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Which Kind of Breast Lift and Implant Size is Right for Me?

asked 1 year ago by Momof3littlemonkeys
Latest answer by Tom J. Pousti, MD
Question viewed 1,276 times
Tags: 130-149 lbs, 5 ft 8 in to 6 ft 0 in, 450-499cc, mastopexy, options

I'm 5'9", 135 lbs and have had (and breastfed) 3 children. I would love to have a breast lift and augmentation without the vertical scarring but am not sure if this is right for me. Do I need a full mastopexy with an anchor incision or can I get away with a Benelli lift with an implant and achieve a great result. I am planning to get a 492cc saline implant with moderate profile. I am also wondering whether that size implant would look good on me w/o being too big that it makes me look heavy.

22 answers to Which Kind of Breast Lift and Implant Size is Right for Me?

Breast Augmentation with Lift

From your pictures, you would be a great candidate for an augmentation mastopexy. I always tell my patients that a circumareolar lift will provide a modest lift in the breast with a good aesthetic outcome. A true mastopexy with a vertical scar will always provide a better and longer lasting result, of course with the disadvantage of the added scars. I recommend a full examination by a plastic surgeon to determine your best options.

Frank Agullo, MD
El Paso Plastic Surgeon

www.elpasoplasticsurgery.com

"Getting by " doesn't lead to "great results" in augmentation mastopexy

Compromises don't lead to great results in any cosmetic surgery procedures. You don't have an easy starting point and need a wide implant to fill in the gap you have in the middle. The breasts also need a lift. You can try a periareolar lift and see if you are happy . You won't get a great shape from it though but there will be less scars. You can always convert to a full lift later from the periareolar.

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Breast augmentation/lifting

Based on your pictures I think you will achieve the most predictable results with a vertical mastopexy. You do not need a full mastopexy and a “doughnut mastopexy” may not achieve your goals and has predictable downsides. The more breast surgery I do the more I realize that there is no correlation between the size of implant and resulting cup size. This may have to do with several factors including: the amount of breast volume the patient starts... more

Tom J. Pousti, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

www.poustiplasticsurgery.com

I question whether you need any lift procedure at all.

You certainly do not need a full mastopexy with a resultant anchor scar pattern. I even question weather you need any mastopexy at all. I say this because it appears that your nipple is on line with the impression the bottom of your Bra strap has made on your chest. This impression is just barely visible in the photo. But if this is so it would indicate that the nipple is at least on line with if not ever so slightly above the fold beneath the breast{the inframammary fold}. When the... more

David A. Ross, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

www.thecosmeticsurgeryinstitute.com

Augmentation-mastopexy needs to be tailored to each individual

From the look of your breasts in the photos, and the size of implant that you have chosen,I believe that you have one of two choices. The first would be an augmentation with a circumareolar lift. This will give you a good result most likely, and avoids an incision on the front of the breast. However, the circumareolar lift is limited and cannot correct major breast skin laxity in the horizontal plane. In order to do so, you may require having a vertical lift in combination with your... more

Kevin Brenner, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Breast implants and breast lift, mastopexy

A breast uplift just on top of the areola is what I combine my breast enlargement procedures with in someone who has had children like you have. I also notice that one breast is lower than the other. I would take more skin off that side to equalize the position of the nipples. This type of uplift will not reshape your breasts but it will also not give you the longer and sometimes bad scars. You should still maintain sensation. I then place the implant through this cut. I recommend... more

Edward J. Domanskis, MD
Orange County Plastic Surgeon

Implants with or with a lift.

Women often ask whether a lift is necessary if they are having implants placed. In many cases the decision is obvious. In your case, it is difficult to tell without measurements, however some inferences may be made from your photos. You have mild ptosis of the nipples in comparison to the breast fold. Your breasts are fairly far apart on your chest wall. With a 492cc implant it is very unlikely that you would need a vertical scar type mastopexy. As for implant choice, I would recommend a... more

David Bogue, MD
Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon

Augmentation mammaplasty

You may do well with just a circumareolar lift but this type of lift always flattens the breast a little. I've heard it described as making an Egyptian pyramid into an Aztec pyramid in that it blunts the tip. I think all augmentations with periareolar lifts have a "certain look to them". I would make sure your surgeon shows you some examples of his/her work and before going with the lesser lift, make sure you like the "certain look". ... more

Lisa L. Sowder, MD
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Lift and Enlarge Your Breasts at the same time.

While I would love to know your exact measurements, I have reviewed your photos and can make some suggestions. I encourage you to discuss your options with your Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and member of ASAPS. Mastopexy Augmentation is challenging and rewarding surgery. Your areola are at the bottom of the breasts and the nipple appears to be 2 cm below the inframammary fold or crease. Simply placing an implant in saggy breasts results in large... more

Grant Stevens, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Breast implants with or without a breast lift

Based on your photos, you may actually be able to have just breast implants and not require a lift. This is difficult to say based only on your photos however since you do not want the vertical scar required in most mastopexies, I feel that an implant alone (especially one that is 492cc) is all that you will need. I would approach your case by placing the implants with no lift. Then, six to nine months later if you really felt you needed or wanted the lift, you could do a... more

William Bruno, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Breast lift with augmentation?

Since you are planning an implant around 500cc, you may want to discuss with your surgeon the possibility of staging the procedures: First the augmentation, and then if needed, the breast lift. Based on your skin quality and desired look, it may be possible that the implant will fill out your breast so that no lift (or only a small lift) is needed.

Karol A. Gutowski, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Breast Lift with Augmentation

I would recommend a peri-areolar mastopexy with augmentation. I find this technique to work very well in mild breast lifts. If too aggressive a lift is attempted, scar and areola widening will indeed occur. You appear to only require a 1-2 cm lift with correction of your areola symmetry. Implant choice is guided by your chest wall measurements and desired cup size. A consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon will help determine the right implant... more

Paul S. Gill, MD
Houston Plastic Surgeon

www.drpaulgill.com

Try on different implant sizes.

The best way to figure out the right lift and implant size is in person during a personal consultation. You can then try on different implant sizes to see which you feel most comfortable with. During the consultation, the surgeon will take various measurements to help with the evaluation.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Breast augmentation together with breast lift

Without knowing the exact measurements I cannot say how much a lift would add to the result. From the photos it is evident that the left nipple is further from the midline and slightly lower than the right and that the left breast base width is wider than the right. This asymmetry may be magnified if you just do breast augmentation alone. The good thing is that shifting the nipples for symmetry and any small amount of lifting that would be required would not require an anchor incision no... more

Aaron Stone, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

You must accept that this is much more involved than a simple augmentation!

Augmentation Mastopexy is a difficult procedure. Results, while usually meeting patient expectations are often not as good objectively as first time augment ion results. Risks even in experienced hands are significant. In inexperienced hands the risks in my opinion are unacceptable. The exact procedure will vary from surgeon to surgeon based on their experiences and comfort level. My advice is to find a Board certified Plastic Surgeon that you are comfortable with ans ask a lot of questions. more

Thomas R. Walek, MD
Providence Plastic Surgeon

To lift or not to lift?

I am not a fan of circumareolar "lifts". They flatten the breast shape, often stretch the areola and create n oval or irrgular areolar shape. The dissatisfaction rate is high and revisions far too frequent in my experience. The implant volume you want is large enough that you might be happy with augmentations alone. Augmentations and lifts are usually done at the same time because patients want only one surgery for both financial and recovery... more

Lori H. Saltz, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

I would recommend augmentation only

You have uneven breast and grade II ptosis. I would recommend augmentation only and if needed the lift can be done in a separate surgery. Most patients do not like the idea of two surgeries but that would be the safest and most predictable. Circumaerolar lift has less scaring but gives a flat nipple-aerial complex and also widens aerial later on.

Kamran Khoobehi, MD
New Orleans Plastic Surgeon

Breast Augmentation and Lift

You may be a good candidate for a breast augmentation (my preference is a dual plane technique) and a simultaneous periareolar mastopexy ( a breast lift that is performed with only a scar hidden / camouflaged along your areolar border).

C. Bob Basu, MD
Houston Plastic Surgeon

What kind of a lift do I need

I would agree that you would be a good candidate for a breast augmentation and a peri-areolar mastopexy which would leave you with a scar around the areola. Dr Edwards

Michael C. Edwards, MD
Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon

www.medwardsmd.com

A circumareolar lift may be sufficient

Your photos seem to show taht youru degree of ptosis (droopiness) is not severe as your nipples are just at or slightly below the lower fold (grade 1- 2 ptosis on a scale of 3). The success of a scar limited to just around the areola depends on teh degree of ptosis and the degree of lift that you are hoping to accomplish. Your surgeon will be able to judge which lift approach is best when examining you, but it may be best to consider a possible vertical or "lollipop"... more

David J. Levens, MD
Coral Springs Plastic Surgeon

Breast augmentation with lift

First of all, I would NOT recommend a Binelli lift. I have a vast experience with Binelli lifts and when I was in training, we even did research on the complications of doing a Binelli lift with augmentation, especially implants over 400 ccs. The research showed an almost a 50 percent revision rate. Basically the tension of the implant is too much and it causes areolar widening and spreading which is very difficult to correct. The circumvertical and full "anchor"... more