Breast Lift

Pregnancy, weight loss or just natural breast development may result in breasts that to not have the ideal shape. Many women tell us that their breasts never developed the shape the desired. Others tell us they were great until after pregnancy or weight loss. They all tell us they want to be perky!

Mastopexy, commonly referred to as a breast lift raises and firms the breasts by removing excess skin and tightening the surrounding tissue to reshape and support the new breast contour. It is kind of like making a new bra out of your skin. Breast lift surgery if often performed on patients that have lost the firmness of their breasts due to pregnancy, breastfeeding, aging, heredity and/or weight loss. The surgery typically produces excellent, long-lasting results. Actually, the results are often Wow!

Breast lift does not significantly change the size of your breasts and sometimes does not round out the upper portion of the breast. If fuller breasts are the desired outcome, consider a breast lift and augmentation. If smaller breasts are the desired outcome, consider breast lift and reduction.

The Procedure:

An incision is made around and beneath the areola; generally the incision is also extended beneath the breast forming an anchor shape. The underlying breast tissue is reshaped and lifted to improve breast firmness and contour. The nipple and areola are then repositioned to a new height and the areola size is usually reduced. The excess breast skin is then removed and repositioned to create the new “skin bra”. The incisions are closed with sutures beneath the skin and covered with surgical strips. Dressings and a support bra are then placed.

Breast lift surgery is accompanied by general anesthesia and is performed on an outpatient basis. It generally takes two or more hours to perform.

Expected Side Effects:

Pain
Bruising
Numbness

Risks:

We do everything we can to decrease the risks of surgery. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees with any surgery. Some of the risks specific to a breast lift are:

Permanent loss of sensation
Poor healing resulting in conspicuous scarring or skin loss
Bleeding or fluid collection under the skin which could require more surgery

Learn More About the Procedure

Click below to learn what to do before and after the procedure.

Before Your Procedure

Prior to surgery, you will have a pre-operative office visit.

At this visit, we will: Take your payment and answer any questions you may have regarding the procedure. At this time, Dr. Frost may not be available, but if you would like to speak with him again, please let us know and we will schedule this visit when he is available. Provide you with any prescriptions that you may need for after surgery. We encourage you to have these prescriptions filled prior to your surgery to avoid having to stop at the pharmacy after your procedure. Please let us know if you have any specific pain medication requests, and we will try to prescribe the medication that works best for you. Make arrangements for any necessary pre-operative evaluations that need to be performed, such as blood tests, pregnancy testing, EKG, etc.

Diet and Medications:
Please, DO NOT eat or drink ANYTHING after midnight prior to your surgery. This is VERY important. Your surgery will be CANCELLED if you eat or drink anything after midnight. The only exception is a sip of water with any medications that you must take. Generally, you should take high blood pressure and heart medications. Do NOT take arthritis medications and do NOT take diabetic medications (including insulin), unless specifically instructed to do so.

Bathing and Clothing Prior to Surgery:
Please take a shower and use antibacterial soap the night before and the morning of your surgery. Wear loose fitting, comfortable clothing such as a front button shirt and loose pants since these items are easier to put on and take off after surgery.

After Your Procedure

Diet:
Take it slow and easy with your diet. Start with clear liquids and simply advance as tolerated. It is normal to have some nausea from the anesthetic and pain medication, but by taking it easy, this should quickly resolve.

Activity:
Take it easy, Walking is good, bouncing is bad. A good rule of thumb is: “If it hurts, don’t do it.” You may feel like you cannot stand up straight. Feel free to walk bent-over for the first week or so. You will be able to stand straight (and proud) soon. As you start to feel stronger, you may gradually increase your activity. Do not plan to drive for 2 to 3 weeks since restricted movement may limit your response time in an emergency. Do not do any abdominal exercise for at least a month to six weeks. Actually, if we tighten the muscles enough, you may never do another sit-up again!

Pain:
We want to help limit your pain as much as possible, but we will not be able to take it all away. The goal of pain medication is to prevent pain, so do not wait until you are really hurting to take your medication. Follow the directions on your prescription to stay ahead of the pain and experience the highest level of pain relief possible. Narcotics can cause constipation, so drink plenty of water, eat fruit and use an over-the-counter laxative, if needed.

Post-Operative Dressings and Bathing:
Leave your bra on day and night. If you don‚Äôt have drains, you will be able to shower the day after surgery. There will be tape across the incisions that will stay on while showering; simply shower over the tapes that cover the incision and pat them dry. There will be changes over the months following your surgery, so do not judge the results too early.

Before and After Examples

Photo	Information
	BEFORE Age: 37 Concern: Gastric bypass patient with deflated breasts Treatment: Breast lift with submuscular shaped implant Implants: Allergan 410 Highly Cohesive Anatomically Shaped - 470 cc Placement: Submuscular
	AFTER