you describe as only one inch of skin below your areola is strange. Ptosis of the breasts (sagging) is usually associated with both the superior and inferior portion of the skin stretching. One possible solution is to move your present implants from behind the pectoral muscle to on top of the muscle. Implants behind the muscle tend to ride higher and cause the breast and nipple complex to appear lower that normal. A surgeon should be able to tell.... more

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Gary H. Manchester, MD

San Diego Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Should you wait to get implants until after breastfeeding?

This is a really difficult question to answer. My quick answer would be that the more weight you added to your breasts, the more likely they were to sag following pregnancy. However, there are really no studies to support that and so this is a difficult question to answer. I can say with certainty that in 18 years, your breasts will age and change as will the rest of your body. As such, your implants may have had nothing to do with the need for a lift. I do a... more

Gregory A. Buford, MD

Denver Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Breast Implants & Breast Feeding

Many women who have had children, particularly those who have had mulitple pregnancies, often experience sagging of the breasts due to fluctuation in size and breast feeding. Your breast implants are likely not the cause of sagging although weight and gravity do play a role in breast ptosis. Likely your implants now are providing you with the fullness. From your description it sounds like you are a candidate for a breast lift. When it comes to breast lift scars, they are not quite as scary... more

Tarick K. Smaili, MD

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Breast implants and the effect on your breasts long-term

The breast changes over time and with pregnancy. This occurs regardless of whether you have breast implants or not. It is impossible to tell whether or not you would feel you need a breast lift had you not had implants. Most likely, the answer would be yes as drooping of the breasts is very common. You mention that the lift scars are "horrible." I would have to disagree. If you have an inch of visible skin below your areola to the bottom of your breast, you may be an excellent... more

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David Bogue, MD

Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon

Breast implants and breast feeding

Your question is a good one, but rest assured that the breast implants that you had 18 years ago likely have no impact on your present need for a lift. With the passage of time and the further breast feeding that you have done, it is not unlikely that you would have needed a breast lift at this time regardless of your previous surgery, and you would not have had the benefit of having implants for the past 18 years! I would add that I would not be afraid of the scars associated... more

Adam David Lowenstein, MD

Santa Barbara Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Breast implants and breast feeding

Most likely your current implant is providing most of you breast volume. You probably have very little breast tissue and mostly loose skin at this point in time. In my opinion this was not caused by the implant but by the pregnancies and a genetic tendency to lose breast tissue after you have children (postpartum atrophy). I recommend a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon who can discuss your concerns about your breasts with you and make a recommendation based on a physical... more

Deason Dunagan, MD

Huntsville Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

It is more likely that the pregnancies and gravity rather then your implants are responsible for your breast droop

It is difficult to accurately surmise if the weight of your implants contributed in part to the present droop of your breasts. However, since they were placed under the muscle I think not. The muscle tends to support the implants preventing them from stretching the lower portion of the breast. The effects of the pregnancy and gravity alone were enough to cause the present condition of your breasts. So don"t second guess your decision to have the implants prior to your... more

David A. Ross, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Do breast implants cause the breasts to droop after pregnancy and breast feeding.

Pregnancy and breast feeding can cause breasts to sag (ptisis). The presence of an implant does not make a difference. The way you describe your condition lets me guess that your implants might be to high and lowering of the implants might be enough to improve your appearance. In minor cases of breast ptosis, a periareolar mastopexy (lift around the areola) could be enough to improve the appearance without too much scaring.

Farhad Rafizadeh, MD

Morristown Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Breast augmentation and breast feeding

Breast augmentation is the most popular cosmetic surgery in the United States because it allows women to change the shape and size of their breast and produce a consistent beautiful result. Depending on how the breast augmentation is performed and where the implant lives in your body, there may be minimal disruption with breast-feeding. However, breast-feeding can significantly change a woman's body and breast. Some women may experience sagging or drooping of their tissue after breast... more

B. Pat Pazmino, MD

Miami Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Pregnancy and implants

Breast tissue is affected by many things - weight gain/loss, periods, pregnancy, etc. Probably the biggest trauma to the breast is through pregnancy and even this is unpredictable. A patient may have one pregnancy where her breast tissue changes very little and then see dramatic changes with the next pregnancy. All bets are off when trying to predict what the breast will look like following a pregnancy. The changes that occur are the result of your tissue changing... more

Edwin C. Pound, III, MD

Atlanta Plastic Surgeon

Breast implants neither help nor contribute to the fallout from breast feeding.

Many women suffer aesthetic consequences from breast surgery. The happen regardless of whether they have implants. If you have enjoyed your implants since 1989 don't beat yourself up. If you need a mastopexy, most of the scars eventually are quite acceptable. Whether you would benefit from new implants would be decided before the mastopexy.