Will my implants drop enough to fill out my breast at the bottom? (photo)

Question

I had a partial lift and 480 cc saline implants. The doctor took out a 7cm strip of skin on both breasts. Will my implant drop enough to fill out my breast at the bottom to look like a teardrop or will I have to go in for another procedure for the full breast lift? The doctor said i should be able to get away with having the partial lift. Now he is saying I might have to go in for another procedure. I'm upset and obsessing over this. On 02/14/2014 it will be 2 weeks since my surgery. Please help.

Richard H. Tholen, MD, FACS · Answer

Although your photo is from a poor angle, your areola/mound relationship is significantly off, and more than implant settling and dropping may achieve over time. That is why your surgeon is now backpedaling a bit. Perhaps s/he truly felt this could be accomplished, and did her/his best. But without measurements or pre-op physical examination information, I can only second guess your surgeon's assessment and judgement. You ultimately selected your surgeon and accepted his/her credentials, experience, and surgical plan. So for now, give yourself and your surgeon the time needed to really find out if s/he was correct, and if not, what the best secondary plan would be. I'd say you should have a pretty good idea if this will work out by 3 months post-op, and I would not recommend re-operation any earlier than 6 months after your initial surgery. Longer is better, but you probably won't change a lot after 6 months and will know which direction your decisions will be going at that time.For now, stop obsessing and follow your surgeon's advice. Otherwise, your surgeon has an "excuse" for this not working as planned. Best wishes! Dr. Tholen

Brooke R. Seckel, MD, FACS (retired) · Answer

Thank you for your question and photograph.  I am sorry to see that you're breast implant has not dropped into the breast pocket and is high above your nipple areola.  This is often called the snoopy deformity.  Based only on your photograph a full lift is most likely required.

Will my implants drop enough to fill out my breast at the bottom? (photo)

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Will my implants drop enough to fill out my breast at the bottom? (photo)

Answers (2)

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Everything you need to know about Breast Lift with Implants

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.