Why do you want a Breast Lift in Houston, Texas?
You may be interested in a breast lift or mastopexy if your breasts look deflated or droopy, making it difficult to look good in clothing, bathing suits, or with your partner. This typically happens with age, weight loss, or after pregnancy and nursing. Anything that stretches the skin progressively over time, including weight gain or loss, nursing, changes in breast size, implants, or simply gravity can cause the breast to hang and become more ptotic. Breast lift helps bring back a more youthful, perky appearance to the breast, which can make you look and feel better about the look of your breasts.
A Breast Lift can be performed in a variety of different ways
For certain patients, specialized surgical techniques used during breast augmentation can create the appearance of a breast lift. This is best for patients requiring a very minor lift of the nipple areolar complex with deflation of the upper part of the breast due to weight loss, pregnancy, or breastfeeding.
Again, for patients who require only a minor lift and reduction of the nipple areolar complex, a periareolar breast lift, also referred to as a Benelli mastopexy can be performed. This type of breast lift involves a scar only around the nipple along with a reduction in the size of the areola and subtle lift of the breast.
For patients with slightly more ptosis or sagging of the breast and nipple areolar complex, a vertical mastopexy, also called a lollipop lift, can be performed. This type of breast lift involves a scar around the nipple and down the front of the breast, hence the nickname of lollipop lift. This allows our TOPS plastic surgeons to more aggressively lift and reshape breasts that require more lift. This scar usually heals very well over time, and special scar techniques can be utilized to decrease or mask the appearance of these scars.
For patients with more severe breast ptosis or droop, the lollipop incision may need to be extended under the breast fold to remove additional excess skin and better shape and lift the breast. This is called a wise pattern incision and results in an “anchor scar” down the front of the breast and underneath the breast fold. This is the traditional scar for breast reductions and breast lifts and is one of the most commonly used breast lift or breast reduction techniques. Over time, this scar usually heals very well, and special scar techniques can be utilized to decrease or mask the appearance of these scars.
Breast lift can also be performed along with implant placement, implant removal, or implant exchange. Many of our patients at The Oaks Plastic Surgery have decreased volume in the upper portion of their breast after weight loss, pregnancy, or breastfeeding. A small to moderate sized implant can help improve the fullness and contour of your breasts giving them a more youthful, lifted appearance. Some of our patients who have had implants placed years ago have had some stretching of the breast tissue and skin overlying the implant resulting in breast ptosis or drooping. Some of these patients want to keep their implants and undergo a breast implant exchange at the time of their breast lift as part of a revisionary breast procedure.
Some of our cosmetic surgery patients who have had breast implants want them removed for a variety of reasons and want their breasts lifted after the breast implants are removed. While skillful techniques are used to combine these procedures, they often can be performed at the same time or with a “delayed fill” implant. A delayed fill breast augmentation with breast lift involves placing an unfilled or partially filled breast implant at the time of the breast lift. The implant is filled only after the nipple areolar complex and tissues have begun the healing process. This allows for breast augmentation and breast lift to be performed with less risk of complications to the nipple and breast tissue when a large implant size is desired along with a need for aggressive nipple or breast lift.
