Breast Lift

Many people seem to confuse breast lifts with breast augmentation. The simplest and easiest way to differentiate between the two is that a breast lift removes the excess skin that causes the breasts to sag and reshapes it; breast augmentation involves the placing of a breast implant above or below the chest muscle in order to augment the breasts. While breast lifts don’t change the firmness and size of breasts, breast implants do. Childbirth, nursing, and aging can cause the breasts to sag over time, changing the shape and contour of the breast. This fact leads many woman to seek breast lift (technically known as mastopexy). There are many variations of mastopexy which may be chosen. One thing that all of these procedures have in common is that there is a resulting scar on the breast. This may be only mildly perceptible or may be more noticeable, based on the type of procedure done. Be sure to discuss your concerns about scarring with Dr. Pasquale.

The decision for breast reshaping will depend on the type and extent of change you are looking for. Some women choose to combine breast augmentation and breast lift to restore youthful volume and contour at the same time.

Dr. Pasquale uses many techniques for reshaping the breast. Your desired outcome, your shape, concerns about scarring, and individual anatomy will all be considered. Some of the women pictured on this site are real breast lift patients of Dr. Pasquale. Although you are not guaranteed to have results identical to theirs, the photos should help give you a realistic idea of what breast lift results can look like.

Breast Lifts: What do they do?

• Breasts lifts are ideal for women with small sagging breasts. While the cosmetic surgery may be performed on women with heavy breasts, the effect may not remain for long and the breasts may sag again in the future.
• Essentially what the breast lift does is to remove the excess skin in the breasts that is distorting its shape. This is done in a 2-3 hour procedure under general anesthesia (in some cases local anesthetic may be used.) The excess skin under the areola is removed and the nipples and areola positioned higher. Thereafter the remaining skin around and under the areola is stitched back providing a lift to the breasts.
• The stitches are generally in a vertical line from under the areola and along the lower crease of the breast. The stitches will cause scarring and though they will fade with time, they will not disappear completely. However the incisions and stitches are positioned that so that they are covered by the bra and will not be visible in a low neck dress or in a bikini.
• For women with small breasts with less sagging, a ‘doughnut mastopexy’ or breast lift may be performed. In this case the incisions are less invasive and are in concentric circles around the nipple area.
• If you are planning on having a baby then it is suggested that you postpone your breast lift until after the delivery and the nursing as the hormones may cause the breasts to sag.

Recovery from Breast Lift

Breast lifts requires cosmetic surgery and thus needs proper pre and post operative care. Initially the breasts may be sore, swollen and bruised but this subsides soon. An elastic bandage or surgical bra may be used over the gauge dressing and this could be replaced by a softer support bra in a day or two. The woman can begin her daily routine in about 1-2 weeks but strenuous work and exercise should be avoided for at least 4-5 weeks or as advised by the doctor.

Breast Lift Cost in Hawaii

The price of a breast lift ranges between $7,000 and $9,000 and would depend on the surgeon.

Details

Authored by: Michael Pasquale