Opinion of Teardrop Augmentation Mastopexy? (photo)

Hi there-

Your question has me gravely concerned for your safety and happiness...

First of all, whether you are talking about plastic surgery for your breasts or heart surgery to save your life, it is absolutely dangerous to both your safety and your happiness to believe that the right way to go about pursuing improvement in your breasts' appearance is to find a technique that you like and then find a surgeon willing to do it on you. Make no mistake about it- if you wave a bit of money in the air in most communities in the United States, you will find someone willing to tell you whatever you want to hear- but just because you think the technique sounds cute, and just because you are able to find a surgeon willing to do it on you, doesn't mean that it is in your best interests...

 

You really are going about this all wrong... It is very important that you remind yourself that what we are talking about here is SURGERY. Think about it this way- if you were looking for a heart surgeon, you would NOT read about heart operations and find one you wanted and THEN go find a surgeon willing to do it on you... You would find the  very best heart surgeon you could find, and then listen to what they recommended for your situation... You might ask him about the operation you had read about, but the bottom line is that at some point you would need to TRUST the surgeon you chose to do the right thing for you...

Find a great surgeon first. Then worry about the details of how, when, why. Shopping for a procedure or a price is a mistake.

As far as the "teardrop" breast lift, I wholeheartedly agree with my colleagues- it sounds like you have come across one of the physicians I am referring to earlier in my answer- someone willing to let you believe that they have somehow captured magic in a bottle or that they have secret techniques not available to anyone else- in order to get more people in the door. You should be very wary of surgeons doing operations with cute names that most of us have never heard of.

Why?

Think of this- ALL surgery is a series of decisions... From the moment you first meet your surgeon, to the moment they tell you you are healed and don't need to return, many, many decisions will be made- some with your input, but some (especially those during surgery) will be made by your surgeon alone... If you have chosen a surgeon who has already shown a propensity to put his interests above those of patients (by using questionably ethical marketing techniques), wouldn't you be at least a little worried that when the time comes to make these decisions that will affect your happiness and safety, he may again place what is in his best interests above yours?

Please be careful.

I will say it again- find a great surgeon FIRST- someone you like and feel you can TRUST. THEN talk about your situation and goals, and what your reasonable and safe options are. Your chances of being happy and safe will be much, much better.

Hi,

It appears that this technique leaves you with a vertical scar just like everyone else. Would you rather NOT have a vertical scar? There is a new technique that was developed after great dissatisfaction from both surgeons and patients alike. It is a complex procedure that uses engineering principles to achieve a lift without the dreaded vertical scar. Vertical scars will stretch with the weight of the implant and be quite visible. I've performed many of these with much success and natural results. It's worth your research.

Dr. H

Not really sure about the "teardrop" technique. Sounds more like marketing strategy than any real new novel technique. Depending upon what size you wanted to be I think you would need only a minimal periareolar lift, if at all. The 3-D images do not do well with even minimally ptotic breasts so be careful with that. Good luck.

Many surgeons use descriptive terms for their procedures. However, the principles involved in augmentation mastopexy are similar across these variously named procedures. From the picture provided this appears to be a very standard approach and appropriate for this particular patient.

Discuss the details that your surgeon feels will work best for you. See examples of outcomes by your Plastic Surgeon and get answers to all of your questions. When advances occur with procedures, and these changes result in better results, then this information gets disseminated quickly. Feel free to ask your Plastic Surgeon any questions you have.

Dr. Mosher

A newer breast implant is the shaped, form stable implant. It can be ideal for some patients, but is certainly not  the answer for everyone. If your plastic surgeon uses biodimensional planning techniques, he or she can help you select an implant that is ideal for you. This will include the need for a shaped implant and what the base diameter of the implant should be.  

You would be a good candidate for a vertical mastopexy with a breast implant for volume.  There are several different types of breast lifts including a peri-areolar crescent lift, a doughnut or Benelli lift, a Vertical Mastopexy and a Key hole or anchor type mastopexy.  All have specific parameters.  Based on your appearance and the degree of breast tissue below the inframammary crease you would get the best result with a vertical mastopexy with a breast augmentation.  I am not aware of any new procedure that could achieve the results that you desire. 

I am not sure what a tear drop aug is unless the surgeon is using tear drop implants which really doesn't matter.After several months all the implants become round so tear drops really offer nothing new or unique.

Not sure the tear drop is the type of implant or the type of lifting. Either way it is just another technique. The posted hopeful result photo will never match the live final result. So do base the need of surgery upon a computer generated image that you can/will not attain. Be open and discuss this "technique" with your PS. 

Thank you for the question and pictures.

I would suggest that you focus primarily on selection of a well experienced board-certified plastic surgeon who can demonstrate significant experience  achieving the results that you would like to see. Choosing your plastic surgeon carefully, as opposed to a specific technique, is a course of action that will most likely result in you achieving your goals.

Communicate your goals clearly with your plastic surgeon and allow him/her to use the technique that he/she is  has most experience with (and can demonstrate the type of results you are trying to achieve).

To improve communication 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”  etc means different things to different people and therefore prove unhelpful. 
Also, as you know, cup size varies depending on who makes the bra; therefore, discussing desired cup  size may also be inaccurate.

I hope this helps.

As stated below many offices or surgeons market the procedure with catchy names and different gimmicks. Most breast lifts are pretty much the same give or take a few minor changes. It is possible that the surgeon is using tear drop shaped implants which is not anything new or special. Even smooth round silicone implants when are in the upright position will form the tear drop shape. Just beware of common procedures with fancy names it is a way to attract more patient!

 

Good luck!