Just as the rest of the body ages, a woman’s breasts will change as time, gravity, and other factors affect them. Some women notice that the skin around their breasts sags, the breasts droop, and their volume seems depleted over time. A breast lift procedure provides these women with an effective solution to their breast concerns. In fact, given what a breast lift can do to restore the breasts’ shape and position, there are many reasons why women seek this effective procedure.
The Breast Lift Procedure
A mastopexy, or breast lift, is a surgery performed in order to restore breasts to a more lifted position while improving their shape and firmness. The procedure begins with an anchor-shaped incision made around the nipple, down to and along the crease beneath the breast. Any excess skin and tissue are then removed. The surgeon next relocates the nipple to a more appropriate spot on the newly lifted breasts. Finally, the breasts are reshaped to be more even, round, and firm before the incisions are closed with stitches.
Following surgery, the breasts are wrapped with gauze dressings and an elastic bandage or surgical bra is placed over them. This supportive bra will help to keep the newly reshaped breasts secure as the healing begins. After a few days, it will be replaced with a softer support bra that is worn for 24 hours each day throughout the first month following surgery. As they heal, the breasts are typically bruised, swollen, and uncomfortable, but these symptoms will pass gradually. Numbness in the breasts and nipples is a normal side effect which should also lessen, especially as the swelling subsides. After the first one or two weeks, your stitches will be removed and you may return to work and resume most daily activities.
Reasons Women Seek a Breast Lift
There is no specific age or turning point where a woman should seek a breast lift. Rather, each woman’s body varies, reacting to things like gravity and pregnancy in its own way. There are certain life changes that drive many women to seek the help of a plastic surgeon to lift their sagging breasts back into place: aging, pregnancy and nursing, and significant weight loss.
- Aging. The process of aging can affect the elasticity of the skin around the breasts, leaving them prone to gravity. The result is that your breasts eventually weigh down the skin, pulling the volume downward and leaving the empty, wrinkly, inelastic skin above. This is how the breasts eventually become misshapen, lose firmness, and sag noticeably.
- Pregnancy and Nursing. The journey to motherhood can wreak havoc on the body, especially the breasts. During pregnancy, many women gain weight in their breasts, which soon begin to swell with milk. After the baby is born, the process of nursing causes them to stretch and shrink many times over. This takes a toll on the breast tissue and the elasticity of the skin. Once a woman has finished having children and has stopped breastfeeding for at least six months, she can become a candidate for a breast lift. Any pregnancies following a breast lift surgery can negate the results of the procedure.
- Significant Weight Loss. Many women joke that the first place they lose weight when dieting is around their breasts. When women experience a significant amount of weight loss, the changes in their breasts can be even more dramatic, leaving the breasts looking limp, saggy, and without shape. After losing all that weight, the last thing a woman wants is to cover up parts of her body that makes her uncomfortable. Many women seek a breast lift following such weight loss to reclaim one last part of the body they worked so hard to create.
Signs You Might Be a Breast Lift Candidate
Every woman’s body has its own unique features and ages at its own pace. Yet, there are certain signs that your breasts could use a little help to regain their former shape and suppleness. If you’ve been considering a breast lift for yourself, here are a few signs that you might be on the right track:
- Your nipples are situated low, hitting at or below the natural fold of your breast.
- You have noticed a lot of loose skin on your breasts.
- Your breasts lack the firmness they once had.
- The upper portion of your breasts has lost volume.
- Your breasts have a pendulous shape.
- Your breasts are uneven in size or shaped differently from one another.
- The majority of your breast tissue seems to have shifted downward.
In order to be a candidate for a breast lift procedure, you should be a woman with small- to medium-sized breasts and be in good physical health. If your breasts are larger, they may not respond well to the lift procedure and your results may not last as long. Instead, discuss your options with your plastic surgeon to see if a breast reduction could provide you with the reshaping and firmness you desire. If you are unsatisfied with the smaller size of your breasts, you may be a candidate for a combination procedure pairing your breast lift with a breast augmentation. During your one-on-one consultation with your plastic surgeon, your body and breasts will be evaluated to determine which procedures will help you to achieve the look you desire.
Consult with a Plastic Surgeon for More Information
When you’re considering a breast lift procedure, consulting with a highly experienced, board certified plastic surgeon is an essential step. He will evaluate your breast features and eligibility for a breast lift. During this initial assessment, your plastic surgeon will determine if a breast lift is needed or if another breast surgery might be a better fit for your needs. With so many factors to consider regarding your breast procedure, the best way to go about it is to start with a reputable plastic surgeon.
Contact the office of Dr. Douglass S. Steinbrech, a fully trained plastic surgeon Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgeons, to book your consultation today. He will be happy to walk you through what you should expect from a breast lift procedure or any other surgery that might address your areas of concern. A specialist in Minimally Invasive Aesthetics, he incorporates this philosophy into all of his surgical and nonsurgical procedures, while aiming to get you the best results possible. Dr. Steinbrech has been selected by the Consumers’ Research Council of America as one of America’s Top Plastic Surgeons. Contact his office, located at 60 East 56th Street, Suite 3A, in New York City, by calling (212) 750-0070.