Will a Breast Lift Drastically Change my Cup Size?

Sometimes a woman will use a larger bra size to corral extras skin if the breasts are significantly saggy. After mastopexy even though there's not been substantial loss of breast volume smaller cup might be a better fit.

     In general, the breast lift will not reduce the breasts by any significant amount.  Whatever cup size you have before you will have after.  However, I will say that in some patients with a very loose skin envelope and alot of ptosis, the breast mass is frequently much less than one might expect.  You can always get another opinion about size.  Find the plastic surgeon with ELITE credentials who performs hundreds of breast lifts each year.  Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

Breast lift surgery is intended to affect the positioning and firmness of the breasts, not their size. Although the removal of excess skin that occurs during a breast lift can slightly reduce breast volume, this difference is typically minimal. For patients who wish to either increase or decrease the size of their breasts in addition to their breast lift, the procedure can be combined with either breast augmentation or breast reduction. When performed by an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon, combining cosmetic breast procedures can help reduce recovery time and costs, and help patients achieve more comprehensive aesthetic results.

One of the most difficult predictions we make in breast surgery is post operative bra sizes. Unfortunately there is no standard sizing that bra manufacturers adhere to. 

Breast lifts remove skin, tighten the breast envelope but do not remove large amounts of tissue.  Bras may fit differently after surgery, bu not to the extent that one would expect a change from a DD to a B cup with the same bra manufacturer.

Without photos to review, it is difficult to make an accurate prediction. I recommend looking into a second opinion to put your concerns to rest.

Thank you for the question.

Generally speaking, discussing breast cup size can be a significant source of miscommunication. In my experience,  breast lifting will change the position of the breasts on the chest wall;  even though no breast tissue is removed,  this change in position may result in a patient fitting a different cup size better.

 As you think about breast surgery, I would suggest that you not communicate your goals based on achieving a specific cup size. Rather, show your plastic surgeon what you would like to look like after the procedure is performed and ask him/her whether your goals are realistic.

 Best wishes.

A breast lift may not only lift the breast mound and re-position the nipple-areolar complex, but will also compact the breast tissue to varying degrees. The more you compact, or lift, the breast, the denser, firmer, and smaller the breast volume becomes. You can test all this by wearing the respective B and C cup bras and judge how loose or compact the breast needs to be o adequately fill out these bras. Be sure to discuss your goals with your surgeon as well as any shortcomings of any specific technique or procedure he proposes.

Robin T.W. Yuan, M. D.

A photo would help.

But I am with you. A lift should result in removal of just a small amount of tissue from each side, so the size in a bra should have a negligible change in a patient with a DD cup size. The "apparent" size may be smaller. This doesn't always work in a patient with severe ptosis, but if you stand in front of a mirror with one hand at your side, one raised overhead, simulating a lift, the side with the arm up will usually look smaller, even though, obviously, nothing has been removed. 

Best for you would be to seek another consultation. When you are ready for an in person consultation, RealSelf has listings of surgeons in your area. You should consider cross referencing the listings from the The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (plasticsurgery dot org). A listing in the ASPS website assures you that your surgeon is not only board certified,  but also is a member in good standing of the major plastic surgery organization in the U. S. Thank you for your question, best wishes.