Breast Lift

What is it?
For who?
The surgery
The risks
The costs

Pregnancy, nursing, and the force of gravity take their toll on a woman's breasts over the yeats. The skin loses its elasticity, the breasts often lose their shape and firmness and begin to sag. A breast lift or mastopexy is a surgical procedure to raise and reshape the breasts, at least for a time as no surgery can permanently delay the effects of gravity.

Mastopexy can also reduce the size of the areola, the darker skin surrounding the nipple. Small breasts or breasts that have lost volume can be treated by breast implants in conjunction with a breast lift to increase both their firmness and their size.

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The best candidates for a breast lift are healthy and emotionally stable women who have realistic expectations. The best results are usually achieved in women with small, sagging breasts, but breasts of any size can be lifted although the results may not last as long in heavy breasts.

Many women have a breast lift because pregnancy and nursing left their skin stretched and their breasts smaller. However is the patient is planning to have more children, it may be a good idea to postpone the breast lift as a new pregnancy is likely to stretch the breasts again an offset the results of the operation.

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In the initial consultation, the patient should discuss her expectations to the surgeon and listen to his or her opinion. The surgeon will examine the breasts and measure them while you're sitting or standing. He or she will discuss the variables that may affect the procedure, including age, size and shape of the breasts, the condition of the skin and whether implants are advisable. The patient should also dicuss where the nipple and the areola will be positioned as they will be moved higher during the procedure.

The surgeon should describe the procedure in detail, explaining its risks and limitations and making sure the patient fully understands the scarring that will result. Also the type of anesthesia should be explained, as well as the type of facility and the costs.

A mammogram may be required before surgery, depending on your age and family history. The surgeon will also give specific instructions on how to prepare for surgery, including guidelines on eating, drinking, smoking and taking or avoiding certain vitamins and medications. The patient should make sure to arrange for someone to drive her home after the procedure and to help out for a few days.

A breast lift can be performed in a hospital, an outpatient surgery center or a surgeon's office-bases facility. It's usually done on an outpatient basis. If the patient's admitted to the hospital, a one or two day stay can be expected.

Mastopexy is usually performed under general anesthesia, which means the patient will sleep through the operation. When a smaller incision is being made, the surgeon may use local anesthesia, combined with a sedative to make the patient drowsy.

A breast lift usually take one and a half to three and a half hours. There are various techniques available, but the most common procedure involves an anchor shaped incision following the natural contour of the breast. The incision outlines the area from which skin will be removes and defines the new location for the nipple. The skin surrounding the areola is brought down and together to reshape the breasts. Stitches are usually located around the areola, in a vertical line extending downwards from the nipple area and along the lower crease of the breast.

Patients with relatively small breasts and minimal sagging may be candidates for modified procedures requiring less extensive incisions. One such procedure is the "doughnut mastopexy", in which circular incisions are made around the areola, and a doughnut-shaped area of skin is removed.

If the patient is having an implant inserted along with the breast lift, it will be placed in a pocket directly under the breast tissue, or deeper under the muscle of the chest wall.

After surgery, the patient will wear an elastic bandage or surgical bra over gauze dressings. The breasts will be bruised, swollen and uncomfortable for a day or two, but the pain shouldn't be severe and can be relieved with medications prescribed by the surgeon. Within a few days, the bandages or surgical bra will be replaced by a soft support bra. The patient should wear this bra around the clock for three to four weeks. The stitches will be removed after a week or two.

Some loss of feeling in the nipples and breast skin can be expected. This is caused by the swelling after surgery and will usually fade as the swelling subsides. In some patients it may last a year or more, and occasionally it may be permanent.

Although the patient may be up and about in a day or two, she should not plan on returning to work for a week or more. The patient should avoid lifting anythinh over the head for three to four weeks. The patient may be instructed to avoid sex for a week or more and to avoid strenuous sports for about a month. If the patient becomes pregnant, the operation should not affect the ability to breast-feed. The patient should remember that mastopexy scars are extensive and permanent. They often remain lumpy and red for months, then gradually become less obvious, sometimes eventually fading to thin white lines.

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A breast life is normally a safe operation. Nevertheless there is always a possibility of complications or a reaction to the anesthesia. Bleeding and infection following a breast lift are uncommon, but they can cause scars to widen.

Mastopexy does leave noticeable, permanent scars, although they'll be covered by your bra or bathing suit. (Poor healing and wider scars are more common in smokers.) The procedure can also leave the patient with unevenly positioned nipples, or a permanent loss of feeling in the nipples or breasts.

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The surgeons fee may range from $2500 to $5500 depending on just what type of procedure is actually performed, but costs vary from one geographic location to another.

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Breast Lift

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