| Dr. Jeffrey Kenkel 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 Lifting.
Q. What is Breast Lifting?
A. Breast Lifting involves reshaping the breast.
Q. How is breast lift surgery done?
A. Two important components of a breast lift include rearranging the breast tissue itself, often increasing fullness to the upper part of the breast. Secondly, a breast lift will bring the nipple to the "apex" of the new breast shape. In order to do this we often have to take out some skin. This means trading a scar for improved shape. Breast Lift does not necessarily mean you have to have a breast implant.
Q. What is the recovery period like?
A. Breast lift surgery is usually done as an outpatient. Fortunately for most, breast surgery isn’t too painful. Most of the discomfort is in the first few days. Usually by the end of the first week the patient is more sore than anything else. We wait a full three weeks before we resume any strenuous activity
Q. Who is an ideal candidate for breast lift surgery?
A. The ideal candidate for a breast lift has lost some breast volume in the upper part of the breast typically with pregnancy. Additionally the breast has sagged a bit. Patients should not be too large as lifting excessive breast tissue has a higher relapse rate due to the weight of the breast.
Q. Are there risks and complications to a breast lift surgery?
A. As with any surgery there are always risks and the possibility of complications. The most common complication following a breast lift would be experiencing a minor healing problem along the incision. This is self limiting and heals on its own in one to two weeks with some local wound care (such as antibiotic ointment)
Q. How long do the results last?
A. Unfortunately gravity starts working right away. The longevity of a breast lift depends on several factors.
1. How much breast tissue vs fat a patient has in their breast. Women with more breast tissue tend to have better lasting results. The quality of the skin and the supporting network of the breast also plays a role in maintaining longevity of the breast.
2. How much support you wear and how often will effect longevity. While the breast is healing, I recommend to my patients that they wear a bra day and night for a full three months to help support it.
3. How big the patient is. A patient with a very large breast will tend to sag and droop quicker than a patient with a smaller breast. The size of the breast could be due to breast tissue or the presence of a breast implant.
Q. How much does breast lift surgery cost?
A. In the range of $4000-6500. This includes the physician fee, hospital fee, and anesthesia fee. If a patient requires breast implants it could even be more.
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