Areolar Stretching After Breast Lift

This is a difficult problem and entails an element of risk in attempting to revise the surgery. A permanent suture may help to improve the result but it can cause other problems. Discuss the risks and benefits with your surgeon.

Some widening will be normal after surgery.  From the photos it looks like you have a "donut" Mastopexy.  Depending on multiple factors, (skin quality, incision tension,,etc) this procedure, while usually very effective, can sometimes have some drawbacks.  As you have been down this road a couple of times I would see a couple of board certified plastic surgeons as to you options.  It is hard to say anything without examining you.  It looks like you are going to need a more extensive lift to control the nipple placement and shape of the breasts.  This means more scars, but the trade off is usually better.

Thank you for the question and pictures.

I think the only reliable way to correct the issues at hand is to undergo a full mastopexy procedure.  This procedure will take some stress off the areola,  allow for decreasing the size of the areola with less risk of recurrence, help with some of the general breast ptosis and generally improve your results.

This may or may not necessitate downsizing of implants;  in may be possible to improve the superior pole fullness with the revisionary surgery.

This type of revisionary surgery does require some experience;  be careful with your plastic surgeon selection.

Best wishes.

It certainly looks like form your photo that you may have two problems: 1) spread areola, 2) breast ptosis. But you have to be careful because it looks like based upon your tan lines that the areola may be peaking out of your suit.

If the nipples are indeed high lowering them will produce more scarring above the areolae. If the nipples appear high due to bottoming out (gland has dropped), a vertical reduction may improve the location and reduce the areolar size by reducing skin tension.

Regarding: "I did the breastlift over a year ago, & I wasn't happy with the purse looking scars around the areola. Unfortunately the 2nd revision for the scar made me end up with deformed breasts. My areolas were always wider than normal, but the stretching made them look horrible. I cannot wear low cut because the scars will show.My areolas & scars are too high already. Is there any way to fix this to look normal again?"

I am truly sorry for your condition. However, unfortunately in many cases the patient is PARTLY to blame. Before you get upset with me, please allow me to explain.

The Internet, however beneficial is fraught with half-truths which unfortunately have given many the delusion that they truly understand all sides of a clinical decision and often pressure their Plastic surgeons to perform a "scarless" or "Mini" operation which in the best of circumstances gets mini- insignificant results or as in your case poor results.

Sagging breasts are, by definition, caused by excess breast skin. To get a decent result that skin needs to be removed. In addition, many women with sagging breasts have large areolas which need to be made smaller by removing the excess rim of tissue. Except for cases of minimal breast sagging in women with nearly normal areolas in which case an around the "nipple" areola (Benelli) lift can be done, the vast majority of women do NOT do well with such lifts. By only removing the loose skin around the areola, the nipple complex is not lifted a great distance but the tension pull on the periphery of the areolas causes ugly widened, star-burst scars and a flattening of the breast. This is clearly seen here. Every scar revision removes MORE tissue around the areola causing a cycle of less skin, more tension and ugly scarring.

The BEST way to fix this would be removing the excess areola skin and scarred skin and converting tis to a lollipop shaped scar. Unfortunately, you do not have excess skin which COULD be removed. The only way this could be done is to make your breasts smaller which would then allow a tension-less closure of the incision.

BE very careful with your next step and choose your surgeon carefully.

Dr. Peter Aldea

There really isn't any way to lower your areolas and reducing them to any significant degree will be difficult.  Further surgery might even make things worse.  Be careful.