Breast Lift - Traditional or Short Scar for Your Mastopexy?

Breast lift surgery (mastopexy) has the goal of reshaping and uplifting the drooped breast, repositioning the nipple higher on the chest and ultimately gaining a more youthful and proportionate bust. Effectively regaining the bust that a woman had prior to pregnancy, breast feeding, weight changes and general aging, and thereby returning the confidence and self esteem previously diminished by body shape change.

Mastopexy is the term applied to a number of different surgical techniques that have the same goal of uplifting the breast. Mastopexy can be performed on the breast alone or combined with an implant. An implant is used if an increase in bust size is desired. If the current breast volume is desirable then a mastopexy alone is the option of choice.

A mastopexy requires skin incisions to reshape the breast. Skin incisions result in scarring, in the case of mastopexy techniques there are a number of possibilities. All have a scar that encircles the areola, the pigmented skin surrounding the nipple. This scar tends to hide well at the junction of the paler breast and darker areola skin. A circular scar alone is known as the "peri-areolar technique" and is used if only a small amount of nipple uplift is required.

If a more moderate amount of lift is required then a lollipop shaped scar is required, this includes a circular scar around the areola and a vertical extension heading down towards the fold under the breast. This is known as a "circum-vertical" technique. There are a number of names attached to this type of scar - Lejour, Lassus, Hall-Findlay or simply marketed as "short-scar".

For more significant degrees of mastopexy then an additional scar is required, this includes the lollipop plus a scar along the fold under the breast. This traditionally is known as a "Wise" pattern scar. This additional scar in the fold heals well and is hidden by the fold. If the Wise scar is recommended by your Plastic Surgeon then you have been assessed as having more significant droop than could be corrected by a shorter scar technique.

In this situation if a shorter scar technique was used then the overall shape and uplift result could be compromised for the false gain of a shorter scar. Your Plastic Surgeon will assess your breast size and shape before recommending which technique is best for your individual characteristics and gain the best possible outcome. Overall, a mastopexy is a life changing surgery that will rejuvenate your bust and body shape, improve your appearance and most importantly lift your confidence.

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