Breast lift surgery, otherwise called a ‘mastopexy’, lifts up the position of the nipples and reshapes the breasts to create a fuller, more youthful appearance.
Breasts can become flat and droopy (called breast ‘ptosis’) following child birth / breast feeding, weight loss or with natural ageing. A mastopexy can remove any excess skin, reshape the breasts and reposition the nipples to give uplifted breasts with better shape and projection. If you have breast asymmetry, a breast uplift / reduction surgery can help make the breasts more even in size and shape.
If you feel that you do not have enough breast tissue and wish to be larger, silicone implants can be placed to the achieve your desired breast size. When implants are placed with the breast uplift, it is called an ‘augmentation mastopexy’. The implants can be inserted either at the same time as the mastopexy or months later as a separate procedure. Any difference in the breast size can also be corrected by placing different sized implants to even up the breasts.
Breast uplift surgery is performed under general anaesthetic and can take 2 to 3 hours. You may be able to go home the same day after a small breast uplift but an overnight stay is usually required.
There are different breast uplift techniques and the method used will depend upon the amount of excess breast skin and the degree of breast uplift required. At your consultation, Miss Tadiparthi will advise you as to which technique would give the best result. There are 3 main types of breast uplift surgery:
‘Periareolar’ or ‘circumareolar’ technique leaves a circular scar around the edge of the areola and performed mainly for small uplifts.
‘Vertical scar’ technique results in a lollipop type scar and allows a greater amount of breast uplift.
‘Wise pattern’ technique gives anchor shaped scars and allows the greatest amount of uplift. It is suitable for patients with significant excess skin and drooping of the breasts.
In all of the techniques, the nipple is kept alive and repositioned on a tract of tissue called the ‘pedicle’, any excess skin is removed and the breast is reshaped to give a better shape. Miss Tadiparthi uses absorbable sutures and does not usually use any drains in breast uplift surgery.
Although mastopexy surgery is uneventful, you should always give serious considerations to the potential complications that may occur. The main risks are permanent scarring, poor scarring (with thick, lumpy scars or stretched scars), wound or deeper infection, poor wound healing, reaction to stitches, skin or nipple loss, asymmetry of breast shape / size or nipple position / size / shape, need for further surgery in the early or later stages after surgery. Having implants at the same time as the breast uplift increases certain risks such as nipple loss and breast asymmetry. Silicone implants themselves have certain risks including, implant infection, rupture, capsular contracture and the need for revisional surgery in the future.
To minimise the risk of some complications such as poor healing and infection, it is important that if you are a smoker, that you stop smoking 2-3 months ahead of surgery, ensure other diseases such as diabetes are well controlled, eat a healthy diet and follow the instructions set out by your surgeon / hospital.
Following the surgery, you will be seen in the dressing clinic at 10 to 12 days to check on your wounds. The sutures are all dissolvable and so there are usually no stitches or drains to take out. You will need to wear a specialist post-surgery bra for 6 to 8 weeks after the procedure.
Your return to work depends on your occupation. If you felt able, it should be possible to work from home a few days after surgery. If you are unable to work from home, then we recommend you take 2 weeks off work. You should be drive also after 2 weeks as long as you are pain free and able to do an emergency stop. After 6 to 8 weeks, you will be able to return to full, normal activity e.g. high intensity exercise, swimming, lifting heavy weights.
The surgery cost depends on the degree of uplift needed, the procedure that required you have and the hospital where you have your operation. The cost of breast uplift surgery starts from £6500.00 – this package price includes the surgery itself, preop tests and dressing clinic and follow-up appointments after surgery.
For more information of Breast Uplift Surgery, look at our procedure pages, read our information leaflet and view our gallery.
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