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Lollipop Vs Benelli Lift for Sagging Breasts?

I have been advised that I have substantial breast sagging, (26 cm). 3 doctors I saw only recommended Lollipop whereas one surgeon told me I can have 5.5 cm lift with the Benelli Lift and no puckering or implant.

Is this realistic? I don't want the vertical scar but don't want a dodgy job. Is puckering permanent and is it better than a vertical scar?

Asked 33 months ago by Bel in London

Tags:

breasts sagging

Vertical lift or benelli

I have to agree with with most comments on this post. Ironically your scar will probably look much better with a vertical lift than with the benelli. A lift of 5.5 cm is asking a lot for a benelli. It will not only flatten the breast but most likely stretch the areola back to or larger than it's original size because of the tension around it. Furthermore, I find it difficult to shape the breast using that technique. There is more control with the vertical lift in... more

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Tiffany McCormack, MD

Reno Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

3 to 1 odds

Bel, I'll take three to one odds anyday. You already know the answer to your question. A periareolar lift procedure is generally reserved for lifts of around 2cm. It sounds like you will need the lollipop. Good luck!

Kenneth R. Francis, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Both procedures are good for sagging breasts

Both procedures are good, and no one can tell you what to do in your particular situation without actually examining you themselves. You understand the core issue of the debate: the Benelli lift has less scar, but it may not lift/tighten as much and the scar can be thicker or pucker. Without seeing you, it is impossible to know whether it would work for you. I'd say this: 5.5 in general sounds like a lot to expect out of a Benelli. And, in general, if your SN:N is 26 as you say, 5.5 is... more

Steven Teitelbaum, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS

Circumareolar Lift Vs. Lollipop Lift for Breast Sagging

You raise an excellent concern regarding breast lift options. Most patients would prefer to have minimal scarring (as would most plastic surgeons) with a breast lift. However, with a significant amount of lift necessary as in your case, there are limitations to the Benelli (Circumareolar) approach. While the Benelli approach can lift the nipple-areola, the larger the lift, the more likely that the circular scar wiill pucker, widen, stretch and flatten the breast (imagine... more

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Louis DeLuca, MD

Palm Beach Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

I find a lollipop lift or a anchor lift gives a better shaped breast with out puckering

In the end you want the best shaped breast with out puckering. In my hands this is best accomplished with a lollipop or anchor lift with or with out a sub mammary gel implant. Benelli Lifts are some what variable in most surgeons hands.

Carl W. "Rick" Lentz III, MD

Daytona Beach Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Lollipop vs Benelli Breast lift

A Benelli breast lift is a circumferential incision around the nipple where excess skin is removed and the skin is then 'purse-stringed' to tighten the breast skin. The result is frequently associated with possible significant scarring around the nipple and flattening of the breast. The lollipop or vertical breast reduction moves the nipple up to a higher position while tightening the inferior breast skin. I prefer this incision because it allows for shaping of the breast... more

Elizabeth S. Harris, MD

San Antonio Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Benelli ( Circumareolar lift) vs vertical.

If you have too much ptosis. The periareolar lift will flatten your breasts and give you a pancake look. You are better off with vertical lift. Remember, unfortunately there is always a direct relationship between the better shape of the breast and the amout of scars.

Farhad Rafizadeh, MD

Morristown Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Benelli lift is not very effective for moderate to severe breast sagging

Without the benefit of a photo, the degree of sagging you have would probably not be effectively treated with a Benelli lift. A vertical mastoexy will achieve a much better breast shape (less flattening) and a better looking areola over the long term. I'm a fan of the Benelli lift, but only use it for patients with mild breast sagging or patients that want an areolar reduction in conjunction with a breast augmentation.

Scott Sattler, MD

Bellevue Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Mastopexy surgery

When considering Breast lift (mastopexy) surgery, you have to know what the best and safest possible option is for your specific case. Depending on the severity and complexity of your case, you may be a better candidate for a "lollipop" incision which gives you a longer lasting result or the "donut" incision, also known as the benelli lift which gives you a lift but a limited one. I would recommend consulting with a board certified plastic surgeon to discuss which... more

Tom J. Pousti, MD

San Diego Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Candidates for a lollipop or Benelli Lift surgery

There are many different options for breast lift surgery in patients. In our practice, our first priority is to reestablish a useful and beautiful shape of the breast. Our next priority is to minimize the amount of scars on the breast and improve their overall quality. This may be performed in breast that require a small lift with an incision that only goes around the areola. If the patient requires a larger list or has excess skin or sagging, this scar may be accompanied by a... more

B. Pat Pazmino, MD

Miami Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Breast lift options

There are many different options for breast lift surgery. This can run the gamut from just a benellis lift or circumareola to a lollipop lift (vertical) or an inverted "T approach. The technique chosen really depends upon the laxity of the tissues and the extent of skin excess, and the nipple position. It also can depend upon whether or not you are having an implant. It would be difficult to tell you which technique you would need without examining you.

Steven Wallach, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Best type of Breast Lift - Lollipop vs Benelli scars

Dear Bel, Before answering your question, let us sort our terms and understand them. A LOLLIPOP Breast Lift (Mastopexy) describes 2 different types of lifts which are done through this scar pattern. Just as having the same identical door on a house does NOT mean the interiors are the same - neither does branding a lifted breast with the same pattern scar mean that the same lift technique was used. A Lollipop scar can be left when ONLY THE SKIN was shaped and tailored (associated with a... more

Peter A. Aldea, MD

Memphis Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Donut versus Lollipop Lift

Certainly you can undergo a breast lift with either technique. The Benelli lift tends to flatten the breast whereas the vertical or "lillipop" lift tends to cone the breast. Permanent puckering is possible but in most cases will resolve. The vertical scar tneds to be a fine line. I would review more photographs to be aware the of the benefits and disadvantages of each approach. see video

Otto Joseph Placik, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Do not do the periareolar lift!

It might work for a small lift, but even then sometimes the areola becomes misshaped. For 5.5 cm, don't even consider the Benelli. It will flatten your breast, and may end up with a widened areola. Consider what you really want to achieve - a breast lift with a natural perky shape. The Benelli flattens the breast, while the lollipop removes excess lower pole skin, thus really lifting the breast.

Michael A. Bogdan, MD

Dallas Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Benelli is not a powerful enough lift, especially without implants

If the 26cm you are referring to is the measurement down to your nipple, I would personally not recommend a benelli, probably even if you were having an implant. The benelli or peri-areolar lift relies on tightening the breast skin by pulling the purse-string suture tight around a smaller diameter areola. This invariabbly, if not just temporariliy, causes pleating or wrinkling. I would ask to see photos of patients who look like you now and what they look like after that procedure. If... more

Michael C. Edwards, MD

Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Look at the surgeons before and after pictures

My best advice is to look at your surgeon's (all of them) before and after pictures and try to find women who had breast like yours where they performed the procedures they are recommending. This will give you a reasonable idea of what to expect form the procedure.

W. Tracy Hankins, MD

Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon

It's all a trade-off of shape for scar

If you need a lift and don't need the extra volume of an implant, a Benelli mastopexy will be a totally inappropriate choice. All patients without implants who need a lift will need a true lift with a vertical scar and maybe also one in the crease depending on how much extra skin they have. A Benelli mastopexy, even with implants, in a patient who needs significant lifting will wind up with a flat baggy breast and a poor shape. It works for a minimal lift, but certainly not one of 5.5 cm!! more

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS

Seattle Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

You need the lollipop!

Hi! In Manhattan, we use both the Vertical (lollipop) breast lift and the Benelli Mastopexy, depending on the anatomy , the degree of sagging, and whether we are also using implants. But you need the lollipop approach. This is what will give you the right shape, and when women love the shape of their breasts, they accept the vertical scar very well. And the scars do fade. It's all about the shape. The lollipop gives you LONG TERM perky shape. The Benelli will give someone like you a flat... more