Breast lift alternatives - Is a natural look achievable with just a dual plane technique? (photos)

I recommend an in person consultation with a plastic surgeon to discuss your goals and be measured. After I measure and discuss goals with my patients, we then look at pictures of women (my patients) with similar measurements with different size and style breast implants. They then get to choose what looks right for them. They also get to see what they would look like when the breasts have fully dropped and fluffed and in clothes. You get to see actual results and the surgeon's experience and not a virtual idea of what can be achieved. Women tell me that this process is very helpful in determining what size and style breast implant is right for them. Mildly Sagging Breasts: If your breasts are mildly droopy, a saline or silicone gel implant placed behind the pectoral muscle might help create the illusion of perkiness. That’s because as the implant fills out the top of the breast, it also fills out the bottom, making it look as if the nipple has moved higher. It hasn’t. You can always get a lift later if you feel you are not perky enough when fully settled and healed. Dr. Ted Eisenberg, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and Author. RealSelf Distinguished Hall of Fame Inductee. Philadelphia, Pa., USA

Hi, thank you for sharing your question. The ability of a dual plane technique to help avoid external breast lift scars will depend on how much nipple descent exists. 1-2cm can be corrected without a breast lift. I hope this helps.

Based on your photos, you absolutely will need a lift to get the adequate and correct outcome you are seeking. I would recommend seeing a board-certified or board-eligible plastic surgeon with aesthetic surgery training and experience to tackle this type of problem in a safe and efficient manner. Best of luck!

Thank you for your question. A strong argument could definitely be made that you do not need a breast lift as your nipple location is at the IMF. Either a dual plane approach, or placing the implant above the muscle with the addition of some fat grafting should achieve what you were looking for. I will caution you, that your breasts are asymmetric, and your left nipple is noticeably lower than your right. This can be treated solely with a peri- areolar mastopexy which camouflages the scar well. Good luck

It appears you’d best benefit from a lift. If you don’t, you’ll risk getting a waterfall deformity (breast tissue sits below the level of the implant).

One “workaround” in your circumstance would be to use oversized implants, possibly a classic dual plane. But understand that this will leave you with large, low positioned breasts. Also they’d likely be much larger than you like.

Plastic surgery is often a trade-off between scars and shape/form.

Hope this helps, good luck.

You would have the best cosmetic outcome with a breast augmentation with lift. Based on your photographs, you do have sagging of the breasts, so with augmentation alone, the nipples would be too low on the implants. Whether that bothers you enough to avoid the breast lift scars is a personal decision. I would recommend consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon for a thorough examination and to discuss expectations of breast augmentation with or without a lift.

Your breasts are too ptotic for a dual plane surgery; too much skin. It's ok. You'll get lovely and attractive breasts with the lift and the scars are very unlikely going to be noticeable.

The technique I recommend is The Bellesoma Method. This will reshape your breast tissue creating upper pole fullness without implants, elevate them higher on the chest wall and more medial to increase your cleavage. Vertical scars are avoided, nipple sensation (in 95%) and the ability to breast feed are maintained. Later, fat transfers or small implants can be placed if additional volume is desired.

Best Wishes,

Gary Horndeski, M.D.

Your nipples are low but still slightly above your breast fold. I have done the dual plane operation on many cases like yours and been able to achieve a nice result each time. Just like the example you provided, it is not super perky, but a nice result without the cost or scars of a lift. Good luck.

A breast augmentation alone can be done in your case with a dual plane technique and without a lift. The implant would be placed low against your inframmammary fold to avoid a Snoopy deformity postop.