Breast Lift: Q&A

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What Type of Breast Lift Do I Need? (photo)

I want to do a lift but was recently taken aback on consult because the doctor suggested a lift with implants. At my heaviest I can go up to a 38G cup (what I am now) and when I get to my steady weight of 150-160, I'm about a 36DDD. All my life, I've felt that I had these huge breasts but no nice cleavage. They are very separate and hang. So I've never worn any plunge necklines or showed them off too much. what work do I need that will give me the upper pole fullness I want?

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23 Doctor Answers | Asked by miamimom in miami, florida

Doctor Answers (23)
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Breast Lift

You seem to have lots of your own breast tissue. From what you have said, it sounds like you need a lift with a possible reduction. The best place to start is a consult with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, certified by The American Society of Plastic Surgery (ASPS).

Robert E. Zaworski, MD

4 reviews

Atlanta Plastic Surgeon

Breast lift with implants

Thanks for your question. An aggresive lift to improve your shape and position would be my priorities. I would reccomend you do a full lift and then consider adding an implant several months later when everything has healed and you will also have a better idea of the size of implant you may desire. Good luck

What Type of Breast Lift Do I Need?

Whenever I have a patient come in with your anatomy, I find I get the absolute best results by doing a full Wise (anchor scar pattern) breast lift. More often than not that is all that is needed. But sometimes after the lift heals, the patient will choose to have a breast implant for added volume. In years past I often did the two procedures at the same time, but, like many other surgeons, have now stopped doing augments at the time of the lift unless the implants are quite small. This is... more

What Type of Breast Lift Do I Need?

The photo demonstrates a need for a full inverted/anchor lifting with areolar reduction as the first stage in your breast operative journey. If after 3 months you desire a more full breast than consider operation Stage II as implantation. This is my opinion based upon the very limited information and one posted photo.

Breast lift

Thank you for the question and the photo. You look like you could benefit from a vertical lift ( lollipop ) incision which reduces the size of the areola, and the skin envelope of the breast. If you want to maintain the volume of your breasts the lower breast tissue can be maneuvered up into the superior breast to give you upper pole fullness. Another way of achieving upper pole fullness is using an implant. In order to have a long lasting perky result the breast volume would need to be... more

Upper pole fullness

Thank you fore your question. I will agree with the plastic surgeon who suggested you need an implant to achieve upper pole fullness. Looking at your photos, you have grade III ptosis and wide nipple areola complex. The appropriate lift in this case an achor lift. This would reduce the size of the nipple areola complex and lift it to appropriate position. It will also remove the excess skin. All this will give you a lifted breast, but no upper pole fullness. Adding the implant will achieve... more

Lifts that look like augmentations

Can be accomplished through different techniques. If you are really droopy and have experienced a marked weight loss, a Rubin mastopexy should provide you the result you desire. If you do not desire something as extensive, an autoaugmentation mastopexy using a vertical incision should provide a satisfactory outcome, producing a little less fullness in the upper poles but still repositioning your native breast tissue to give you upper pole fullness. Discuss these techniques... more

Curtis Wong, MD

7 reviews

Redding Plastic Surgeon

Lift augmentation

Based on your picture i would say your doctor is probably right, you also need an areolar reduction along with the lift and implants to achieve the nice perky breasts with upper pole fullness that you are looking for. a breast lift/reduction alone will not be enough to completely fill the upper poles but it might give you an acceptable result. please discuss with your surgeon the option of having a staged procedure where you start with a lift and see if you like it and follow with... more

Best Type of Breast Lift for Me?

Thank you for the question and picture. I think you will be best off undergoing a full breast lift/reduction procedure, to be followed several months later by breast augmentation to achieve your goals. The first operation would involve the traditional “anchor” breast lift ( tightening of the breast skin/tissue envelope); the second operation will involve the use of breast implants to achieve fullness ( Including upper pole) that you are seeking. I would suggest... more

Ultimate Breast Lift= no vertical scar and no implants

Dear Miamimom, I know what you mean. Why on earth would you want an implant when you have plenty of breast tissue? In the past women like yourself had very limited choices. There is a new technique called the Ultimate Breast Lift which reshapes and lifts the breast providing upper pole fullness without the need of an implant. An internal bra is fashioned using excess skin. Then, your newly shaped breast is lifted and secured on your chest... more

Tough Breats

You are well endowed with sagging. You are perhaps the hardest breast patient we operate on. You would need a standard lift and probably a little reduction. I doubt you will be able to achieve the upper pole fulness you want. I would seek out several different opinions. I would also use some internal supporting sutures to help hold things up.

Robert Kearney, MD, FACS

6 reviews

La Jolla Plastic Surgeon

Breast lift for large breasts

I would recomment a vertical breast lift with mesh support You may want to consider some reduction as well

TYPE OF LIFT

Your bra size will do down slightly with a lift even though just skin is removed. The trade off is size for upper pole fullness. You can decrease size somewhat or even more with a reduction.

Michael Hueneke, MD

6 reviews

Nashville Plastic Surgeon

Breast Reduction with Implants sometimes needed

The best answer would require a physical exam or at least photos from different angles. In most women from the photo you have shown, you have the usual finding of too much breast tissue below your crease that will need to be reduced while at the same time probably have too little breast tissue on top. This is why an exam is needed. Doing a "pinch test" can determine if you have enough fullness on top or else will need a small implant or fat transfer procedure; Not so much to make you bigger... more

Wise-pattern (anchor-scar) breast lift

Based on this one photo you definitely should have a Wise-pattern (anchor-scar) mastopexy-small reduction procedure first. This would make you more perky and you would fell less huge. Certainly your areolas would be reduced. At three months or later after mastopexy, you may very well find you want more upper pole fullness at which time a breast augmentation would need to be done. Although in most cases I perform mastopexy and breast augmentation together, in cases... more

Breast lift only?

If you have a reasonable amount of tissue, and it seems that you may, you may want to consider only a breast lift. Good luck.

Steven Wallach, MD

12 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Best approach to breast lift

With the degree of sag that you have experienced, you likely would need a wise pattern lift. I ask patients if it is the size of their breasts, the position of them, or both that troubles them. If you are satisfied with your volume, you would not need an implant unless you wish to add upper pole fullness.

Is a breast lift and augmentation needed?

Ironically, my recommendation would be a small reduction with implant placement. The reduction would be needed to take some of the hanging tissue away from the bottom of the natural breast so that it does not hang after surgery. The lift aspect of the reduction will put your areolae "over" the breast implants that gives a pleasing aesthetic look. The breast implants are needed in your case to give upper breast fullness as a reduction/lift will push your native... more

Recommended Breast Lift Method for Large, Sagging Breasts

You are correct to be confused. Simply put, Breast Lift is intended to lift and make breasts perky again while Breast Augmentation is intended to increase breast size. In cases where the woman desires BOTH an increase in breast volume and a lift a combination Breast Augmentation-Lift may be done. In your cases, you have large sagging, asymmetric breasts with large areolae. A Formal breast lift could reduce the size of the areolae, remove the excess breast skin and lift the breasts... more

What type of Breast Lift?

Thank you for the picture. Highly experienced plastic surgeons can obtain good results for you with a variety of techniques. It looks like you have a good amount of your own breast structure, so you probably can avoid implants unless you desire a great degree of fullness in the upper portion of the breasts. For patients with an appearance similar to yours, my personal approach is to employ a variation of a vertical lift technique that involves internal anchoring of... more

How to improve my breasts? (photo)

My preference is against implants (and their attendant problems) for a woman so well endowed, but long term "upper pole fullness" will not be achieved. Nature doesn't like reversing high surface to volume ratio to high volume to surface ratio, and will react distastefully. If you're desperate for upper pole fullness, the two stage approach suggested by another responder may work. A reduction-lift will improve your situation if skillfully planned and masterfully executed. more

Implants Not Necessary with Lift if your Breasts are Already Large

I would definitely recommend against using implants in your situation. A lift will give you nice perky breasts and if a vertical scar technique is used, the inferior portion of your breast can be used to autoaugment for superior pole fullness.

What Type of Breast Lift Do I Need?

It certainly appears that you have enough breast tissue to fashion a lifted breast without the need for implants. A full anchor lift will be best to manage the skin excess and to raise the nipples and areolas to an appropriate level. All the best.