A breast lift, also known as a mastopexy, is a surgical procedure to remove excess skin and tighten the surrounding tissue to create a more youthful breast appearance. You may choose a breast lift if your breasts are sagging or your nipples are pointing downward. The procedure can be performed with breast augmentation or reduction. Sometimes the areola enlarges over time and a breast lift will reduce this as well.
Women's breasts often change over time, losing their youthful shape and firmness. These changes and loss of skin elasticity can result from:
- Pregnancy
- Breastfeeding
- Changes in weight
- Aging
- Gravity
- Heredity
New statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons show that breast lifts have increased by 70% since 2000, outpacing breast implants 2 to 1.
What breast lift surgery cannot do
Breast lift surgery does not significantly change the size of your breasts, nor does it plump up the top of your breasts. If you want your breasts to look more voluminous, consider breast lift and breast augmentation surgery. If you want smaller breasts, consider a combination breast lift and breast reduction surgery.
Does a breast lift leave scars?
Immediately after the breast lift procedure, the scars from the incision lines will be very obvious and prominent as they need time to heal. Over time, the scars will go from colored to thin white lines that are significantly less prominent.
How much size do you lose with a breast lift?
Typically, a breast lift (called mastopexy in medicine) reduces the bra size by one cup. However, this is not usually the result of a loss of volume. When excess skin and sagging breast tissue is removed, the cup size is reduced naturally.
How long does the result last?
Assuming you don't get pregnant again or change your weight, your results can last 10 years and sometimes much longer. Remember that breast augmentation does not slow the aging process. Eventually breasts will drop years after lifting simply because the aging process has continued.
