Do I need to have a combination reduction and lift for a lifted breast?

Breast reduction involves reducing the size of the breast. A breast lift involves lifting the nipple-areolar complex and reducing the excess skin of the breast. Breast reductions can involve just liposuction in patients who have more fatty tissue than glandular breast tissue. Liposuction alone indeed does reduce the volume of the breasts. However, sagging of the breast can result and liposuction alone is therefore performed usually in highly selected patients.
Many different types of breast lifts are now available in conjunction with a breast reduction, including lifts just around the areola (periareolar), vertical/lollipop mastopexies (incision around the areola and down to the breast fold, and full breast lifts with an anchor incision. For patients who have very loose skin in the armpit or back, axillary or bra lifts are also often combined with breast reductions.

This is a great
question as the difference between a breast reduction and a breast lift can be
confusing at times. A breast lift
removes excess skin (and at times a small amount of extra tissue for shaping)
and reshapes the breast to lift them and give them an overall more youthful
appearance. A breast reduction will
remove excess skin and breast tissue with the goal of making the breast
smaller, but also more aesthetically appealing.


A breast
reduction is a breast lift that also removes some of the excess breast tissue
to help patients achieve the size that fits their body.

Many of the
patients that I see for a breast reduction have been thinking about the
procedure for years. They usually have
concerns of back pain, difficulty wear or finding bras that fit them and difficulty
exercising. Breast reductions typically
improve most of these concerns. Patients
are usually extremely happy after their reduction, as they have had these
concerns for such a long time.

There a several
methods in which a breast reduction is performed but the goal of all the
different surgical methods is to reduce the overall size of the breast, lift
them and improve the overall shape.

Please discuss
your breast reduction surgery with your board certified plastic surgeon.

A breast reduction includes a lift.  The lift repositions the nipple, reshapes the breast and removes excess skin.  The main difference between a lift and a reduction is the size.  If you want to go smaller, tissue can be removed.  

In order to understand and appreciate the difference between a breast reduction and a breast lift procedure, it's critically important to communicate your goals of surgery with your surgeon at the consultation. In short, a breast reduction always entails a breast lift component but a breast lift procedure may not involve a reduction in breast volume.

I always explain to my patients that breast reduction is all about "down size" and "upgrade". Downsizing of the excessive weight that is causing functional issues such as back & shoulder pain, and Upgrading of the breast shape to a more lifted position with more perky consistency in order to achieve the ideal aesthetic and proportional surgical outcome. Therefore in my hands for my breast reduction patients, I always perform a breast reduction lift procedure for optimising both functional and aesthetic consequence.

While breast lift can be performed with the reduction approach as explained above, it can also be achieved with either implant insertion as well as various breast tissue redistribution or "auto-augmentation" technique. Breast lift is a procedure where both the breast & nipple is lifted to a higher position as well as the associated tightening of the breast skin envelope in creating a nice youthful perky result. 

Hope that helps.

Best wishes

Ellis Choy

Breast reduction surgery in general implies a breast lift at
the same time. There are some techniques such as liposuction reduction, which
would reduce the volume of the breast without addressing loose skin. However,
the vast majority of the patients with large breasts also have drooping issues
at the same time. When I do breast reduction surgery I maintain the nipple and
areola on the underlying breast tissue, which normally is from the upper middle
part of the breast where fullness is most important. I remove unnecessary
excess tissue from the lower and outer portion of the breast and the remaining
breast tissue with the nipple still connected is rotated up and in, in order to
provide fullness in the cleavage area and raise the breast into a higher
position and then the excess skin is removed and tightened. Generally,
with breast reduction surgery the final
scar pattern would be a circle scar around the areola and a line going down the
breast with possibly a scar underneath the breast as well. Breast lifts do not
require tissue removal as you can simply lift the tissue that is there and
rearrange it.  In patients where they need a lift that do not have enough
tissue, fat grafting or the addition of implants can help to provide for more
volume.

Great question! When considering breast surgery, it’s important to understand the differences between a breast reduction and a breast lift.
Breast Reduction: This procedure reduces the size of the breasts by removing both excess breast tissue and skin. In the process, the nipple-areola complex is lifted to a more youthful position, and the breast is reshaped. Essentially, a breast reduction also functions as a breast lift because the removal of excess tissue and skin naturally elevates the breast.
Breast Lift: A breast lift, or mastopexy, focuses on removing excess skin and tightening the remaining skin around the breast. It lifts the nipple-areola complex, but it does not significantly reduce the size of the breast, although some minor tissue removal may occur.
For many patients, if the goal is to both reduce the size and lift the breast, a breast reduction alone typically addresses both issues. However, in some cases where the breast is mostly fat and the primary concern is sagging, a breast lift alone may be sufficient.
It is important to consult with an experienced plastic surgeon who can customize your surgical plan and determine the best technique for you based on your individual anatomy and goals. Be sure to ask about experience and options for surgical techniques.
Krishna Vyas, MD, PhD, MHSHarvard, Hopkins, & Mayo Clinic Trained Aesthetic Plastic SurgeonNew York, New York

Hello and thank you for your question!
Your breasts will be lifted along with the breast reduction. Schedule a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon to discuss your options. Best wishes!

Thanks for your question. By definition a patient undergoing a breast reduction gets removal of excess skin and breast tissue and there is uplift of the nipple areola complex. While someone undergoing an uplift only gets removal of excess skin and uplift of nipple aureola complex. In both procedures, the areola might need reduction to make smaller and proportionate.

Hi. Thanks for posting your question regarding breast lift and breast reduction.
They are essentially very similar procedures. The difference is in the amount of breast tissue removed. In a breast lift procedure, the nipple areolar complex is lift to a better position on the breast, and some breast tissue is removed and the breast envelope tightened. In a breast reduction, the nipple areolar complex is also lifted, but much more breast tissue is removed. 
All the very best.
Dr Ray Goh

A breast lift is part of doing a breast reduction since the nipples are placed at the right place on the chest when changing the volume of breast tissue. 

A breast reduction and a breast lift both involve the removal and tightening of excess skin resulting in  the breasts being lifted.  A breast reduction also involves the removal of excess breast tissue resulting in a reduction in the size of the breast.  I hope this clarifies your concern.