Breast Lift

Defy gravity, reclaim your confidence

A breast lift is a popular procedure in Boston for women after pregnancy, weight loss, or at any time in life to restore shape and firmness to stretched, sagging breasts. Having firm, shapely breasts can do more than enhance your curves, it can boost your confidence too.

What can a breast lift help me correct?

• Your breasts will have more youthful firmness and perkiness
• Bras will fit more comfortably and give proper support
• An improved breast profile can help you feel more confident in your appearance
• Eliminating stretched, excess skin can help improve breast symmetry

Will I need breast implants too?

This is a personal decision, and the answer depends on your goals for your appearance as well as the amount of volume that may need to be restored to achieve aesthetically pleasing results. The need for a plastic surgeon with extensive experience with this complex issue cannot be overemphasized.

Dr. Samaha or Dr. Alannah Phelan will listen to your goals and help you achieve them with the appropriate technique and will advise you on the pros and cons of using an implant. The decision on whether to use an implant with a breast lift, or instead of a breast lift, needs to be made after very careful consideration. Learn more about breast lift with augmentation»

How is breast lift done at Boston Plastic Surgery?

With the patient under sedation or general anesthesia, excess breast tissue is removed to reshape the breast. If the skin has become less elastic, excess skin is removed and the nipple and areola are positioned higher, tightening the surrounding skin. If necessary, a breast lift can also reduce the size of the areola (the darker skin surrounding the nipple).

Since the cause of laxity can be a “deflation” of breast volume, such as after pregnancy, some patients choose to undergo breast augmentation at the same time with saline or silicone implants.

The degree of each patient’s breast droop is measured by comparing the nipple position with the breast crease. Additional measurements help determine the location and degree of excessive tissue laxity, in order to decide on the type of mastopexy to be performed.

There are four types of incisions our experienced plastic surgeons use for breast lift surgery:

• Concentric incisions around the areola. This “hides” the scar at the areolar border, and is known as a circumareolar mastopexy.
• An incision around the areola with another incision down the front of the breast beneath the areola to the fold of the breast (inframammary fold). This is a full mastopexy using a vertical scar, sometimes known as a “lollipop” scar.
• An incision around the areola with another incision down the front of the breast beneath the areola to the fold, and horizontally along the fold of the breast. This traditional technique results in an “anchor” configuration.
• We use a special incision pattern for some of our patients with a large amount of excessive skin. This technique was developed here in Boston and involves a curvy line near the breast fold and no vertical incision.

Auto-augmentation breast lift

Certain patients may be candidates for an auto-augmentation breast lift, which uses techniques to rearrange the breast tissue in order to narrow breasts that are wide and flat, and add volume to the upper portion of the breast for cleavage. This is a particularly beneficial operation for patients who have lost a significant amount of weight, either after weight loss surgery or by other means. Generally speaking, auto-augmentation is ideal for patients who:

• Have breast ptosis (drooping breasts)
• Are interested in a lift to improve their overall shape
• Like their current breast size in a bra

The incisions follow an anchor pattern, similar to the incisions used for breast reductions and more significant breast lifts. Some patients may require a drain for one week post-op, while others do not require drains. Patients are able to shower after 48 hours. Pain is mild, and most patients use pain medication for a few days or Tylenol only. For six weeks, patients need to wear a soft, supportive bra and avoid lifting and heavy exercise.

What is the recovery period like for a Boston breast lift?

Typically, the immediate post-operative period is not associated with a lot of pain. Moderate discomfort is more the norm during breast lift recovery. Patients typically return to work or normal daily activity after 1-2 weeks, depending on their requirements at work or at home. Swelling decreases during post-operative recovery and the lines on the breasts from the incisions will fade over time.

Are there risks and complications to a breast lift surgery?

As with many plastic surgery procedures, a decision needs to be made whether to accept the incisions and scars from a breast lift as a tradeoff for better contour. One of the risks of this type of surgery is the occasional separation of the suture line, resulting in some delay in healing, and sometimes resulting in scars that are less acceptable and that may need scar revision treatments or procedures. There are considerations of adequate circulation as the nipple and areola are “shifted” to their new position, but this is a rare complication.

How long will my Boston breast lift the results last?

The length of time that the results will be pleasing will depend on many factors, including: the integrity of the skin, the weight of the breast, and the technique used, among others. This is an “anti-gravity” procedure, and we all know that gravity is always at work. Some people get many years of improvement after a breast lift. Adequate breast support is also helpful after surgery in order to avoid excessive stretching of the tissues.

Additional breast surgery techniques

Breast asymmetry correction

If you have breast asymmetry, breast asymmetry correction may be customized to your anatomy and goals and included in your procedure plan:

• For many patients, this may mean a breast lift/breast reduction on one or both sides, removing different amounts of tissue from each side to adjust volume differences. 
• For patients who want to add volume, this may mean differential breast implant sizing. Fat grafting can also be used to treat breast asymmetry, and may require more than one session to achieve the desired result. 

It is important to understand that it is never possible to achieve perfect symmetry. Breasts are always asymmetric to some degree both before and after surgery, but correction can offer improvement. 

Tuberous breast correction

Tuberous breast is a congenital difference which features a high breast fold (below the breast); a narrow, constricted breast shape; small breast size; and areolar herniation (puffiness of the nipple). Women may have some or all of these features, and the condition frequently presents with significant asymmetry, as well. 

This is most commonly treated with a combination breast implant and a breast lift through a periareolar incision approach. This condition may require more than one stage for surgery, depending on your anatomy.

Learn more about breast lifts in Boston today

Board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Samaha has been providing excellent care and achieving beautiful results since 1993 and female plastic surgeon Dr. Phelan also specializes in breast procedures. For more information on breast lift surgery in Boston, contact Boston Plastic Surgery to schedule a surgery consultation.

Areas Served:

• Quincy
• Boston