Possible to Have Breast Lift with Small Implants to Stay in Cup Size?

Typically, a breast lift will correct saggy breasts.  It is necessary to have a personal consultation to discuss all of your options.

It is tough  to say what is the right implant for you without an exam.  If you want fuller breasts and need volume than an implant is important.

5369anon,

Yours is a great question which I encounter frequently in my practice: how to restore upper breast fullness and shape without adding volume?

Many women lose shape and fullness in the upper pole of the breast after pregnancy or with aging, and want to restore that fuller, rounder, "more perky" appearance to the breast.

A breast lift will help lift and shape a droopy breast, if much of the breast volume has dropped below the breast crease or if the nipple has dropped below the breast crease.  Right after the lift, the breast tissue sits high on the chest, but with any technique, the breast will settle, oftentimes leaving less fullness in the upper pole than desired. The overall shape and appearance of the droopy breast is improved, but a fuller, rounder upper pole usually requires an implant.

Breast implants add volume and help to shape the breast; implants never lift the breast.  If the breast is deflated after pregnancy, the implants do a great job re-inflating the breast.

When we combine implants with a lift, we are using the lift to reposition the droopy breast back up above the breast crease, reshape the breast and tighten the loose skin of the breast. The breast implant provides volume to increase breast size and contribute to shaping the breast. The implant is useful to provide fullness to the upper pole of the breast, because even after post-op settling, the implant still keeps enough shape to round out the upper part of the breast.

So, what to do if you want that upper pole fullness, but you don't want increased volume?

A small implant may be too small to add volume where you want it (in the upper pole of the breast).  Because the implant is positioned on the breast crease, a small implant may not be tall enough to add volume in the top part of the breast, where you want it.  A small implant may add volume and fullness only in the lower part of the breast and not give you the "fuller, rounder" look, and it may add to your size, which you don't want.

An alternative may be to choose an implant large enough to give you the shape you want and reduce your breast a small amount to keep you the cup size you desire.

Although it seems paradoxical to reduce the breast and use implants at the same time, I have had very good success with this approach with many of my patients wanting better shape with upper pole fullness, without increasing cup size.