| Dr. Sando is a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Here the Doctor has answered some of the common questions bizymoms visitors have about Breast Lift.
Q. What is Breast Lifting?
A. Breast lifting (or mastopexy) is a family of techniques for raising the nipple-areola and the glandular tissue of the breast to create a more youthful, higher positioned, and projecting mound.
Q. How is breast lift surgery done?
A. A variety of techniques share the task of tailoring the tissue through several incisions in the lower aspect of the breast, to fold, raise, trim, and suture. Optional enhancement of breast volume and shape by placement of a breast implant often is done as an ancillary part of this procedure.
Q. What is the recovery period like?
A. The recovery is typically one to two weeks off work, but with no lifting restrictions. Exercise may be resumed within 1-2 weeks using bra support. There is swelling for an average 6-8 weeks. Sutures are beneath the surface, and gradually dissolve.
Patients vary widely in their degree of discomfort; typically, a breast lift alone is accompanied by a level of discomfort much less than that of an abdominal procedure. Scars remain pink for an average 6-12 months.
Q. Are there risks and complications to a breast lift surgery?
A. Risks include occasional wound infection or blood collection, delayed healing or prominent scars, nipple numbness, and variable levels of asymmetry. It is important to avoid nicotine products completely for a number of weeks before and after surgery as significant risks of healing problems or even death of tissue can occur due to blood circulation hazards of this drug. General anesthesia rarely presents any serious risks. All breast lift patients experience, to a varying degree, some resettling downward of the mound over a period of months after surgery.
Q. How long do the results last?
A. The results can be expected to last a number of years, notwithstanding some partial resettling of the gland as described above. Normally the nipple-areola position is nicely maintained. The breast appearance will respond, however, to female hormones, weight changes, aging, and pregnancies.
Q. How much does breast lift surgery cost?
A. The cost ranges from $4800-6800 depending on the amount of lifting needed (directly affecting duration of operation).
Q. What are some of the most common benefits of breast lift surgery?
A. The breast shape becomes more youthful in terms of upper breast fullness (some use the term ¨perky¨), with better fitting of clothing including swimwear. There may be the appearance of a size change as the skin envelope is telescoped inward and upward.
With a more favorable position on the chest wall, some patients find some relief in shoulder and upper back discomfort. The goal is an enhanced sense of well being for the patient.
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