Will a Breast Lift and Implant Distort a Chest Piece Tattoo?

Hi Aley,

It's hard to say how a lift with implants will affect your tattoo without pictures. Many doctors have pics with women that have tattoos. Look around you might see one that resembles your situation. Best of luck, Dr H

Without a photo or examination it is impossible to answer this. Usually the answer is "No," if the tattoo is above the desired nipple position and away from the planned incision lines for the breast lift. If the tattoo is actually on the breast mound, augmentation and lifting can cause slight but usually uniform changes.

A no-charge consultation with a plastic surgeon experienced in breast surgery can easily and quickly answer your question, however.

Thank you for the question. 

Unless a tattoo is directly on the breast ( or very close to  it) it should not be affected by the breast lift operation. Your surgeon will be able to show you exactly what changes can be expected,  depending on exactly what procedure is planned.

Best wishes.

Location, location, location - The shifting and distortion of a chest tattoo by a breast implant with or without a breast lift would depend on the EXACT location of the tattoo and what is done.

As you came to realize, skin is a poor construction material since it stretches and thins with age.

If you have a breast lift / Reduction, it should NOT pull a tattoo which is off the breast onto the breast but MAY raise the breast closer to the tattoo. On the other hand, if you have a Breast Augmentation, depending on the size of the implants, adjacent skin MAY be recruited and be pulled in.

In the final count, it would depend on the look you desire.

Peter A Aldea, MD

Without a photo, it's impossible to give you an answer. If it is adjacent to the breast, there is a good chance that it will be pulled or shifted to some degree.

In my experience with breast reduction and lifts with tattos on the breast the shaped tattoos don't change much after the surgery. Even with a portion of the tattoos resected in surgery the remaining top half the tattoo looks acceptable.

Most times the tattoos can be fixed and look good even when part of the tattoos resected.

It would be helpful if you would have posted your photograph.  If your tattoo is way above your breast or located in the upper pole of your breast and it is small size, it would not do any distortion. However, if it is located on your nipple or around your nipple areolar complex it may be distorted.  The degree of the distortion depends on the size of the tattoo verses the breast. 

As we cannot see the tattoo location, we cannot know if the tattoo is within the area of the breast lift pattern. It is possible that the lift needed to get the nipple up front and center on the breast will overlap the tattoo.
Best of luck,
peterejohnsonmd

It depends on the location of the tattoo and the location of the breast lift incisions.  Your surgeon should be able to show you if and how the tattoo will be changed.  Years ago  I did  a lift on a lady who had the cutest gecko tattoo and little gecko foot prints running right up between her breasts.  The incisions did not come close to the tattoo and that little gecko was even cuter post lift. 

Usually the breast lift will relocate the nipple higher, at the level of the breast fold projected on the surface of the breast.  If you place your fingers in the fold and feel the fold on the front of your breast with the other hand, hyou will have a rough idea of where the new nipple location will be.  If your tattoo lies above this, then it is less likely that the tattoo will be altered by the surgery.  A digital image of your breast with the tattoo would be helpful in providing you with a more accurate response.  However, without it, I hope that this is somewhat helpful.  Otherwise, a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon will give you ayour answer.