Breast Lift in Orange County

A breast lift is considered a cosmetic procedure and is not covered by insurance. Although a breast reduction has very similar scars and incisions, a breast reduction may be covered by health insurance as long as certain criteria are met which are outlined differently by each insurance carrier. A breast reduction is considered to be medically necessary for those patients that satisfy the requirements. A breast lift removes skin and tightens the breast, leaving the same amount of breast tissue that the patient started with, and brings the breast mound as well as the nipple and areola to a higher, more aesthetically pleasing location.

A breast lift resolves the breast sag and can make the breast appear perkier. The procedure repositions the breast mound higher up on the chest as well as relocating the nipple and areola to a higher location. There is an increase in the upper pole of the breast, however, it is not a substitute for an implant. An implant will increase the upper pole fullness more so than a lift can. However, an implant is not a substitute for a breast lift.

A breast lift can and often is performed without breast implants. If you are happy with the amount of breast tissue you have but just feel that your breasts are too low or have excess skin when you are wearing a bra, then a breast lift would tighten up the breast and place it higher up on your chest. If you feel that your breasts are droopy and you have lost volume or don’t have enough volume then a breast lift with implants would be the way to go.

Commonly the areola is reduced in a breast lift procedure with an incision that goes around the areola. The areola is reduced in relation to the size of the breast as well as the size of the nipple.

Scaring from a breast lift depends on three factors: the surgeon, the patient, and the aftercare. The surgeon: can minimize scarring by the techniques used in the operating room. Tissue handling and the suturing that is performed are imperative to proper wound healing and minimizing the scaring. The patient: everyone heals differently and how one particular patient heals has a lot to do with their body and the location of the scars. There can be scars that heal poorly on other parts of the body and will heal great on or around the breast. Lastly, aftercare is also part of the healing process and scar treatment is imperative to allow the incisions to heal their best. Scar treatment should be performed for 12 months to get the best possible outcome. I refer to scar healing by the rules of 33: 33% depends on the surgeon, 33% depends on the patient and 33% depends on the aftercare.

The Benelli and the Lollipop lifts are both breast lifts that are utilized in certain cases. The Benelli is used for minimal lifts as it relies on the upper breast skin to support the lift. If the upper breast skin is loose is stretchy it tends to not be a good lift in those patients. Therefore, I reserve the Benelli for patients with minimal lift, mainly those that have asymmetric nipple/areola complexes. The lollipop lift narrows the breast and is a good lift as it pushes the nipple/areola and breast tissue up to a higher location and it does not rely on the upper breast skin as does the Benelli.

Uneven breasts are best fixed by addressing the volume discrepancy by removing breast tissue on the larger side. Also if the nipple and areola are asymmetric this can be performed at the same time. If the smaller breast is too small, then the better option will have to be placing implants. In certain cases, we would reduce both breasts and perform a lift to obtain better symmetry and place implants at the same time or as a delayed procedure to augment the breasts.

A breast lift is an ideal way to make breasts that are a bit asymmetrical more symmetrical. During the procedure, the larger breast can be reduced however amount that is needed to match the smaller breast. This will leave the breasts more symmetrical, more full, and lifted up higher on the chest wall.

Most breasts lift will involve the vertical scar. The only lift that does not involve the vertical scar is the donut mastopexy or Benelli. This would involve an incision that goes around the areola, reducing the areola, and lifting the areola by about 1-2 cm max. This is not a powerful lift and if pushed too much it can result in widening of the areola over time in addition to the scar spreading. This lift is commonly done with an implant.

Scars from a breast lift will not disappear completely. They will however lighten and fade over time, about a year. There are many factors to how a breast lift scar will heal. One factor is the surgeon and the tissue handling that occurs in the operating room. The second factor is the patient and how the inherent scar healing occurs. The third is the scar treatment (how long and how good the treatment carried out is). Each factor will weigh equally in the final appearance of the breast lift scars.

How long the scars are really depends on how much loose skin there is and how much the breast needs to be lifted. In certain instances, an implant can take up the loose skin that is needed to be removed and the shorter the scars can be. However, an implant will not lift the breasts, meaning, if you need a full lift, an implant will not change that to a lollipop or a donut or even not requiring a lift. An implant is meant to add volume and give more upper pole when a breast lift is done but it is not a substitute for a breast lift.

The only way to help breasts lift naturally is by a bra. Creams, non invasive procedures such as external ultrasound, and some of the newer RF devices will not be a substitute for a breast lift. Only surgery can lift the breast mound and nipple and areola up to a higher location on the chest.

How long a breast lift will last is variable. Every patient is different and it is the skin quality as well as the postoperative care that will help determine the longevity of the breast lift. Having a breast lift and then going thru pregnancy or weight gain and weight loss will adversely affect the longevity of the result.

Breastfeeding is not interfered with if a patient undergoes a breast lift in Orange County. The key thing to remember here is that if you have a lift and become pregnant and with the possibility of breastfeeding, the results may change. We may be looking at recurrent ptosis (droopiness) that may require another lift in the future.

A good supportive, perhaps underwired bra that “fits properly” is essential to help alleviate sagging breasts and to prevent future drooping after a breast lift. Most women are wearing the wrong sized bra, and that is because most women do not get fitted. Getting properly measured and fitted is important after surgery to help provide long lasting results from a breast lift.

Initially, the breasts will be positioned very high up on the chest, in an unnatural way. Over time the skin and swelling will give way as the breasts begin to settle. It takes about 4 months before everything has softened up and the breasts feel and look natural again. During the recovery, patients are to refrain from physical activity for the first 4 weeks. This also means that there is no side sleeping. We encourage patients to sleep with their back elevated for the first 7 days to help prevent any healing issues. After 4 weeks, patients are allowed to resume full activity, including going to the gym.

A breast lift and tummy tuck, commonly referred to as a mommy makeover will generally require 2 weeks off of work and a total of 6 weeks before resuming full activity. It generally takes about 4-6 months before the final results are apparent.

Adding a breast lift to a breast augmentation procedure does not increase the recovery time. In general, we ask our patients to refrain from their desk job for 3-5 days max. After that, they can go back to work but no physical activity, including household chores, for 4 weeks. After the 4 weeks, patients are allowed to resume full activity, including going back to the gym.

The chances of loss of sensation to the nipple areola are generally on the verge of about 5%. In certain cases, it may take up to one year before the sensation returns, but again this is in rare circumstances. Most patients will not have any issues with sensation after the procedure.

A breast lift does not decrease the size of the breast. A breast lift does not remove any breast tissue unless it is done to make the breasts more even. Usually, patients who need a breast lift are wearing a bra that is larger than they really should be to help cover the extra skin that they have. Once the breast lift is performed, patients can start wearing the correct bra size as they don’t have the excess skin to deal with. This does result in about a 1 size cup smaller bra, but the breasts are still the same size minus the extra skin.

All the suturing that I perform is don’t internally and the sutures are absorbable. This means there is no added discomfort that happens when sutures have to be removed. The incisions are closed in multiple layers and then are dressed with a special tape that will remain in place for 2 weeks. Patients are allowed to shower after 48 hours and allowed to get the tapes wet. We do ask them to dry the tapes with a blow dryer set on a cooler setting.

We always want our patients to be at a stable weight prior to any cosmetic procedure. Weight loss after surgery may affect the results. The key here is how much weight loss are we talking about: a couple of pounds? A few pounds here to there usually do not affect your results, but if we are looking at 10 lbs or so this may. A significant amount of weight loss may deflate the breasts and cause some loosening or drooping of the breasts. The more the weight loss, the more the results are affected.

A breast lift will like the nipple-areola and the breast mound to a higher location on the chest. A breast lift alone will fill in the upper pole of the breast but it will not address the upper pole as well as implants do. Another alternative to implants is to have a breast lift as well as have fat grafting performed to the upper pole of the breasts to help provide additional upper pole fullness. Fat transfer is not a substitute for an implant, as an implant gives predictable results every time, a fat transfer does not. But it is a good alternative for those patients that are not interested in a breast implant.

We would be looking at a breast reduction if the breasts are considered too large for one’s body. A breast reduction is very similar to a breast lift, as the breast is also lifted in a breast reduction. However, in a breast reduction, the breast size is reduced in addition to the lift. The resulting scars are the same between the two procedures, it is what is done on the inside that is different.

Currently, there is not a laser system that can remove a scar. The laser systems that are available can help flatten a scar and remove some of the redness away. The best procedure is to take care of the scars immediately after the procedure with a good scar management system and to continue with the system for a total of 1 year.