Following my blog last week on breast reduction surgery I have had some comments asking about breast lifting.

Breast lifting (also known as mastopexy) is a procedure to correct the changes of nipple position and breast shape that occur with time and recreate a youthful appearing breast. Theses changes can occur with aging, weight loss, pregnancy and following breast feeding.

Generally the nipple descends and the breast mound droops (breast ptosis) as the breast skin loses elasticity. A good way to think of this is the breast skin acting like a bra supporting the breast gland. Just like an old bra that has lost its elastic nature the breast skin also fails allowing the gland and nipple to head south.

There are two main options to correct breast droop, either tighten the skin or expand the breast gland volume using an implant. This second option known is as augmentation-mastopexy and I will discuss in a separate blog as it is worthy of discussion alone. Mastopexy is a term that describes the goal of breast and nipple lifting which improves the breast shape but maintains the current breast size.

There are however a number of surgical procedures to attain this goal, the choice of surgical procedure should be individually tailored to the patient's breast shape, skin characteristics and desires. The most important issue is how drooped the breasts are, generally the more droopy the breast the more surgery is required and results in more scarring.

Scarring can be limited from around the nipple alone, to around the nipple and a short scar on the lower portion of the breast, to a scar that includes the nipple, lower breast and in the fold itself. Only after consultation with a Plastic Surgeon will you know what the best option is for you. Minimal scarring is desirable but the overall goal of a youthful breast should not be compromised to keep the scar short. A longer scar on a youthful breast is better aesthetically than a shorter scar on a droopy breast.

It is worth remembering that once the breast has been lifted and returned to its youthful appearance then the changes can again occur slowly with time. Plastic surgery can turn the clock back but once the procedure is performed the clock will start ticking again. Having said this, a good quality and well chosen mastopexy should gain many years of satisfaction for the patient.

If you have any specific requests regarding cosmetic surgery topics that you would like discussed on this blog, please feel free to email me: chris@breast-body.co.nz


Memberships



Health Insurance Affiliated Provider