Revision Surgery Only 6 Months After First Breast Lift?

It sounds like you need to have this exact discussion with your surgeon and find out why he or she feels the need to revise your breast lift so soon after your surgery (and this would be considered very soon). While it is true that the clock starts immediately after a breast lift until you will need another one, it should take years for the breasts to drop again before requiring another lift. I wonder what was discussed with you preoperatively about this possibility and in your... more

No, the fact that your plastic surgeon is suggesting revisionary breast surgery does not necessarily mean that he “did something wrong”. The operation that you have undergone does carry a significant rate of “imperfection” and potential need for revisionary surgery. Assuming you are working with a well experienced board-certified plastic surgeon, I would suggest that you address your questions/concerns directly to him for more accurate information... more

Hi. 1) I assume you are not happy with your breast lift. 2) The lollipop approach is usually the correct one. So I don't know what went wrong. 3) Wait another 6 months before considering a revision. Your breasts may continue to change. Ask your surgeon what he will do differently next time. Get another opinion.

Breast lift procedures sometimes require revisions primarily because of rapid skin relaxation. There is only so much you can do at a single operation. The lollipop incision does have the disadvantage of not removeing as much skin as the anchor incision and the tradeoff is less of a scar with the lollipop. Ultimately it is you who should decide how much you want to do and what trade-offs you are willing to make.

The Breast lifts of the past focused on removal of excess skin. This technique routinely leads to unhappy patients with early recurrence. A better way to achieve beautiful, long lasting results is to reshape and lift the internal tissues of the breast. There are many different techniques available; my favorites are the Lejour technique or Goes technique. As for your circumstance, without more information there is no way to tell why you are having a reoperation so early after your previous... more

In my experience, this does occasionally occur and i have seen it most often with either: Massive weight loss patients Patients with severe ptosis (sagging) In these instances the severe skin laxity has a tendency to recur and cause the breast to sag more than in typical cases of moderate or modest cases of sagging. Furthermore, it is easier to correct a nipple that may have been placed to low rather than correcting a nipple that was placed too high. Overall the most important factor is... more

The question you pose is a good one. You should go over the specific details and concerns of the doctor who is suggesting a revision.  Did the implants fall too much, did the breast not get raised enough, were the nipples not placed in the right position, etc.?  Good luck.

As surgeons we are always analyzing our results and balancing those with our patients expectations. In a quest to do better through revisionary surgery it is best if both you and your surgeon agree that there is a need, and have a clear understanding of what the revision involves and how the result will be improved. With this understanding the decision can be an easy one. Mastopexy occasionally will require a revision of the scar or of the tailoring where the skin laxity and excess was... more

While it is unususal to conider revising a lift so soon after the original surgery, adjustements are not particularly uncommon. The skin often relaxes quite a bit after surgery, which can affect the result over a few months. Depending upon the specific technique, the vertical pattern is one where there is a lot of change during healing.

The potential downside of a lollipop lift is that there may still be extra skin in the fold below the breast making the result look suboptimal. Sometimes that skin needs to be removed to tailor the result and make it better. Perhaps this is what your doctor is trying to do for you. If you are happy with where things are now, however, hold off on any revision.

It is not uncommon to do revisional surgery on a mastopexy or reduction mammoplasty  to "polish"the result after tissues have settled. Many times ths requires minor adjustments that can be done in an office setting. Ask your surgeon to explain what he has in mind.

What was done at surgery is predominantly determined by the philosophy or strategy whether or not it was discussed frankly. The choice for using a lollipop or vertical mastopexy may be because your situation and goal fit the pattern and indications or it might be a choice because you or the surgeon was trying to avoid the alternative, a short scar or even inverted T/anchor type pattern and thus were more conservative in your approach. If it worked, then you would have avoid a permanent scar... more

When doing a lollipop incision, the hope is that less scarring is possible than the traditional anchor incision. However, often times with this procedure, it may become necessary to go back and remove some of the lower breast skin that appears to be in excess. I doubt your surgeon is planning on a full repeat lift, but rather, taking out some of this "inferior horozontal" skin. The lollipop technique is a good method of breast lift, but some patients do end up in need of this... more