How close to goal weight do I need to be for a breast lift with implants?

Question

I'm 30 years old, 5'7 and 170 lbs. My goal weight is 150. I'd like to have breast implants and a lift done asap. Would losing the extra 20 lbs after surgery make a noticeable (negative) difference to my breasts?

Sean T. Lille, MD · Answer

Thanks for a terrific question. I would advise losing the extra weight to achieve your goal before undertaking a breast aug/lift in order to maximize shaping, skin excision and implant selection. A higher reward awaits you at the end of your journey with some patience and your weight loss. May you have great success!!

Daniel Barrett, MD · Answer

Dear Panda1988,
for this type of surgery it is the best that the patient has ideal weight or at least near ideal weight. Any major weight loss will probably have negative effect on breast lift surgery. Also you should take into consideration how your breasts reacted on previous weight changes. If you noticed that they "drop" when you loose wight then it is a sign it might affect surgery results.
I would recommend you an in-person consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon.
Daniel Barrett, MD, MHA, MS 
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery 
Member, Am. Society of Plastic Surgery

Robert J. Spies, MD · Answer

Hello and thank you for using RealSelf.com.It would be best to get within 5 to 10 pounds of your goal weight before breast surgery.  The reason is that weight loss may affect your breast size since there are fat cells in breast tissue.  If you have a lift with implants and then lose significant weight, you may end up wanting a larger implant or another lift to tighten the skin around the smaller breast.  Some women do not lose breast size with weight loss because they do not have significant fat cells in their breasts.  It is just difficult to predict which one you are before the weight loss.Have you lost or gained weight in the past?  Did your breast size change at that time?  These questions may help figure out if you would see changes after losing 10 to 20 pounds.My only advice for weight loss is to avoid carbs such as wheat products, sugar and processed foods.  It is the only diet that really works and keeps off the extra weight Good luck to you.Dr Spies

Asaf Yalif, MD, FACS · Answer

While 20 lb.'s may not affect the appearance it also may. People gain/lose weight in different areas of their body asymmetrically. If you tend to lose your breast volume when you have lost weight in the past then this may happen again. We usually recommend to try to scheive stable desired weight before performing any procedure.

Richard J. Brown, MD · Answer

It can make a difference but usually 20 pounds is not that drastic, but if you can wait the reward will be well worth it. It would be great if you could be within 10 pounds minimum. I would be happy to see you here and give you a better opinion after examining you. The patients who really should wait would be massive weight loss patients like 50-100 pounds or more. Good luck and let me know if I can help you in any way. DrRickAZ

George John Alexander, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for considering weight loss prior to breast surgery. I typically recommend that patients be within about 15-20 lbs of their realistic stable goal weight. However, some women tell us that their breasts change significantly with even a 5 lb weight change. I would recommend discussing this with your surgeon and relate what your experience has been with how weight changes affect  your breasts.  This will help both you and your surgeon to optimize your surgery plan.  Best of luck with surgery!

Shaun Parson, MD · Answer

Thanks so much for your question.  While it's always a good idea to be as close to your goal weight as possible prior to having elective surgery, it's not necessarily going to change your appearance if you loose more weight.  I think the bigger question is how droopy are your now.  If you have significant droop now (vs some lesser amount of droop) then you might have less overall elasticity and then I would suggest you get as close as you can to your goal weight.  If your not particularly droopy now then having surgery and loosing a little weight afterwards is less of an issue.  Hope that helps.

Ethan Philpott, MD · Answer

I usually advise patients to be within 10 pounds of goal weight before pursuing this type of surgery.  Good luck in your pursuit.

Arian Mowlavi, MD, FACS (license on probation) · Answer

Weight loss under 20 pounds should not make any appreciable difference in your breast shape/size; If you are going to lose 30 to 50 pounds though, you may want to wait.

Ronald V. DeMars, MD (Retired) · Answer

Not all women see significant breast changes with overall weight changes but some do. So think about what has happened to your breast size in the past with weight gain and loss. If you have not had big changes in the breasts with weight changes then you are fine for the surgery.

How close to goal weight do I need to be for a breast lift with implants?

Answers (10)

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