Will Losing Weight After Breast Lift Affect the Results?

Hello! Thank you for your question! The mastopexy procedure raises the breast, which ultimately provides a more
youthful and perky breasts. This is done by
removing the extra loose skin and rearranging the surrounding breast
tissue in order to reshape and support the newly formed breast. At
the same time, the nipple-areolar complex (NAC) is raised to the ideal position above the fold beneath your breast (the
inframammary fold) as well as being placed at the most projecting portion. Oftentimes with age or following pregnancy, the NAC
becomes widened and enlarged. This may be reduced in size during the
breast lift procedure.
It is common for the breast to lose its firmness and uplifted appearance over
time, which is also accentuated with age, pregnancy/breast feeding,
weight gain/loss, and gravity. This results in breast ptosis, or
sagging of the breast, with a “deflated” appearance. Women seek the
mastopexy procedure to regain the previous youthful appearance of her
breasts and women report increased confidence, self-esteem, and
femininity once achieving this desired shape and fullness. Breast lifts
may or may not be performed with implants – the implant would add
increased size but also greater fullness in the upper pole of the
breasts which creates more cleavage.

In general, losing 25 pounds will result in a drop of 1 cup size, although the amount can vary. Losing significant breast volume will have a negative effect on the results of the lift, so if a patient plans to lose more than a few pounds, it is best to defer surgery until after the weight loss. If the upper portion of the breast above the nipple loses volume and flattens out, placement of an implant for optimal shape should be considered.

Weight loss following breast lift surgery can result in loss of breast volume with resultant recurrent breast sag.  For this reason we recommend that patients are close to their ideal body weight before proceeding with surgery.  Unfortunately when this phenomena occurs, revision of the breast lift is often necessary.