Breast lift surgery (mastopexy) tightens and removes excess skin to raise sagging breasts, helping them look more youthful. This popular procedure also restores the areolas to a more elevated position and may involve areola and nipple reduction.
Breast sagging is one of the most common concerns treated by plastic surgeons, according to a University of Kentucky study on breast ptosis. Breasts often sag due to a loss in skin elasticity that's caused by factors like age, pregnancy, and weight fluctuations.Â
According to Dr. Rady Rahban, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, breast lifts are powerful procedures because they have dual benefits: they can give women of any age a more youthful appearance, while also reducing the discomfort associated with pendulous breasts. “While the breasts aren't smaller, they are elevated, and hence pull less on the back and neck,” Dr. Rahban explains.
When it's performed as a standalone procedure, a breast lift will leave you the same size but feeling smaller, because removing excess skin makes the breasts tighter. For patients who want to go larger, a lift is often combined with breast augmentation, using implants or fat transfer.
Breast lift surgery is commonly performed in combination with a tummy tuck, or with liposuction of the bra fat in front of the armpits and across the upper back. Many women also get a lift as part of a larger mommy makeover.
RealSelf Tip: You may have heard of the Vampire breast lift, a nonsurgical treatment that combines PRP with dermal fillers to reduce wrinkles, scars, and stretch marks while adding subtle volume. Don’t be fooled by its name: “This procedure provides few, if any, long term benefits,” notes Austin plastic surgeon Dr. Ashley Gordon, “and it can’t reverse moderate to severe sagging like a surgical breast lift can.”
