Breast Lift Surgery (Mastopexy)

Best Candidates for Mastopexy:

• Women who have lost firmness in their breasts and have sagging breast.
• Women who have small breasts with considerable sagging benefit from a combined breast augmentation - mastopexy.
• Women with asymmetrical breasts. Most women have one breast larger than the other.. The larger breast can be lifted and made slightly smaller.

What's special about my approach:

• I spend a lot of time individualizing the best surgical plan for each patient. That will give her the best long-term shape with the smallest scars.
• The newest techniques of mastopexy provide minimal scars and the best long- term shape. These techniques are often avoided because they are hard to learn but, once mastered, they are the best.
• Breast lift or mastopexy is true sculpture and the goal is not just to lift the breast but to create a beautiful shape.
• I refuse to treat women with severe sagging just with implants. This approach sounds tempting because you avoid scars, but it is a mistake and it creates bad deformities. I often correct this problem in women who have had surgery somewhere else. Breast augmentation alone is good for women with mild sagging.
• Before surgery, I mark the breasts with a surgical pen while the patient is standing up. This way, the key sculpturing decisions are made before the start of the operation.
• Just before the end of the procedure, I place the operating table in a sitting position, so I can make a final check on the shape and symmetry of the breasts.

The Procedure:
The key to achieving a good long-term mastopexy is to reposition the breast higher on the chest wall. It is important not to rely on the skin to achieve the lift. The breast tissue itself and the nipples are moved up. This is the operation I perform, and it is called internal mastopexy. I emphasize this point because many mastopexies simply tighten the skin to achieve a lift. But skin is elastic and stretches, and therefore with this approach, the breast falls again.

Breast lift is done under light anesthesia as an outpatient. It can be done in our fully accredited office surgical suite or in the hospital.

Scars:
Women considering breast lifts are very concerned about scars. I do everything possible to minimize scars. The good news is that most of the time the concern evaporates after surgery because women are happy with their new shape and they consider the scar a very worthwhile trade-off.

I use two types of incisions for mastopexy, depending on breast shape and degree of sagging:

• For some women, the sagging can be corrected just with breast augmentation. Then, the scars are minimal.
• Sometimes, an incision just around the nipple is sufficient.
• For other women, the technique of choice leaves a lollipop scar around and below the nipple.
• I never use the upside-down "T" scar on the underside of the breast for breast lifts because it's long and can be unsightly.

Nipple Sensation:
Nipple sensation remains normal after a mastopexy. The ability to breastfeed also remains intact.

Recovery Time:
After a mastopexy, you can expect some bruising and swelling for a few days. After the first week, you may resume normal activities. Most women take three or four days off from work. Vigorous athletic activities such as aerobics or ballet dancing should be avoided for three weeks following mastopexy.