Breast Lift in Hauppauge & Smithtown, NY

THIS CHAPTER WILL ADDRESS BREAST LIFT FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN A BREAST LIFT ONLY AND ALSO FOR THOSE DESIRING A BREAST LIFT WHO ALSO WANT THE EXTRA VOLUME AFFORDED BY IMPLANTS OR FAT. THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF INFORMATION COMMON TO BOTH SITUATIONS, SO I DECIDED IT BEST TO MAKE THIS A COMBINED CHAPTER AND THE VIEWER CAN READ THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PERTINENT TO BREAST AUGMENTATION WITH IMPLANTS OR FAT IF THEY SO DESIRE.

Introduction

Next to implant size, this is probably the biggest concern my patients have. Most of my patients do not need a lift. They realize this, and so it never comes up for discussion. Sometimes a breast augmentation alone is not enough to rejuvenate the breasts. There may be sagging of the nipple (ptosis), the breast gland and fat (pseudoptosis or "false ptosis") or a combination of both.

Some of my patients need a lift, and fortunately, they know this. The problem is when a patient comes in and needs a lift, but they were not prepared to hear me recommend this. Sometimes, they take it well and it's a non-issue. Sometimes, they are fearful to move forward because of the extra scars or the cost becomes prohibitive. For those patients, I feel badly because it is like being hit with a ton of bricks. They just were not prepared for this.

Breast lifts (also known as Mastopexy) are one of the most commonly performed breast procedures. This procedure is for lifting and reshaping sagging breasts. Certain factors that cause the breast to sag are pregnancy, aging, weight loss, and gravity. The breast are made to sit higher on the chest and firmer to the touch by trimming the excess skin and tightening supporting tissue. In addition to this, the areola and nipple are also be re-positioned to enhance the breast appearance even further. Mastopexy is also commonly combined with other cosmetic procedures for the breast such as breast augmentation or breast reduction.

What Does a Breast Lift (Mastopexy) Achieve?

A woman's breasts may sag, or droop as a result of the natural effects of pregnancy, breastfeeding, aging, gravity, weight loss and heredity. A breast lift, or mastopexy, is performed to return youthful shape and lift to breasts that have sagged or lost volume and firmness.

Breast lifts rejuvenate the breasts by trimming excess skin and tightening supporting tissues to achieve an uplifted, youthful contour. After a mastopexy, the breasts are higher on the chest and firmer to the touch. Breast lifts can also reposition and reduce the size of the areola-the dark skin surrounding the nipple-which may have stretched or drooped. Breast size does not change after a breast lift. The shape of your breasts will improve considerably. Women who desire larger, smaller or more rounded breasts may want to consider a breast augmentation or breast reduction together with a breast lift.

I could write a book chapter on this subject. I do believe that breast lifts are sometimes over-utilized. In other words, I believe that some women are getting them when they do not need them. I was once attending a presentation on breast augmentation. A series of questions were asked of the audience, and each of us was able to respond using a little hand-held remote to cast our vote. The results were then instantly tallied and displayed on the screen for all to see in real time. Pretty amazing technology. One of the questions asked was "what percentage of your first time augmentations do you do a breast lift at the same time?" The answers varied from 4% to 80%. I would assume, that on average, each surgeon probably sees a similar mix of patients, so why do some surgeons do very few breast lifts with their augmentations and others do a lot of them? I would assume that some surgeons are under-utilizing breast lifts and some are over-utilizing them.

The sections in this chapter will help you to better understand if you might require a breast lift in addition to breast implants to achieve the most optimal result.