Should I Get a Breast Lift

Should I get a breast lift?

by Hamawy, Adam

Gravity is gravity, and large or small, breasts will sag. Age (the partner of gravity) is one of the biggest factors. Having babies and breastfeeding them is another culprit (though let’s take a moment to remember that breastfeeding certainly carries many benefits too!). If you have smaller breasts that are starting to sag, you may be wondering what your best options are. Here are a few questions to ask:

• Am I dissatisfied with the position of my breasts? Am I unhappy with their saggy appearance?
• Am I dissatisfied with the size of my breasts? Have I always wanted larger breasts?
• Am I unhappy with the both the size and saggy appearance of my breasts?

If you answered yes to question number one, but not to the others, your best bet is probably a breast lift (mastopexy) by itself. A breast lift moves the whole breast, or the nipple/areola, or both, to a higher, younger-looking position on your chest. Today, surgeons are performing several different kinds of breast lifts, and you should talk to your surgeon all of the options since they vary according to the degree of sag you want to correct and the type of scar you’re comfortable with.

With a standard breast lift, most of skin from the lower part of your breasts is removed, and your areola (the area around the nipple) is made smaller. Then, the nipple and areola are moved to a higher position on the breast. The surgeon takes skin from the upper breast and moves it to the lower pole of the breast to provide support. If you don’t want to deal with the scarring or need less of a lift, there’s a smaller procedure where a small crescent of skin is removed from just above the areola, which elevates just the nipple and areola two centimeters or less. There are other variations from there, which involve different degrees of both scarring and taking the sag away.

If you answered yes to all of the questions, you may want to consider getting a breast lift along with breast implants. Silicone may be best because silicone implants have a soft, natural feel, without much incidence of wrinkling. It reduces the chances of being able to see, feel, or otherwise notice the implant. If you have small breasts to begin with, that’s something important to consider if you want to maintain a somewhat natural look. That said, silicone isn’t the right solution for everyone, and it’s a good idea to discuss all of your options with your surgeon. It’s possible — and even recommended for many women — to have both a New Jersey breast augmentation - where a breast lift and breast implants combined into one surgery. (See the article, “Is it okay to have a breast lift performed along with breast implants?”)