Drooping Nipples After Breast Lift and Implants

Periareolar lifts generally give a small amount of nipple lift compared to lollipop or anchor type lifts.
One week after surgery, however, is a tough time for the patientas it is, and much too early to be assessing the final result! Very close and frequent communication with your surgeon may help you through this tough phase. Hopefully your implants will settle to the point you are happy with the nipple position.
Occasionally, patients find that their nipple position is too low after complete healing of the surgery; in that case a reassessment may be in order.
If the nipple is too far down due to drooping, or the areola is too large, it may be better to raise the nipple (and reduce its size) with more powerful techniques rather than lower the implant onto the stomach to create the illusion of a properly positioned nipple.

It’s not unusual for patients
to have superior displacement of their breast implants in the immediate
postoperative period.This is even more
likely when larger implants are utilized.In some cases, this can give the appearance of the nipples pointing in a
downward direction.This occurs for a
variety of reasons including spasm of the pectoralis muscles, skin tightness,
and swelling.Improvement in this condition may be seen as early as two
weeks following surgery but in some cases, may take several months to
occur.In an effort to minimize this
problem, many plastic surgeons utilize a superior breast compression band.This device forces the implant in an inferior
direction which keeps the inferior breast pocket fully expanded.In addition to this maneuver, it’s important
to avoid under wire bras and push-up bras in the immediate postoperative
period.These devices have the potential
to superiorly displace breast implants.It’s important to realize that you’re still relatively
early in your postoperative course and continued improvement is likely.If your breast implants are still superiorly displaced
after six months, more aggressive maneuvers may be necessary.In most cases, this involves expansion of the
inferior breast pocket with a procedure known as a capsulotomy.When the implant drops into normal position,
the areola’s should rise relative to the implant.If you’re concerned about implant displacement and
inferiorly positioned nipple areola complexes, consultation with your plastic
surgeon is appropriate.Your surgeon
should be able to evaluate your situation and hopefully reassure you.

You should notice improvement with the nipple position as the implants settle.  This is because the implants should drop down so the nipples will be better centered over the implants.  However, if you post pictures, we may be able to give you more specific advice.  Good luck. 

I think it's too early to tell what your final result will be, but the liklihood is that thiongs will look a bit different once the implants settle into their final position. In general, I would not expect a dramatic difference in the position of your nipples with a circumareolar mastopexy, but you should see some improvement.
At the moment, I would recommend letting things heal and keep in close contact with your surgeon during this time.

Dear Ms. J. Grace
it is difficult to assess the status of your recovery by email. Implants do settle after surgery- this can take several weeks. the amount that they will settle and the end result of your breast shape is dependent on several factors- your original shape, the tightness of the skin at the lower portion of the breast, the implant size and the placement of the implants. If you do not notice any change in postion of the implants and the postion/shape of the nipples then return to your MD for further instructions.
With Kind Regards,
TMB

In the early post-operative period, such as 1 week, after breast lift with augmentation, it is not uncommon for the implants to appear high and therefore the nipples pointing downward. This is particularly true if the implants are placed under the muscle. Implants will "settle" over the first few weeks and this will correct the appearance of nipple position.

 

After a breast lift with implants, the patient should expect to see swelling and malposition of the breast implants initially. Depending on the technique that was used many times the implants can appear to be much higher than where they will ultimately settle. This is common after a breast augmentation as well. Be sure to closely follow your plastic surgeon's postoperative advice. Many plastic surgeons will recommend using a special compress abroad with a  bra band to help the implants heal in the best position. However, after your healing process has completed, and you are still unhappy with the final position of the nipples there are options to practice. You may be a candidate for a small procedure where the nipple is repositioned into a more attractive position. The combination of a breast lift with implants can be very challenging and some surgeons performed the surgery in two stages for this reason

Most likely the nipples are in a good position. They are pointing downward because the implants are high They should come down and the nipples should look ok.

A circumareolar mastopexy is a great operation if the nipple only needs to be move 2-2.5cm. If greater movement is needed than a circumvertical mastopexy is needed. When an augmentation is performed with a mastopexy the implant helps to move the nipple vertically about 1cm.
In the operating room the implants are placed then the nipple position is determined and the mastopexy is performed. Although the breasts will look greast "on the table" postoperatively the implants will tend to "ride high." However, with the bra and strap the implants will fall by about 3 weeks.
So continue wearing the bra and be patient.

Hello,
I would give things time to settle as you are early, but limited breast lifts lift less than the larger scale breast lift procedures.
You should expect less lifting with the benefit of less scarring with the modified circumareolar lift as compared to the full "anchor scar pattern" lifting operations. This is the way I describe them to my patients anyway.