Breast Lifts come in many shapes and sizes, and if you are considering a Mastopexy, you should know your options. While every option will not be appropriate for every breast, it’s good to know the pros and cons of the most common types of Breast Lifts.
Breast lift before and after pictures show lifting of the nipple and breast tissue from the side. This makes the breasts perky and youthful.
Reasons for Breast Lifts
The most common reasons for Mastopexy are: deflation of the breasts after pregnancy, weight loss and congenital breast deformity (i.e. born this way). Saggy breasts are often a mismatch between the size of the breast and the amount of skin; however, large breasts can also be saggy.
Little Breast Lifts
The Plastic Surgery term for sagging is ptosis. The degree of ptosis determines the Breast Lift most likely to provide adequate correction. When there is little ptosis, a little breast lift may be all that is needed.
The smallest breast lifts are the Crescent Lift and the Periareolar Lift. Both involve making an incision around the edge of the areola (the pigmented skin surrounding the nipple). For the Crescent Breast Lift, the incision is about half way around, forming a crescent of skin that is removed. For the PeriAreolar Breast Lift, the excision is doughnut shaped and surrounds the areola completely.
Breast Augmentation with a Periareolar Lift Before and After Pictures: Periareolar lifts are often used to both lift the nipple and to reshape tubular breasts during breast augmentation.
Medium Breast Lifts
For moderate ptosis, a Vertical Breast Lift is often performed. This allows for additional lift of the breast mound and more upward movement of the nipple. The vertical lift is also called the Lollipop Breast Lift, because the shape of the scar looks like a lollipop. The incision surrounds the areola like a periareolar lift, but has a vertical component that runs from 6 o’clock on the areola down to the fold under the breast, the inframammary fold or IMF.
Vertical breast lift before and after pictures show how the lift elevates the breasts and the nipple and reduces the areolae more effectively than the periareolar lift can.
Big Breast Lifts
The biggest lift, and the most common type of lift, is the Inverted-T Breast Lift. Also called the Anchor Breast Lift or Keyhole Breast Lift, the lift has the same scar as the Vertical Lift with the addition of a scar that is hidden in the fold under the breast, the IMF. The allows for additional removal of the skin responsible for the positive pencil test. Sometimes, when the nipple is very low on the breast, the vertical scar can be eliminated. The so called Horizontal Breast Lift uses a periareolar and an IMF incision alone.
Inverted-T or Anchor Breast Lift Before and After Pictures: This type of lift allows for maximum rejuvenation. Tired, old-looking breasts become youthful and perky. The IMF incision is hidden in the fold under the breast. Out of site. Out of mind.
With Breast Lift Options Comes Confusion
My goal is not only present the options, but to reduce the confusion that comes with options. While I wish I could perform breast lifts without any scars, it is the excision of excess skin that allows for the enhancement in breast shape. More information is available here on the San Francisco Plastic Surgery Blog, just click on “Breast Lift (Mastopexy)” under “Categories” in the column. Additional information is also available on DrMele.com’s Breast Lift Page, San Francisco Breast’s Breast Lift Page, and in Spanish on Cirugia Plastica San Francisco’s Página de Levantamiento de Senos. Information for changing the size of the breasts at the same time is also available.
If you are considering a Breast Lift, Breast Augmentation or Breast Reduction, there is no substitute for an in-person private consultation. To schedule an appointment in the San Francisco Bay Area call (925) 943-6353. I will discuss your options and provide personalized, professional guidance as to what will work best for you.
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