Can a Crescent Breast Lift Be Performed Without Implants?

The #crescent lift removes a small amount of skin at the top of the areola. We find that there is very little lift and the areola becomes oval in shape and distorted with this method. Fat grafting can also be used for qualifying candidates, instead of #implants to improve the fullness and #contours of the #breast.

The short answer to your question is that a crescent lift  can be done without implants. But a picture (of you) is worth a thousand words (an exam worth a lot more). In other words it would be very important to see just how much lifting you require. In general a Crescent Lift Doesn't Lift Much ! If in the mirror you need to lift your areola/nipple more than an inch to an inch and a half it is not the right technique for most women. The second thing to consider is that if you just want a lift and a little more fullness on top you can also consider fat transfer to the upper part of your breast following a lift.

I would not recommend a  Crescent lift for many patients and usually use if to make the height of nipples similar rather than significant lifting. That is, I would is only for breasts that need little lifting and in general doesn't accomplish much in terms of lifting. A lollipop incision breast lift, also called mastopexy, would be an ideal technique for you and would allow as much reduction and perkiness as you desire. It would also reduce the size of your areola if you wished.To see some typical before and after photos of  patients similar to your appearance and give you an idea of what to expect please see my web site.

Hi,
Thank you for your question.
Yes, a crescent breast lift can be performed without implants. However, it is not that common because it is usually only used for women who have minor ptosis and is most effective on women with smaller breasts. This type of a lift does remove a little bit of skin and breast tissue, but is very minor so it should not effect your size too drastically.
This really can be a great procedure when performed with a periareolar breast augmentation, but as you said, you do not want implants so I do not really think this would be the best route for you. You do have several options. It is important to consider all of them and weigh the pro's and con's.
I do wonder why you don't like implants. There are several ways that an implant can be combined with a lift to give you exactly what you want as well. Without examining you, it is hard to say what exactly would be best. Have this discussion with your board certified plastic surgeon and he/she can give you more personalized advice.
Best regards,
Dr. Speron

There are many breast lift and mastopexies. There are basically four types and they go from minimal scars to larger scars. As the scars get larger, the lifts become more powerful.
Crescent lift is for minor lifts and usually used for patients with implants to even out the nipple location. It is hard to say what you need, but I would bet on it that you are not a candidate for crescent lift and need something more to lift your breasts.
You may read more about this on the link at the bottom.
Good luck.

Hi Amy. Photos would be helpful !
I have found very few patients who actually need a small crescent lift, but if you simply desire a little nipple uplift, it may work for you.
In my opinion, any of the peri-areolar techniques are not so great with an implant because of flattening of the breast mound and scar widening.
I do agree that patients with very long breasts will be wearing a bra thats up a cup size or two because they have to "roll up" their breasts to fit in the bra. After doing skin removal only, I routinely see these patients drop a cup or so. Again, this mainly applies to women with very long breasts.

Your question covers a lot of issues. First, a breast lift should not affect cup size since no breast tissue is removed (except for some skin.) A crescent mastopexy will only snug up the position of the nipple-areolar complex (NAC) a liitle bit so it is almost always done with implants. That is because most women who need a lift need a boost of the whole breast rather than just a little elevation of the NAC. It's a matter of shape, which can't really be altered with the crescent lift. Some breast reshaping is possible with the Benelli procedure, but you are right in that it tends to flatten the breast. So most often a mastopexy without implants involves a vertical-type pattern (lollipop). Implants tend to fill out the loose skin so minimal scar procedures are more commonly done in that situation.

Hi Amy Belle,
This is a question which will undoubtedly lead to varying opinions. Suffice it to say, no 2 plastic surgeons will feel identically on this subject. That being said, a crescent mastopexy, without implant placement or significant breast tissue re-shaping will likely give you good short-term results, but not long-lasting results. Even with significant reshaping of the breast tissue to give more projection to the upper pole of the breast, your results 3 months after surgery may only be minimally improved from preoperatively. If you truly only need a "tiny bit of boost", that may be okay. Realistically, though, if the amount of boost you need is truly that small, you probably don't need a breast lift.
You are correct in your assessment of Benelli periareolar/circumareolar lifts. Particularly without concomitant breast implant placement, they have a tendency to flatten the breast. With an implant, they can give a very nice scar and shape to the breast.
Hope this helps. Best of luck.

Thank you for the question.

The crescent breast lift  provides a very minimal amount of movement of the nipple/areola complexes.  It can be problematic causing spreading of the areola and/or  change of shape of the areola. 

Considering the minimal potential benefit ( very minor lifting) and the significant risk of unsatisfactory cosmetic result,  it is not an operation I recommend.

Best wishes.

Regarding: "Can a Crescent Breast Lift Be Performed Without Implants?
Can a Crescent/Circumaerolar/Semi-areolar breast lift be performed without breast implants? And how will it affect breast size? I've often heard Mastopexy reduces the size of the breasts by one cup, but I don't like implants so that's not an option for me. I'm a C cup and I only have mild ptosis. Judging from the pictures I've seen of Benelli aka Periareolar lifts, they seem to flatten out the natural shape of the breast. It's seems like a crescent lift might be able to give me just the tiny bit of boost I need. Any advice?"

The fact there are so many TYPES of Breast Lifts should NOT confuse you, as it does many, into thinking that they are all capable of the same result. The Crescent/Circumaerolar breast lifts can only perform a minor lift at best. They perform poorly to not at all with more significant breast sagging.

Although you describe your sagging as "mild ptosis" without an examination it is hard to advise you. What may appear mild to you may be more significant and you may do much better with a Hall-Findlay Breast Lift which will not only lift the breasts, will NOT reduce their size but makes the breasts perkier by using the sagging breast tissue as an auto-implant. Read up on this procedure. It may be your best option.

Dr. Peter Aldea

A cresecent lift or circumareola can flatten the breast that is why it is best limited to short areola moves in patients also receiving implants.