Could my breasts look higher up with more upper pole fullness? Low breast footprint? (Photos)

You are correct, you can't simply make your breast "footprint" higher on your chest wall. Some people have taller chests, some have more narrow. A breast lift would pick anatomy up to a slightly higher position on your chest wall, but your nipple areolar complexes are at a good position on your breasts, so a lift may not be your best option. As you are desiring more upper pole fullness, and implant would be your best option. A higher projection implant would help you achieve upper pole fullness but you will be larger as a result. Implant volume will always result in more volume/projection of the breasts.

My impression from photos is that your breasts are NOT too low at all. Your skin surface to breast volume ratio is a bit high (can be naturally inherited, related to weight loss, post-partum state, skin elasticity, other factors) and distribution of breast glandular tissue disproportionately high below the horizontal meridian of your nipples. This situation can be nicely resolved by a variety of approaches depending on your preferences.

While your anatomy is totally normal, your breast do sit a little low on your chest wall. This can be corrected with mastopexies, which is an incision around your nipples down to the chess wall and in the fold underneath. These are well tolerated scars but obviously not for everyone. Mastopexies with fat grafting can improve her overall breast shape and give you a little more fullness in your upper poles. If you are satisfied with the location of your breasts you can add additional fullness to the upper poles with implants. This route would minimize scarring. I would put your implants subglandular in the hopes that they would settle appropriately in the breast envelope. There's always a possibility that they remain higher on the chest wall in which case you may want mastopexies down the road. Make an appointment with a board-certified plastic surgeon to discuss your options.

Yes there are a few options to consider to give you the upper pole fullness you want. The first is a breast lift with implants. This would raise the position of the nipple, give you more volume including the upper pole. Another option is a breast lift with autoaugmentation. This approach uses your own tissue to create upper pole fullness without implants. This is different than a fat transfer. I've included a video I hope you find helpful.

Based on these photos i believe that a breast lift would be appropriate solution for your situation. In person consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon with expertise in breast surgery is recommended. Good luck.

Thank you for your question. You definitely would need implants AND a lift to get an attractive result. Often times, I will perform a technique I developed called Reductive Augmentation which also involves removal of extra beast tissue so I can use the implant to shape the breast. You should be able to achieve a beautiful result. Best wishes to you.

I recommend a breast lift using The Bellesoma Method. This will reshape your breast tissue creating upper pole fullness without implants, elevate them higher on the chest wall and more medial to increase your cleavage. Vertical scars are avoided, nipple sensation (in 95%) and the ability to breast feed are maintained. Later, fat transfers can be performed if additional volume is desired.

Best Wishes,

Gary Horndeski, M.D.

You have a mild degree of ptosis and upper pole delation. If you are bothered by the heaviness of the breasts and overall shape and are looking to maintain a similar overall size, an augmentation on its own is like to give you a result that you are unhappy with. A small-volume augmentation with a low plus or moderate profile implant combined with a breast lift is going to address all of your concerns- it will allow for improved upper pole fullness while the lift can be used to reposition the existing breast volume that you do have to be more centered on the chest. A well qualified plastic surgeon will take a variety of measurements and come up with a plan to fits your goals and anatomy.
Sean Fisher, MD Aesthetic Plastic SurgeonSeattle, WA

Thank you for your question. From the angles provided from the photographs, it appears that you would benefit from a breast lift and a small implant if desiring more upper pole fullness. The trade-off is the scars, especially being young. A consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon will help assess your goals and make a plan to optimize your results. Good luck on your journey!

Choosing the correct procedure should be based i’m having a clear understanding of what the problem is.
A breast lift primarily moves the nipple position in relationship to the IMF (infra mammary fold) it doesn’t really give volume in the upper half of the breast.
Volume in the upper half of the breast is best created with the use of an implant.
Implants will make your breast larger.
The more volume you want in the upper breast, the bigger your breast will end up.
If the nipple sits below the IMF, then a lift is needed if the patient is going to get implants.
In your case, we can’t see the relationship between the IMF and your nipple position because the breast is covering the IMF.
You can try putting your index finger on the IMF and see if the nipple sits below that position. From your pictures, I’m guessing that your nipples are below the IMF so the best procedure is going to be implants with a breast lift.
Fat transfer can increase your breast by about 1/2 cup but does not change the shape of your breast in any significant way, regardless of what someone may tell you.
Fat transfer is not a good procedure for changing the shape of the breast or giving any type of lift.
Since you feel your breast are already big enough fat transfer is not a good procedure for you.
I suggest you have a few in person consultations for plastic surgeons in your community.
Bring pictures of yourself to use as a reference during each consultation.
During each consultation, ask each provider to open up their portfolio and show you their entire collection of before, and after pictures of previous patients who had similar body characteristics.
Having pictures of yourself can be really helpful during the consult.
Don’t rely on memory of what your breast look like.
To understand what your outcome is going to look like you need to see lots and lots of long-term outcomes of other patients whose abreast had similar characteristics before surgery.
Provider selection is going to be the most important variable.
Find me the right plastic surgeon is also not easy or straightforward.
My best recommendation is to rely exclusively on in person consultations and have several consultations before selecting a provider.
Most people don’t have a lot of experience consulting with plastic surgeons.
By having multiple consultations, you’ll get better at the process and will begin to understand what’s involved.
There are a lot of variables to consider and the whole process can be overwhelming.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom MD