Breast Lift

The technical term for a Cosmetic breast lift is "mastopexy". A cosmetic breast lift removes stretched breast skin but not breast tissue and lifts your nipple up to a normal position. Breast size is unlikely to change but breast shape is changed.

A breast lift will not make breasts larger, for that, you need a breast enlargement, which can be done at the same time. Mastopexy can also reduce the size of the areola, the darker skin surrounding the nipple. Many women seek mastopexy because pregnancy and nursing have left them with stretched skin and less volume in their breasts. As the skin loses its elasticity, the breasts often loose their shape and firmness and begin to sag. However, if you're planning to have more children, it may be a good idea to postpone your breast lift. While there are no special risks that affect future pregnancies (for example, mastopexy usually doesn't interfere with breast-feeding), pregnancy is likely to stretch your breasts again and offset the results of the procedure.

This operation is usually permanent. However, if you gain, then loose, a lot of weight, your breast skin will stretch again.

Breast lift surgery is usually performed on an outpatient basis, under general anesthesia, which means you'll sleep through the operation.

This surgery will take between one and half to three hours to do. Techniques vary, but the most common procedure involves an anchor-shape incision following the natural contour of the breast. The incision are located around the areola, in a vertical line extending downwards from the nipple area, and along the lower crease of the breasts.

After surgery, the patient's breasts will ache. Pain may continue the first night, but there will usually be little pain after that. You'll wear a surgical bra over gauze dressing. The bra functions as a bandage. Also there will be tape strips directly over the incisions. Tape strips are kept across the incisions for as long as possible to keep the scars from stretching. Ideally this would be six months (the period during which scars tend to stretch). The limiting factor is your skin, which may become so irritated that tape must be discontinued.

Soreness will usually be gone in a day or two, but it will be about two weeks before you can take off your bra and not ache. Your breasts will be slightly swollen and you may be numb in patches, on both breasts. You may well be entirely numb for a week or more. Nipples may be numb, or may be oversensitive and sting from time to time. Most or all of these sensations are gone in two weeks.

No stitches need to be removed after this surgery.

Scars will become thick and red for about six weeks after surgery. They gradually fade, becoming pale and flat within seven to approximately nineteen months.

You probably won't need new bras after this operation. Your breasts will not be smaller, just rounder, firmer, and up.

If your breast skin is very dry following surgery, you can apply a moisturizer several times a day.

After ten to fourteen days, you will feel fairly rested and able to resume work without a struggle. Avoid lifting anything over your head for three to four weeks. Between three to four weeks you can resume all sports. You should avoid sex for one week after surgery.

If you become pregnant, the operation should not affect your ability to breast-feed, since milk ducts and nipples will be left intact.

As with any surgery, there is always a possibility of complications or a reaction to the anesthesia. Complete numbness would be expected to be from temporary swelling. Normal skin feeling tends to return by about six weeks after surgery, although patches of numbness may persist for months. This is a skin operation, so serious bleeding is rare, although bruising can be quite severe.

This surgery does leave noticeable, permanent scars, although they'll be covered by your bra or bathing suit (poor healing and wider scars are more common in smokers).

Before	After

Before	After

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