A breast lift, also known as Mastopexy, is a surgical procedure to uplift the breasts by removing excess skin and tightening the surrounding tissue to reshape and support the new breast contour.

A woman’s breasts often change over time, losing their youthful shape and firmness. These changes and loss of skin elasticity can result from pregnancy, breastfeeding, weight fluctuations, aging, gravity, or heredity. A breast lift can rejuvenate your figure with a breast profile that is youthful and uplifted. If you want your breast to look fuller, consider breast lift combined with a breast augmentation procedure. If you want your breasts to look small, combine breast lift and breast reduction procedure. You can also combine the breast lift with a nipple reduction procedure.

When to Consider a Breast Lift

• Breasts that are relatively small
• Breasts that are not equal in size.
• If the tissue surrounding the nipple or areola has become stretched.
• Nipples and areolas that point downward, especially they positioned below the breast crease.
• Breasts that are pendulous but adequate in size.
• If your surgeon thinks that breast implants alone are unlikely to achieve the contour you desire.
• Pregnancy, nursing, gravity, weight gain or loss, healthy aging, and heredity have taken a toll on the shape of your breasts, resulting in sagging.
• Breasts that appear different from each other; one breast may appear firm and well positioned while the other does not.

Types

There are variety of incision techniques for the surgery. Therefore, the technique used will vary based on a patient’s existing breast tissue, the amount of excess skin removed. After examining the surgeon will recommend you the type of breast lift that will achieve optimal results.

Crescent Lift

Crescent lift technique will be used for those women who have a very small amount of sagging to correct. It involves only a small incision running halfway around the top half of the edge of the areola. Normally, a crescent lift is possible only when a patient also has breast augmentation, & even in these cases the crescent incision type is less frequently used.

Peri-Areolar or “Donut” Lift

Peri-Areolar or “Donut” Lift technique will be used for those women who have mild sagging. It involves a circular incision running around the edge of the areola, like the crescent incision type, is usually performed in conjunction with breast augmentation. It can also be helpful in reducing areola size. The resulting scar traces the edge of the areola.

Vertical or “Lollipop” Lift

Vertical or “Lollipop”  Breast Lift used for those women, who want to remove excess skin and reshape the entire breast with modest, easily hidden scars. It involves 2 incisions – one around the edge of the areola, and the second one running vertically from the bottom of the areola to the inframammary fold, create a youthful shape.

Inverted T or “Anchor” Lift

Inverted T or “Anchor” Lift used by those women who have considerable sagging, an anchor lift, pendulous breasts, due to which a significant amount of excess sagging tissues and skin may yield the best results. It involves 3 incisions: the first one is around the edge of the areola, the second one is vertically from the bottom of the areola to the breast crease, and the third one is along the inframammary fold, hidden in the breast crease. It is also used when you have a breast reduction with the lift.

Cost of surgery

The cost for breast lift surgery ranges from $3000-$6500 depending on other factors and one geographic area to another.

Procedure

The Breast Lift surgery procedure can be achieved through various approaches of incision techniques and patterns. The appropriate technique will be based on breast shape, size of the areolas and the breast, the position of the areola, how much breast is sagging, elasticity and quality of skin and also the excess skin. The Breast Lift procedure takes around one to three hours to perform and require general anesthesia. Sometimes the procedure can take more time if breast augmentation is done with breast lift surgery.

Here are some of the steps of the procedure

Anesthesia
The surgeon will give general anesthesia during the surgical procedure.

The incision
There are three common incision patterns:

a) Around the areola
b) Around the areola and vertically down from the areola to the breast crease
c) Around the areola, vertically down from the breast crease and horizontally along the breast crease

Reshaping your breasts
After making the incisions:

• Basically, the breast tissue is raised and remodeled to improve breast contours and firmness.
• The nipples and areola are repositioned to a natural, younger height.
• If necessary, reduces enlarged areolas by excising skin at the perimeter.
• The excess skin of the breast removes to compensate for the loss of elasticity.

Closing the incisions

After your breasts are reshaped, and excess skin is removed, then the remaining skin is tightened as the incisions are closed with sutures, skin adhesives and surgical tape.