How Much Cup Size Do You Lose with a Breast Lift?

Breast Lift Size Change

A mastopexy or breast lift operation is designed to improve the shape and position of the breasts without diminishing their size. After the procedure, the previously droopy breast should be more full and round (perky), rather than flat and wide. In theory, since there is no breast tissue removed, the volume should remain the same. However, the breast may seem to decrease because the shape of the breast has changed as the volume is more centered than drooping so the illusion is it looks smaller despite the same volume.

Congratulations on your weight loss.

It is hard to promise or predict  final cup size after breast surgery. With breast lifting, even though no breast tissue is removed, the breast shape and position are changed. This change in position and shape may result in a different cup size or a different level of filling  the cup of a bra.  For example, a breast that sits lower on the chest wall may require a larger cup size bra than the same volume breast sitting higher on the chest wall.

Therefore you should not  base your goals or the success of your operation  based on a cup  size which may vary depending on who makes the bra.

I do not think you will reliably restore “upper volume” without the use of implants.

It is very important to communicate your size goals with your surgeon.  In my practice, the use of photographs of “goal” pictures (and breasts that are too big or too small) is very helpful. I have found that the use of words such as “natural” or “C cup” or "fake looking" means different things to different people and therefore prove unhelpful.

By the way, the most common regret after this operation, is “I wish I was bigger”.

 

Also you should consider the question of whether to do the  breast augmentation/ mastopexy in a one stage or two  stage  fashion. This is not a question agreed-upon by all plastic surgeons. There are good plastic surgeons who will insist on doing the procedures separately and there are good plastic surgeons who can produce excellent outcomes in a single stage.

The combination breast augmentation / mastopexy surgery differs from breast augmentation surgery alone in that it carries increased risk compared to either breast augmentation or mastopexy surgery performed separately. Furthermore, the potential need for revisionary surgery is increase with breast augmentation / mastopexy surgery done at the same time.
In my opinion, the decision  to do the operation in a single or two  staged fashion becomes a judgment call made by a surgeon after direct examination of the patient.  For me, if I see a patient who needs a great degree of lifting, who has lost a lot of skin elasticity, or  whose goal is a very large augmentation then I think it is best to do the procedures in 2 stages (in order to avoid serious complications). However, doing the procedure one stage does increase the risks of complications in general and the potential need for further surgery. This increased risk must be weighed against the practical benefits of a single stage procedure (which most patients would prefer).
Conversely, if I see a patient who requires minimal to moderate lifting along with a small to moderate size augmentation (and has good skin quality), then doing the procedure one stage is much safer. Nevertheless, the potential risks  are greater with a 1 stage  procedure and the patient does have a higher  likelihood of needing revisionary surgery.
I hope this helps.

There are different ways of achieving a breast lift. A breast lift by itself without placement of an implant will decrease your breast volume. Although it is hard to determine how much your breast will decrease in size, according to my experience, there will be about a 2 - 3 cup size change. This is why many patients opt to have a breast lift with augmentation at the same time to restore the volume of the breast. By placing an implant, your breast volume will be restored and the lift will create harmony between the nipple and the breast implant.

Some patients hesitate about having an implant placed to augment and restore the volume. Another option that I offer my patients is a breast lift with autoaugmentation. This technique involves taking all the breast tissue that is at the bottom of your breast and moving it with its own blood supply to the top of your breast to increase the fullness of the breast. This technique will restore the natural breast fullness while at the same time will avoid a substantial decrease in breast volume. Your breasts will be smaller but not as small as a breast with a traditional breast lift technique.

I use this technique routinely in patients who have lost weight and face a significant decrease in volume and excess of breast skin.  The main thing to worry about a breast lift, regardless of the technique to be used,  is to maintain the upper pole’s fullness. It is extremely common that, if attention is not paid to detail and the internal breast tissue suspended, you will sag early in the postoperative period and will have suboptimal results.