Does a breast lift always result in dramatically smaller breasts?

I went in for an uplift on my size 36 g breast and have come out a 36 D, i am traumatised by the whole operation and very upset at being so small.

I knew he would have to reduce them but not by 3 cup sizes, is this normal? do they have to always make your breast much smaller to achieve this?

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10 answers to “Does a breast lift always result in...”

A: No

Vincent N. Zubowicz, MD

Breast lifts do not result in smaller breast save for the volume of skin that needs to be removed as part of the operation.  If the volume enhancement is desired (determined before surgery) an implant can be placed concurrently.

A: Optical illusion: A lifted breast will often appear smaller

Otto Joseph Placik, MD

SEE VIDEO BELOW This is commonly an optical illusion. A sagging breast appears larger whereas a lifted breast of the same size often appears smaller. This is one of the reasons that most mastopexy (breast lift)  procedures are performed wtih breast implants. Patients commonly request the... more

A: Breast lift vs Breast reduction

William  Bruno, MD

A breast lift does not necessarily need to result in smaller breasts or a smaller cup size. Although the pattern or scar may be similar, the surgeon can control how much tissue is removed during the procedure; this often differentiates a mastopexy from a reduction. In a pure mastopexy, only a small amount of... more

A: Breast lift should not significantly alter breast size

Steven Wallach, MD

In general, the breasts do not have to be made smaller when undergoing a breast lift.  The only thing that has to be removed is the loose skin and maybe a small amount (a few grams) of breast tissue to allow proper molding of the tissue. This should not change your cup size significantly. On the other... more

A: A breast lift alone should not alter breast size

Brent Moelleken, MD

A breast lift alone should not alter breast size. The skin removed from a breast during a breast lift has very little mass. Perhaps you had a breast reduction, a lift combined with a reduction in the size of the breast. It is also possible that the size was not actually reduced, but the lift caused the... more

A: The simple answer to you question is that all breast...

Shahram Salemy, MD

The simple answer to you question is that all breast lifts do not require a reduction in the size of the breast. But it sounds like you may have had some miscommunication with your surgeon. Part of the process for getting good surgical results with this procedure is not only matching the breast lift to the... more

A: Not always!

Manish H. Shah, MD

When women typically come in looking for a breast lift, they are usually only concerned with the position of their breasts outside of a bra. They typically do not have much in the way of problems related to overtly large breasts such as back pain, extremity numbness, open sores, etc. Most women with 36G cup... more

A: Breast lift and/or reduction...

Carmen Kavali, MD

It sounds like there may have been a communication gap between you and your surgeon, since you are clearly surprised by your results.  There are a few possibilities to consider. Basically, when you lift a breast, you do have to remove at least some loose skin to tighten the new breast.  If you... more

A: It sounds as though you had a communication gap with...

Richard P. Rand, MD

It sounds as though you had a communication gap with your doctor. A G cup patient would, in almost any surgeon's eye, need a "breast reduction" to improve symptoms and make the breasts a better size match for the rest of your body. A reduction essentially always includes a lift. A lift alone,... more

A: I would be interested to learn why you had a breast...

Scott Sattler, MD

I would be interested to learn why you had a breast reduction (it does not sound like you had a breast 'lift' or mastopexy) in the first place? Certainly with size 'G' breasts, you might have had neck and back pain, posture problems or hygeine issues. If this was the case, have these troublesome symptoms... more

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