Breast Lift for DDD Cup Breasts Possible?

Hi Vanessa,
A breast lift without reduction is unlikely to maintain its shape for the long-term. Given the sheer weight of your breasts, you would be prone to recurrent sagging. If you were willing to go smaller, a breast reduction could provide you with a nice breast shape and longer lasting results.
Hope this helps. Best of luck.

Certainly, these breasts can be lifted but at your size the probability for recurrent ptosis (sagging) is high as well. I would recommend that you consider a slight reduction if undergoing the breast lift.

If you are happy with your current volume, but simply want the volume back where it used to be, you may be an excellent candidate for a breast lift with auto-augmentation.
This is my primary method of breast lift in patients who do not require a breast implant.  This will provide natural results with suture resuspension of the breast tissue to the upper pole producing fullness/cleavage without tension on your skin.   This will minimize stretching of the skin longterm.  
Also, by avoiding the long horizontal scar, you will be able to show cleavage without visible scars and where swimsuits and bras that easily camouflage all your scars. 

This allows for a long lasting result because the breast tissue itself has been lifted, not just the surrounding skin.
I wish you a safe recovery and fabulous result!
Dr. Gill

Thank you for the question.

Yes,  It is very likely that you are a good candidate for breast lifting.  As a matter of fact, I do not think the use of implants ( if you had requested them)  would be a good idea at the same time that you are undergoing a very significant breast lift operation.

As you probably know,  breast reduction surgery (if you choose to downsize) does also create a “lift” of the breasts.  I tell all my patients that mastopexy (breast lifting) is not a permanent operation and that further surgery may be necessary in the future.

For patients planning on lifting surgery...it is very important to communicate your size goals with your surgeon.  In my practice, the use of photographs of “goal” pictures (and breasts that are too big or too small) is very helpful (and much more precise than discussing cup size).

I hope this helps.

Breast size does not preclude mastopexy but anyone who tells you that the results will be lasting would not be truthful. Gravity and the weight of the breasts will result in sagging again and you would also have surgical scarring. You could then have additional surgery but need to understand the implications in advance in order to make an intelligent personal and financial decision.

It is virtually impossible to give you a satisfying and long-term result without some type of breast reduction if you have a DDD bra.  The weight of your breasts at that has caused the sagging will still do so after the operation, and also affect the scars if some type of reduction is not performed. It is technically possible to do the uplift with a minimal reduction, but will not give you a good long-term result, and does not make sense.

A mastopexy with careful attention to shifting and anchoring your breast tissue superiorly on the chest wall will provide a nice lift. Even if no tissue is removed, your breast will seem somewhat smaller to you. As you recover and your tissues relax and the swelling goes down, some of the sagging will recur. However, you will always have an appearance better than before your surgery. If you also have a small reduction along with the breast lift, you will likely maintain a better lift over the long term.

The problem for you is not whether or not your breasts can be lifted--they can be. The problem is going to be recurrence. Not even plastic surgeons can fight the laws of gravity.
In Santa Barbara, I have had success with a vertical mastopexy with or without a small reduction i, even with large breasts. I always explain the following, however: The weight of the residual tissue will likely cause you to droop again over the next few years. It is likely that the operation can be performed again at that time, however you need to realize that this might be required. If your breasts are made smaller and lifted to a more pleasing position, it is less likely that you will need another operation in such a short time. Best of luck.

A breast lift for such large breasts with a cup size of DDD will probably not hold up to well for the long term. You may be better off with a reduction along with the lift.

Though nipple position can be independent of breast size, generally the larger the cup size the more droop or ptosis seen in the breast. We measure ptosis by the position of the nipple relative to the fold under the breast.
In a large breast such as a DDD cup the nipple is often below the fold, and when unsupported by a bra the nipple will tend to point toward the floor rather than front and center. Breast reduction without correction of the droop would be unthinkable and the lift is a very important part of the procedure for most and a great bonus in the reduction procedure.
Many patients are pleased with the current cup size though, or may be too large on just one side alone. Breast lift or mastopexy can correct the nipple position and lift the breast without a reduction in cup size if this is what is desired. The vertical or short scar pattern lift is quite stable over time and worth looking into.
Best of luck.