Breast reduction and lift

Many women are confused about what a breast reduction will do in terms of lifting the breast. Simply put, a breast reduction will reduce the size of the breast, consolidate and improve the shape of the breast, and lift the breast. On the other hand, a breast lift (or mastopexy) will lift the breast, improve... more

Breast reduction involves reducing the size of the breast. A breast lift involves lifting the nipple-areolar complex and reducing the excess skin of the breast. Breast reductions can involve just liposuction in patients who have more fatty tissue than glandular breast tissue. Liposuction alone indeed does... more

I have done at least 3000 breast reduction operations and only 3 times have I met a patient who needed a reduction but didn't need a lift. The lift is to move the nipple back above the crease and in virtually all patients with large breasts, the weight stretches the skin and causes the nipple to drift down... more

Most women who require a breast lift, have hanging or low breast tissue. In the process of removing the excess tissue, the nipple is lifted and the extra skin is removed. This lifts the breasts into a better, more natural position. In very rare cases, the removal of extra breast tissue may be done with... more

If you are considering a breast reduction procedure, the top 6 criteria in deciding what type of operation to perform are as follows: Position of the nipple relative to the bra crease Amount of skin redundancy Amount of volume excess Size of the areola Amount of lateral breast fullness Previous incisions... more

This is a good question. Basically, the breast reduction surgery and the breast lift surgery are the same. The only difference is that, with the reduction surgery, all the extra breast tissue is excised. Good luck with your surgery. David Shafer, MD Shafer Plastic Surgery Manhattan

The question is, do you want your breasts to be smaller? If so, then the reduction procedure will provide a lift as well. If you prefer to keep the volume of your breasts the same, then you may do a lift without removal of breast tissue. Good luck!

Breast reduction is a breast lift + removal of breast tissue. That is why insurance companies place a minimum amount to be removed during a breast reduction before they cover the cost of the surgery. They say that if only a minimal amount is removed, then you are having only a breast lift. So, the great thing... more

Thanks for your question - Breast reductions (with the exception of breast reductions done through liposuction which are very rarely performed) include a breast lift.  Techniques including the Wise pattern breast reduction (the anchor scar) and vertical scar (lollipop) techniques can all be very effective... more

Most of the time they are essentially the same thing, though the specific type of lift may be determined in part by how much of a reduction is done, and vice-versa. The minimal scar techniques often work better with smaller reductions and where there is less sagging. Occasionally, there is no sagging and only... more