Sagging Breasts: How to Perk Things Up

A breast lift, or mastopexy, is the most effective way to not only lift, but also shape the breasts to a more youthful position. If you also desire to have a larger breast also, a breast implant or a fat transfer can be performed at the same time, depending on what your goals are. There are several different techniques for breast lift with different incision patterns. Depending on your body type, skin quality etc, you may be a better candidate for one versus the other.

10 Things to Consider Before Breast Lift Surgery
Are you a candidate for a breast lift? Should you also consider implants? What can you expect during recovery? Here are 10 things consider.
A breast lift, or mastopexy, raises and firms your breasts, giving them a more youthful look. Dr. Ted Eisenberg accomplishes this by removing the excess skin, moving the nipples to a new, higher position, and suturing the remaining tissue together to create a sling – essentially a natural support bra – that raises and reshapes your breasts.To determine if you are a candidate for a lift, try the “pencil test.” Take off your bra and look in the mirror. Place a pencil horizontally along the crease under your breast where your bra band would rest. Does your nipple – not your areola – rest above, below, or at the pencil?If your nipple is above the pencil, relax. You are probably not a candidate for breast lift surgery. Use some of the money you save for new, uplifting bras.If your nipple hangs below the pencil, your breasts would be considered moderately to severely ptotic (or droopy) and you would need a breast lift to raise and reshape your breasts.If your nipple is at the pencil and your breasts are mildly droopy, it’s a borderline situation. You might get a good result with breast implants alone because a breast augmentation can give the illusion of a lift. As the implant fills out the upper portion of the breast, it also fills out the lower portion, which makes it appear as if the nipple is located higher on the breast. After about 9 months, when the implant has settled, you’ll have a better idea if you are perky enough. You can always get a lift later if needed.After a lift, your breasts will be the same size as they were before surgery, because only excess, stretched skin is removed during a breast lift; no breast tissue is taken away. You’ll look exactly how you look before surgery when you are wearing a good bra.To determine if you need a breast lift and implants, put on your bra and look in the mirror. If you are satisfied with the size of your breasts, then a breast lift alone might be the right procedure for you. If you wish your breasts were bigger, you are probably a candidate for a breast lift and implants (an augmentation mastopexy).Women report minimal discomfort after breast lift surgery. That’s because a breast lift involves removing only loose, stretched skin. If implants are added at the same time, the skin and muscle will be stretched, which may cause a little more discomfort.More than 90 percent of my patients are back to work on the fifth day after surgery if they work in an office setting. Women whose work requires lifting, pushing or pulling usually go back to work toward the end of the second week.It’s very likely that breast lift surgery won’t affect your ability to breastfeed because your milk ducts, which run from the mammary glands to the nipple, are not disturbed. Only skin from the perimeter of the areola is removed, and there are no milk ducts there.Dr. Ted Eisenberg, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and Author RealSelf Distinguished Hall of Fame Inductee