| Dr. Michael Vincent 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. A surgical breast lift (Mastopexy) is performed to reshape and surgically tighten/lift the breast that can be affected by gravity, aging, pregnancies, and weight changes.
Q. How is breast lift surgery done?
A. It can be done alone or in combination with breast augmentation (which can add some additional fullness that may be lacking) and/or breast reduction if parts of the breast will be too full when the lift is done. There are many types of breast lift procedures, and the type is customized to what best serves the patient. Scarring is the biggest risk; so trying to minimize the incisions is always preferable.
Q. What is the recovery period like?
A. Most patients should take a week off from work or have help with young children for that first week. Recovery is quite variable with some patients bouncing back very quickly and others taking more time. If a breast augmentation and/or breast reduction is done at the same time, it can add a few days to the recovery.
Q. Who is an ideal candidate for breast lift surgery?
A. The best candidate for the surgery is any woman that is self conscious about the drooping and/or shape of the breast.
Q. Are there risks and complications to a breast lift surgery?
A. All surgical procedures carry some risks and this is true for a mastopexy. The big risk is the potential for scarring because incisions are necessary to do the surgical lifting and shaping. A significant amount of time is devoted to this, and all the "stitches" are underneath the skin and cannot be seen. Any patient who would be upset by any type of scar should not consider a breast lift. Other risks include healing issues, loss of sensation to the nipple and or breast (slightly higher risk with breast augmentation and/or reduction), assymetry, over/under correction, disappointment, and the need for revisional surgery.
Q. How long do the results last?
A. While the results will last for some time, the aging process will continue and weight changes will continue to affect the breast shape. So it's hard to be as specific on how long the results will last. A patient almost always will be better with the surgery no matter what the time period, but may want to retighten "things" at some point in the future.
Q. How much does breast lift surgery cost?
A. The surgical fees vary quite a bit from $1,500-$6,000 depending on the type of breast lift that is performed. The OR/anesthesia fees are extra and can vary from $1,250-$3,000 depending on where the surgery is performed.
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