With age, many women experience some degree of sagging of the breast. This can occur due to years of breastfeeding, pregnancy, loss of skin elasticity, significant weight loss, and the effects of gravity. If this describes your situation, a breast lift, or mastopexy, might be the answer for you.
When is a breast lift beneficial?
Breast lift surgery is used to restore a more youthful breast shape by lifting and tightening the breasts, as well as repositioning and enhancing the appearance of the nipple and areola (the dark area surrounding the nipple). A breast lift may also help to correct breast asymmetry, or unevenly proportioned breasts.
A breast lift restores a more youthful shape, but does not restore lost volume. If you would like to increase the volume of your breasts, ask your plastic surgeon about doing a breast augmentation in conjunction with your breast lift.
Women considering a breast lift are encouraged to wait until breast development has stopped, and until after they are finished having children, as pregnancy and breastfeeding will have an effect on the final result. Good candidates for breast lift surgery include healthy women who are bothered by sagging breasts, lack of breast firmness, or downward pointing nipples.
How is a breast lift performed?
A breast lift raises the breasts by removing excess skin and tightening the surrounding tissue to reshape and support the new breast contour. The appropriate breast surgery technique will be determined based on breast size and shape, the size and position of the areolas, the degree of breast sagging, skin quality and elasticity, and the amount of extra skin.
What results can I expect?
Each breast lift technique will result in a different scarring pattern depending on the type and size of the incision. Regardless of which technique is applied, incision lines will fade over time, but will still be permanent. Intermountain Medical Group plastic surgeons will discuss recovery strategies that will help reduce the visibility of scars.
After breast lift surgery, you can expect to return to basic work activities in as little as seven to ten days. Full recovery after breast lift surgery may take four to six weeks. This is when swelling and bruising fades and the final breast lift results are apparent.
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