Breast Lift Risks and Complications

The most common complications of a breast lift are wound healing problems, unattractive scarring, and nipple or breast asymmetry. While usually associated with patients who have undergone an inverted-T mastopexy or augmentation-mastopexy, these wounds and minor imperfections can usually be treated in the office or revised in a clinic setting.

Other less common problems associated with breast lift surgery are hematoma (i.e. collections of blood underneath the skin of the breast), infection, and loss of the nipple-areolar complex. While thankfully less common, these problems often necessitate a return trip to the operation room for thorough treatment and revision. Dr. Perez examines all of his patients within one to two days after surgery so that in the rare chance there is a complication, it can be diagnosed and addressed appropriately.

The risks really depend on the extent of the procedure which can vary and include:

crescent (periareolar)
donut (circumareolar)
lollipop or tennis racket (circumvertical or vertical)
Anchor or Inverted T ( Wise. Lexer or vertical/horizontal)

Furthermore, many mastopexy procedures benefit from the use of an implant which may add additional risks.
There are risks to crossing the street or flying in an airplane and, of course, there are risks to any surgical procedure. These risks can occur regardless of surgeon or technique. These include but are not limited to: infection, hematoma, discomfort, wound breakdown, hypertrophic scar formation, asymmetry, unfavorable healing, implant infection exposure, rupture, deflation, palpability, visibility, distortion with muscular contraction, capsular contracture, interference with mammography or surgical evaluation of breast masses, interference with nipple sensation with nursing and aging, need for secondary surgical revisions, and inabiltity to guarantee a specific cosmetic result. Although many other claims of diseases associated with silicone breast implants have been reported these have not been substantiated by major studies.

Hi there-
The rate of risks of all plastic surgery procedures will vary according to your individual health history and lifestyle, how well you follow your surgeon's instructions, and your surgeon, so it's difficult to give you numbers, but I can comfortably tell you that if you find an experienced and Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, and you are healthy and will follow instructions carefully after surgery, you rate of risk should be very low.
I am concerned that it may not be very fair to the plastic surgeons you may consult with to discuss risks with you before you have had a consultation, because it is during this thorough and personal visit that you will gain the appropriate perspective on not only the risks of the procedure, but also the benefits of the procedure to you as an individual. This is also the only way that you would be able to understand the risk level for you.
But while I don't think you're really getting the information in the way in which it would be most useful to you, your question is a fair one, so here you go:
Bleeding, infection, unfavorable scarring, delayed healing, changes or loss of sensation, hematoma or seroma (fluid collecting), skin slough or burn, fat necrosis (firmness or liquefication of the breast tissue due to loss of blood supply), inability to breast feed, difficulty with mammograms, nipple loss, asymmetry, failure to achieve your desired result, and the possible need for revision surgery at your expense.