38DD look great in bra/clothing. Would I look the same in bra/clothing with breast lift?

Yes, you will look as you do currently in a bra, with surgery afterwards.  I recommend an in-office examination as well as a detailed discussion with a surgeon who you are comfortable with and who is a board-certified Plastic Surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

Best wishes!

Dr. DesaiHarvard Educated, Beverly Hills & Miami Beach Trained, Double-Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

Agreed, a breast lift (mastopexy) involves moving the nipple to a higher location and shaping of the breast; though to some degree some  a small amount of skin and tissue may be removed during the process, it is not considered a breast weight reducing procedure...

Excellent question.  It all depends on the degree of sag, the quality of your breast tissue, and how padded your bra is.  If you are happy with the size of your breast without a bra on, have reasonable firmness of your breast tissue, and  just want perkier breasts - you will love the look in a bra afterwards - and you could wear flimsier bras without support.You will look better without clothes on after the scars have faded.  You will have the appearance of being smaller because your breasts will not look as long - thus as big.  The volume will not change..Discuss with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon for an in office evaluation.

A mastopexy or breast lift operation is designed to improve the shape and position of the breast without reducing their size. It is used for breasts which sag or droop (ptosis). Sagging of the breasts may occur with normal development for some women, or as part of the aging process. Pregnancy, breast-feeding and weight loss are other conditions which increase breast ptosis. Some patients will have a better shape to their breast such as increased superior fullness if an implant is used at the time of mastopexy. The procedure can also be combined with a minor breast reduction to reduce the breast width if desired. The surgery will create an elevated, more youthful breast contour. Also, the procedure will create nipple and areolae of the desired size and at the correct height. 

Hello and thank you for your question. A breast lift can help improve the shape and perkiness of breasts in the right patient.  Make sure you
specifically look at before and after pictures of real patients who have
had this surgery performed by your surgeon and evaluate their results.  The
most important aspect is to find a surgeon you are comfortable with. I
recommend that you seek consultation with a qualified board-certified plastic
surgeon who can evaluate you in person.
Best wishes and good luck.
Richard G. Reish, M.D.
Harvard-trained plastic surgeon

Whenever a breast lift is done on 38DD, we resect (remove) a portion of mammary tissue to give shape to the breast and at the same time, they will have a little less weight, That way we get a breast cup 38D with nice shape and well raised that last a very long time.

Bra size is a funny thing.  Cup sizing can vary tremendously by manufacturer and has no direct correlation to the actual size/zolume of breast tissue.  In fact, patients with breast ptosis (sagging) often wear oversized bras to accommodate the extra skin.  It is common to need a smaller bra after a mastopexy even if no breast tissue was removed because the breast tissue is elevated to a more youthful position and the skin envelope tightened.  You should look just as good if not better in clothing after surgery but your cup size may go down to match the actual size of your breasts.  3D imaging which is available in many plastic surgeon's offices can help you get an idea of what you would look like! Good luck.

In a bra you will likely not look much different. Maybe a bit smaller with the lift as some tissue may need to be removed to produce an appropriate shape and lift.

The classic teaching in mastopexy or breast lift surgery is that even though no reduction of tissue is performed, there is a half or full cup size reduction in bras depending on manufacturer. Hope this helps and I wish you the best with your surgery.

Thank you for your question.  I would expect that you would look as good in clothing or a bra after a breast lift if you have a large amount of breast tissue.  The process of breast lift should concentrate the breast glandular tissue in a smaller envelope which should give you more fullness and firmness.  Please see an experienced board certified plastic surgeon.