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How Much Cup Size Do You Lose with a Breast Lift?

asked 10 months ago by jennchap in San Jose, CA
Latest answer by Tom J. Pousti, MD
Question viewed 1,214 times
Tags: volume loss, weight loss, DDD to D cup, loose skin

I did a tummy tuck after losing 100 pds and am now wanting to lift my breasts. I was a 40E before and always had larger breast even before becoming over weight. I am currently a 32DDD but very very saggy & gave a lot of stretch marks on my yapper breast. I do not want to be under a D as I don't have a tiny frame. I am on the fence with implants. How much size do you typically lose with a lift? can upper volume be restored with a lift alone when the skin has been stretched from weight issues?

22 answers to How Much Cup Size Do You Lose with a Breast Lift?

Breast lift and cup size

Hello, A breast augmentation is designed to add volume to the breast while a breast lift is designed to allow shaping of the breast. In theory, little to no volume should be lost when a breast lift is performed. Each plastic surgeon performs their breast lift procedure a little different so ask plenty of questions and ask to see before and after photos of patients that have a similar body and breast shape as you do before surgery. All the best, Dr Remus Repta more

Remus Repta, MD
Phoenix Plastic Surgeon

www.aaaplasticsurgery.com

The tighter the lift, the more your cup size goes down. Need implants.

It sounds like you are thinking the right thoughts. Don't believe a plastic surgeon who says he can restore your upper pole fullness using a lift without implants. If you want upper pole fullness, you need implants (breast tissue is too malleable to stay perky). Period. But you also need an aggressive lift using the vertical technique and greatly reducing the amount of tissue in the lower poles. A lift alone reduces your cup size; if it does not, then it... more

Eric Swanson MD
Leawood Plastic Surgeon

www.swansoncenter.com

Breast lift and change in cup size

During breast uplift surgery you do not loose any volume. Your breasts are going to be the same size/cup as before and you do not need to change your bra size. The advantage is that you do not need to wear any supportive bra to look good with or without putting your cloths on.

Fereydoon S. Mahjouri, MD
Minneapolis Plastic Surgeon

Breast lift and cup size

In a Mastopexy your size remains the same. If some reduction (in order not to leave you looking boxy) is needed you may lose a bit of volume. Both ways your top (upper pole) will look empty. That's why an implant or a fat transfer is what is often needed. Lifting is easy. Making you look perky, not just lifted is hard. A board certified plastic surgeon, not just any cosmetic surgeon, may be the one to see. What you are asking for is easy but the artistry and experience of the surgeon... more

Ayman Hakki, MD
Washington Plastic Surgeon

Breast Lifts Do Not Reduce The Size Of The Breasts

In theory, one should not lose any breast volume with a lift as no breast tissue is removed. Only skin is removed and tightened and the nipple moved upward in a breast lift. But there is often a perception that the breast does seem smaller as the surface area of the total breast is reduced through the skin removal. What most women expect from a breast lift is to have not only an uplifted breast but one with more upper pole fullness as well. While this most certainly occurs early after a... more

Barry L. Eppley, MD, DMD
Indianapolis Plastic Surgeon

Breast volume loss after breast lift? NO!

Your breasts have excess skin containing a decreased volume of tissue. (Congratulations on the weight loss!) Thus, a breast lift is designed to create a new skin brassiere, tailoring the skin to contain the same volume in a tighter, higher, and perkier package! I routinely weigh the skin I remove during the course of breast lift (mastopexy) surgery, and even for breasts larger than yours (and assuming the patient wants to retain the same volume breast in a less-saggy skin... more

Richard H. Tholen, MD, FACS
Minneapolis Plastic Surgeon

www.mpsmn.com

Breast lift does not reduce your breast size

A breast lif simply reshapes your breasts. It does not remove any breast tissue and thus you will not loose any breast volume. Looking at your pictures I don't think you need implants, only a good vertical lift to reshape and reposition your breast tissues. Once completed you will look perkier, fuller, and more youthful. Sincerely, Martin Jugenburg, MD

Martin Jugenburg, MD
Toronto Plastic Surgeon

www.torontosurgery.ca

Breast lift does not make the breasts any smaller.

Hi. You need a good vertical (internal) breast lift..You don't have to go smaller, but I would recommend a slight reduction at the same time. The vertical technique will give you fullness in the upper breasts. Avoid implants. see video

George J. Beraka, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Cup size change with breast lift?

Congratulations on your weight loss. It is hard to promise or predict final cup size after breast surgery. With breast lifting, even though no breast tissue is removed, the breast shape and position are changed. This change in position and shape may result in a different cup size or a different level of filling the cup of a bra. For example, a breast that sits lower on the chest wall may require a larger cup size bra than the same volume breast sitting higher on the... more

Tom J. Pousti, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

Mastopexy and decrease in size with surgery

Technically if you're doing a mastopexy you not lose any size and breast. If you taken away breast tissue you're really doing a breast reduction. There are many different ways to do breast lifts and breast reductions. They all have their own advantages and disadvantages. The procedure that I use for both breast lift and breast reduction is a short scar central medical procedure. This means I use a lollipop like scar with no horizontal scar and and preserve the shape of the breast... more

Wendell Perry, MD
Miami Plastic Surgeon

www.wperrymd.com

Change in breast size after lift?

Breast lift does not change the size of the breast, just the shape of the breast. I really like the vertical lift and I think it makes the breast look just a little bit larger. Also, if the areola is large (like it is in many saggy ladies), reducing its size can make the breast look larger. Also, a lift will often soften the appearance of stretch marks. From your photos, you look like you are a great candidate for a vertical lift.

Lisa L. Sowder, MD
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

www.sowdermd.com

Breast lift surgery - keeping up the volume

There are different ways of achieving a breast lift. A breast lift by itself without placement of an implant will decrease your breast volume. Although it is hard to determine how much your breast will decrease in size, according to my experience, there will be about a 2 - 3 cup size change. This is why many patients opt to have a breast lift with augmentation at the same time to restore the volume of the breast. By placing an implant, your breast volume will be restored and the lift will... more

Wilberto Cortes, MD
Houston Plastic Surgeon

Mastopexy and size reduction

You certainly provoked a lot of comments with your question. You are asking a lot from a mastopexy given the size and volume of your breasts. Consider a small reduction along with the mastopexy and a year later if you feel you want further upper pole fullness it would be relatively simple to put in a small to moderate size implant. Chances are you will not feel the need for that and simplify your life avoiding the implant.

Sherwood Baxt, MD
New Jersey Plastic Surgeon

How Much Cup Size Do You Lose with a Breast Lift?

Thanks for the posted frontal photo, it helps all of us. You do not HAVE to loss any volume or at least you can if you want a decrease in size. See in person boarded PSSs in your area.

Darryl J. Blinski, MD
Miami Plastic Surgeon

Breast lift and breast size

Dear Jenn, In most cases patient don't loose volume or size with a breast lift. Given what you have said, I don't believe you will have to have breast implants to have reasonable upper pole fullness. Your present breast tissue can be supported higher on the chest with a layer of deep sutures. This may not give you as much fullness in the upper pole as an implant, but the upper park of your breast will be improved without the added risk/weight of an... more

Vincent D. Lepore, MD
San Jose Plastic Surgeon

www.vincentleporemd.com

Breast lift with implants or without?

I think that you are asking 2 questions that need to be answered separately - do you want to decrease the size of your breasts to a D, or would you rather stay at about a DDD cup size? Would you be opposed to being bigger? A mastopexy or breast lift alone will not decrease your cup size by that much unless you also have breast tissue removed. The other question to address is how important upper pole or upper breast fullness is to you. Without an implant, the... more

Michelle Spring, MD
Marina Del Rey Plastic Surgeon

Breast lift does not have to make your breasts smaller

Thank you for the photo. As you can see from the previous answers, there are two camps. Surgoens who suggest a vertical lift (I'm in this group) and surgeons who suggest the traditional wise pattern or inverted "T" incision. Both give you very good results and each surgeon will do the procedure they learned best and feel comfortable with. In my opinion, the vertical lift allows the surgeon to make the breast any size you want, give you a better shape, more projection and better... more

George Marosan, MD
Bellevue Plastic Surgeon

www.bellevueplasticsurgeons.com

Breast lift

If you have undergone a lot of weight loss, I would not do a vertical lift because you will most likely have too much redundant skin. You are probably better off with a "T" closure. You can keep most of the tissue and tighten the envelope as well. An exam would be key.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Using the "Ultimate Lift" you may increase your cup size

Hi Jenn, Judging from your picture you would be a great candidate for a new procedure. Because I am able to lift your breasts as high as possible and keep them there, most of my patients with your dementions actually go up in size. It seems the perkier you are the larger you seem. Very much like the concept of a push up bra. Yes, my collegues are correct! You should not loose cup size with just a lift, but if you desire upper pole fullness along with a perkier breast... research... more

Gary M. Horndeski, MD
Houston Plastic Surgeon

www.horndeski.com

Breast lift and cup size

You look to have enough tissue to sculpt a nice breast lift and be at least a D. The cup size can't be guaranteed though. But the excellent shape that can be done by a skilled surgeon can actually make you look larger. I completely agree with Dr. Tholen that even though you might want to hear that you are a great vertical lift candidate I would recommend a full T lift for the best shape with the substantial excess skin you have.

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

How Much Breast Size Do You Lose with a Breast Lift?

Dear jennchap, During a breast lift, your breasts are reshaped without removing any breast tissue, so your breasts will remain the same size. They will also be perkier, more shapely, and more youthful appearing. Warmest wishes, Larry Fan, MD

Larry Fan, MD
San Francisco Plastic Surgeon

How much breast size do you lose with a lift?

You do not lose any breast size with a breast lift. It is a skin removal procedure, and not even the full thickness of the excess skin, but the outer epithelial layer only.