Even though it is a completely natural part of ageing, sagging breasts often cause confidence issues for many women. Integrated Specialist Healthcare can offer a surgical solution with a breast lift.
Loss of skin elasticity, gravity and other factors such as pregnancy and nursing can cause the breasts to lose their natural shape and firmness.
A breast lift or mastopexy is a cosmetic breast surgical procedure to lift and reshape sagging breasts.
Breast lifts are usually performed under general anaesthesia, and generally take 1.5 to 3.5 hours to perform. To begin, your surgeon makes an anchor-shaped incision that follows the natural contour of the breast, then removes the excess skin and shifts your nipple and areola to a higher position. Next, the skin around the areola is brought down and drawn together to reshape the breast. After completion of the procedure, stitches are placed around the areola and nipple area, in a vertical line beneath the nipple and along the lower crease of the breast.
Another technique is the doughnut or concentric mastopexy, which is often used for those with small breasts and minimal sagging. In this case, circular incisions are made around the areola, and a doughnut-shaped area of skin or areola is removed. An elastic bandage or a surgical bra will be wrapped around your breasts over gauze dressings to help the area heal.
The outcome of a breast lift
You may feel slight discomfort after a breast lift, for which your surgeon will recommend certain pain killers and medications. The elastic bandage or surgical bra will be removed within few days and replaced with a support bra, and you may temporarily experience a loss of sensation around your nipple and areola areas. Ultimately, a breast lift can enhance your breast size and shape, and restore the body contour of your breasts for greater confidence in your figure.
Downtime following a breast lift
Funding access for breast lifts
Most health insurance plans don’t cover mastopexy for aesthetic value. Please check with your health plans if mastopexy is covered when performed during breast reconstruction after breast cancer surgery.
What other procedures are performed during a mastopexy to achieve overall aesthetic value of the breasts
Mastopexy may also involve repositioning the areola and nipple. Some women may have small breasts or may have lost a significant amount of breast volume after pregnancy. In such cases, placement of breast implants in addition to breast lift may be required to increase the size and firmness of the breasts. The implants are placed most often underneath the breast tissue or under the muscle of the chest wall.
What are the risks and complications of mastopexy?
Some of the risks and complications of mastopexy include:
- Bleeding or hematoma formation
- Infection
- Change in sensation of nipple or breast
- Irregularities in breast shape and contour
- Fluid accumulation
- Deep vein thrombosis, cardiac and pulmonary complications
- Need for revisional surgery
