Implant separate from breast - will a lift help? (Photos)

Your surgeon understands best about the blood flow to the nipple and areola, which are at the end of the circulation and most at risk for poor healing. It seems important that you go with his recommendations. Often the circulation improves over the years and may be more aggressive surgery could be considered at that point. Otherwise, it seems you are nipples are in good position and you can enjoy your present results for a while. Good luck with things.

Revisionary surgery is always more challenging and marked by higher complication rates and lower likelihood of success.

In the setting of multiple revisions, one has to not only consider the likelihood of achieving the desired outcome but also the potential for healing compromise. Greater scarring compromises vascularity. Compromised vascularity can jeopardize healing.

I typically encourage patients to temper expectations for revisionary surgery. The best chance to achieve a particular outcome is the first time. Each unsatisfactory revision makes the odds of subsequent success lower.

With regards to your specific question, a third revision is less about technique and more about tissues quality/scarring. Conservative is the operative word to avoid unplanned complications.

As always, discuss your concerns with a board certified plastic surgeon (ABPS).

After several breast lift procedures the challenge often shifts from technique to tissue quality. Each surgery changes the skin’s blood supply and elasticity so the surgeon must balance how much lifting can be done safely without compromising nipple circulation or wound healing.
If your surgeon feels a more aggressive lift could endanger the tissue that caution is not about being conservative, it is about protecting long-term results and your health. Sometimes the solution is not more lifting but restructuring internal support (for example with internal suturing or mesh) or adjusting implant size or placement to reduce downward pull on the breast.
A detailed examination of your skin thickness, implant weight and existing scar pattern is essential before planning another revision. At this stage focusing on stability and preservation is just as important as aesthetic change.
I know repeated surgery can be discouraging but each step offers new information about how your tissues respond. With a careful plan comfort and safety can still guide you toward a result that feels balanced and lasting.
Güray Yeşiladalı, MD

There is risk involved when performing a breast lift multiple times. With several revisions there is a higher risk of complications such as necrosis which makes an aggressive approach ill advised. If you are a candidate you may want to consider smaller implants, no implants, and/or adding bioabsorbable mesh for more support. I've included a video about mesh that I hope you find helpful.

Hello! Thanks for sharing. What you are seeing is the result of your natural tissue gravity pull with an implant that is fixed in a static position, likely under the muscle. We call this waterfall deformity. Yes, after 3 lifts, the risk of compromising the blood flow to the nipple/areola goes up if they aim to do an aggressive lift. If the concern is more about the vertical distance between the implant and your breast tissue, it would be worth it having a discussion about changing the plane in which the implant sits. An implant that sits in front of the muscle tends to age more naturally and descend in closer proximity with the rest of the breast tissue. The shape of the breast tissue can benefit from extra refinement but understanding there might be limits due to your surgical history.
Hope this helps!
Best,
Rafael Ramos Vecchio MDPlastic and Reconstructive SurgeonCoral Gables, FL