Breast Lift (Mastopexy) /Full Lift

Breast Lift Beverly Hills | Los Angeles

Pregnancy, breast feeding, weight fluctuations, aging, heredity and gravity can all cause a woman’s breasts to lose their youthful shape and start to deflate, sag and descend on the chest wall.

A breast lift (mastopexy) is specifically designed to reverse these changes and restore perkiness to breasts that have begun to droop and loose their firmness with time. Women who desire a breast lift often complain that their nipples have begun to point downwards and/or that their breasts are too “low”, too “heavy” or too “old.”

A breast lift raises and firms a woman’s breasts by removing excess skin and tightening the surrounding skin to reshape, lift and support the new breast contour.  A breast lift surgery can be achieved through a variety of incision patterns and techniques and the appropriate technique is based on breast size and shape, the size and position of the areolas, the degree of breast sagging and the overall quality of the breast skin.  With minimal droopiness of the breast, a lift incision that simply encircles the areola may be employed to reshape and lift the breast (see Benelli Mastopexy). More moderate to extreme droopiness of the breast will require additional incisions in order to achieve adequate lifting and breast reshaping. It is always better to add more incisions and get the necessary amount of lifting required to create perky breasts than not performing enough lift and having breasts that continue to sag after surgery. Remember, all scars generally fade with time and we now have numerous scar prevention, reduction and removal treatments that were not available in the past. Most patients find the healed scars to be a very minimal drawback in comparison to the dramatic improvement in the shape of their breasts after surgery.

A few facts should be mentioned in regards to process of having a breast lift surgery. First of all, after a mastopexy people will not necessarily ask if your breasts are “higher”, but they will rather ask if you have lost weight. This is because even though your breasts may be about the same size as before surgery, your waistline will appear longer and your breasts will look and feel lighter, perkier and more lifted. In addition, the breast lift procedure includes reducing the size of enlarged areolas (the dark skin surrounding the nipple) which produces a much more youthful appearance of your breasts following the surgery.  Even though the areolas (nipples) are reduced and moved higher on the breast mound during the surgery, they remained attached to the breast throughout the entire surgery and they are NEVER removed at any time.  I often say that the “plumbing remains intact” since the areolas/nipples are never detached from the breast and the majority of the nerves and milk-ducts should therefore be left intact. This is important mentally, emotionally and physically since most women feel better knowing that their nipples are never detached from their body during the surgery and they do not necessarily have to sacrifice normal sensation of their nipples or their future ability to breast feed after a breast lift procedure.

CONSULTATION

Although breasts lifts are performed to lift, reshape, improve symmetry and/or reduce the size of breasts, their primary purpose is to reposition the nipple higher on a breast that appears “droopy.”  One of the most common request I receive from women desiring a breast lift procedure is that they often wish they could wear a T-shirt without a bra following surgery since they are tired of constantly stuffing their droopy breasts into a bra every day and night. Many women seek mastopexy because pregnancy and nursing have left them with stretched skin and less volume in their breasts. However, if you are planning to have more children, it may be a good idea to postpone your breast lift. While there are no special risks that affect future pregnancies (for example, mastopexy usually doesn’t interfere with breast-feeding), pregnancy is likely to stretch your breasts again and offset the results of the procedure.

Breast lift procedures have evolved over time and innovations in breast lift surgery have provided techniques that provide more long-term support, improved shape and shorter scars. The only reason to add more incisions to a beast lift surgery is to add more lift. The physical examination will determine your amount of skin laxity and the degree of breast ptosis (droopiness) you currently have which will be used to determine which type of breast lift may best suit your particular needs. Determining your grade of ptosis can be done at home if you are curious about what type of breast lift you might need in advance to your consultation. This can be done by placing a ruler under the breasts at the natural breast fold, called the infra-mammary fold. The top edge of the ruler should be at the junction of the breast where it meets the ribcage (similar to the infamous “pencil test”).

• Grade 1 (Mild Ptosis): The nipple is at the same level of the mammary fold, or slightly above the top of the ruler, and is still above the lower pole of the breast.
• Grade 2 (Moderate Ptosis): The nipple is 1 to 3 cm below the top edge of the ruler and still above the lower pole of the breast.
• Grade 3 (Severe Ptosis): The nipple is 3 cm or lower than the top of the ruler, it is a possibility that you may have Grade 3 ptosis.
• Pseudo-ptosis (Pseudoptosis): The nipple is still above the top edge of the ruler, but your breasts appear as if they are sagging due to a prominent, (and sometimes flattened) breast lobe.

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