Breast Lift

There are many parts of our body that lose their firmness and begin to sag as we grow older. For women, breasts are no exception. While aging is the most common reason for saggy breasts, other factors such as weight, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and genetics can also play a role. To combat this condition, thousands of American women every year are tuning to plastic surgeons to undergo a breast lift. Also known as mastopexy, breast lift is a surgical procedure that can elevate sagging breasts and enhance their size and shape. It removes excess skin tissue from the breasts and gives them a more firm, round, and youthful appearance.

Ideal Candidates for a Breast Lift

Ideal candidates for breast lift procedure are women who experience some form of breast sagginess. Your doctor will be able to determine if your breasts are drooping below what is normally acceptable. Usually, if the distance between your nipples and the suprasternal notch (the small depressed area in the center immediately below the neck and between the collarbones) is longer than eight inches, then you may be a good candidate for breast lift.

Women who have asymmetrical breasts, unusually large areolas, or downward facing nipples will also benefit from a breast lift. Lastly, ideal prospective patients are required to be in good overall health, refrain from smoking for two to three months before the surgery, and hold reasonable expectations about the outcomes of the procedure.

Types of Breast Lifts Surgery in New York

There are various ways to perform a breast lift. The most common are the full breast lift and Benelli breast lift.

Full breast lift: This technique, also known as the anchor lift, is used to correct extensive droopiness of the breast tissue. The incisions in anchor lift are placed around the outer edges of the areola, another longer incision from the bottom of the areola to the bottom of the breast, and last one that stretches from the right side of the breast crease to the left. Even though this method requires more incisions than other methods, one advantage of the anchor lift is that it can be easily combined with other procedures such as breast reduction.

After the incisions are made, the nipples and areola are physically moved upwards and excess skin is surgically removed. The newly formed breasts will have tighter skin and much rounder shape.

Benelli breast lift: This method requires an incision along the circumference of the areola only. An advantage of having the incision around the areola is it’s blendability with the darker pigmentation of the areola making the incision considerably unnoticeable. Once the incision is made, a section of the skin is removed and rest of the breast tissue is attached back with the areola. This produces a more tightened and lifted appearance of the breast.

The Benelli method is ideal for women suffering from moderate sagginess and can be complemented with a breast augmentation procedure. For those women who have oversized areolas, the Benelli incision can also be used to remove a portion of the areola during the breast lift process. Since the incision is relatively small, this method is a lot less invasive than a full breast lift. However, the changes to the breast will also be less significant.

Breast Lift Surgery in NYC

Surgeons at New York’s Madison Avenue Plastic Surgery perform breast lifts at our state-of-the-art facility with the latest and most advanced equipment. Breast lift is an outpatient procedure, thus you will not be required to stay overnight after the surgery. On average, the surgery will last for about three hours, but this is largely dependent on whether you are having more than one procedure at the same time and the complexity of the procedure.

General anesthesia is used by most surgeons. However, in some cases, local anesthesia or intravenous sedation can also be used if the nature of the lift is minor and incisions are not very invasive. After administering anesthesia, the surgeon will then proceed to make appropriate incisions in the chest area. As briefly discussed earlier, there are several different techniques that can be used to make the incisions depending on the level of treatment that is required.

Once the incisions are made, the surgeon will then remove excess skin and pull together the remaining skin to construct firmer and elevated breasts. Areolas and nipples may also need to be moved higher up towards the center of the breasts. The last step is to stitch the skin together carefully to ensure the new shape and size of the breasts remain in their place. Surgical tape or glue may also be applied.

Recovering from a Breast Lift

Your surgeon will guide you before and after the procedure on the necessary steps for a proper recovery. Different individuals will have slightly different challenges when it comes to recovering from a breast lift. However, following are some common factors which you can expect during the recovery:

• Immediately after the surgery, your breasts will have compression garment and bandages applied to them. Experiencing minor pain, loss of sensation, bruises, and swelling are normal and to be expected
• For the first few days, you will need to get as much rest as possible. Afterwards, you can resume minimal activities around the house, but please do not strain yourself by bending down or lifting heavy objects
• Be careful not to sleep on your stomach as you do not want to apply the weight of your torso on the surgery site
• Within a week, you will start to feel a lot better. Swelling will also subside substantially and you can expect to go back to work
• After about two to three weeks, your doctor will remove many of the stitches and you can continue most of your regular activities in and outside the home. However, strenuous activities should be avoided for at least two months

If you notice any unusual occurrence or extreme pain during the recovery process, please contact your surgeon immediately to have it discussed. Be sure to follow all directions given by your surgeon to minimize chances of any complications.

Schedule Your Breast Lift Consultation with Madison Avenue Plastic Surgery

Considering a breast lift? You can set up an initial consultation with our highly experienced plastic surgeons at New York’s Madison Avenue Plastic Surgery. We will be happy to go over your needs and plan out the right procedure for you.