Breast Lift - Mastoplexy

Breast lift, or mastopexy, is a surgical procedure to lift and reshape sagging breasts.
 
Over the years, factors such as pregnancy, nursing, weight loss and the force of gravity take their toll on a woman's breasts. As the skin loses its elasticity, the breasts often lose their shape and firmness and begin to sag.
 
A breast lift can create a more youthful appearance of the breast by positioning the nipple at a higher level. The areola, the darker skin surrounding the nipple is reduced in diameter as a result of this procedure. If your breasts are small or have lost volume after pregnancy breast implants alone may provide an ample lift to a deflated breast. For breasts with a greater degree of sagging insertion of a breast implant in conjunction with a mastopexy can improve both breast size and shape.
 
The breast lift procedure involves skin excision and reshaping of the breast and consequently does leave scars. In most cases a vertical mastopexy is performed, eliminating the unsightly inframammary scar.
 
Your breast lift plastic surgery will be performed in our fully accredited outpatient surgical facility on Park Avenue South in Manhattan, New York. The breast lift procedure usually takes about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. You may return home after one or two hours in the recovery area. Sutures are removed 7- 10 days after surgery.
 
The best candidates for a breast lift are healthy, emotionally-stable women who are realistic about what the surgery can accomplish. The best results are usually achieved in women with small, sagging breasts. Breasts of any size can be lifted, but the results may not last as long in heavy breasts.

Many women seek mastopexy because pregnancy and nursing have left them with stretched skin and less volume in their breasts. However, if you're planning to have more children, it may be a good idea to postpone your breast lift. While there are no special risks that affect future pregnancies (for example, a breast lift usually doesn't interfere with breast-feeding), pregnancy is likely to stretch your breasts again and offset the results of the procedure.

The Breast Lift Surgery

Mastopexy usually takes one and a half to three and a half hours. Techniques vary, but the most common procedure involves an anchor-shaped incision following the natural contour of the breast.

The incision outlines the area from which breast skin will be removed and defines the new location for the nipple. When the excess skin has been removed, the nipple and areola are moved to the higher position. The skin surrounding the areola is then brought down and together to reshape the breast. Stitches are usually located around the areola, in a vertical line extending downwards from the nipple area, and along the lower crease of the breast.

Some patients, especially those with relatively small breasts and minimal sagging, may be candidates for modified procedures requiring less extensive incisions. One such procedure is the "doughnut (or concentric) mastopexy," in which circular incisions are made around the areola, and a doughnut-shaped area of skin is removed.

If you're having a breast implant inserted along with your breast lift, it will be placed in a pocket directly under the breast tissue, or deeper, under the muscle of the chest wall.
 
If you have any questions about breast lift surgery, silicone breast implants or saline breast implants, breast augmentation, or any other plastic surgery procedures please feel free to contact Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, Douglas M. Senderoff, MD, FACS at his Manhattan or Westchester, New York office.

Breast Implant Choices

For breast augmentation surgery, the breast implant used is generally a sac or shell comprised of silicone, a rubber-like substance. Breast implants can come in a variety of shapes, most commonly either round or contoured. The surface of the implant can vary as well, being either smooth or textured. Patients must have sufficient tissue in order to accommodate a larger breast implant.

There are two basic types of breast implants and these include the following:

Saline-filled breast implants: the choice of the breast implant being used for nearly all breast augmentation surgeries. These are breast implants which are inserted and filled, typically through a valve, with a saline or salt-water solution (similar to the fluid which comprises most of the human body). The location of the valve can vary, typically on either the front or the back of the implant. There are also saline-filled adjustable breast implants which allow Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, Douglas M. Senderoff, MD, FACS, through an additional small connector tube, to adjust the size of the breast following surgery through a simple injection. Saline fluid can either be added or drained to increase or decrease the size of the breast, possibly for up to several months following surgery. Saline-filled adjustable breast implants are not offered by all surgeons and require an additional incision, and thus an additional scar.

Silicone Gel-Filled Breast Implants: These breast implant are filled with silicone gel, a soft-solid substance.
 
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, Douglas M. Senderoff, MD, FACS surgical specialties include: Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck), Breast Augmentation, Breast Implants (Silicone Breast Implants and Saline Breast Implants), Breast Lift, Breast Reconstruction, Breast Reduction, Breast Revision, Buttock Implants, (Butt) Implants, Eyelid Surgery, Endoscopic Brow Lift, Face Lift, Liposuction, Pectoral Implants ( Pec Implants), Rhinoplasty. The surgeon's nonsurgical specialties include: Botox®, Brazilian Bronze, Chemical Peels, Hair Restoration, Laser Hair Removal, Lip Augmentation, Microdermabrasion, and Radiance™.

If you have any questions about breast implants (silicone breast implants or saline breast implants), breast augmentation, breast lift, or any other plastic surgery procedures please feel free to contact Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, Douglas Senderoff, MD, FACS at his Manhattan, New York or Westchester, New York office.