What is Breast Lift (Mastopexy)?
Mastopexy is a surgical procedure for correcting drooping or sagging breasts. Sometimes a mastopexy is combined with a breast implant to create a fuller breast than a lift alone would accomplish. In cases of minor ptosis (sagging), sometimes a Breast Augmentation alone can correct the problem.

Who is this for?
Mastopexy is designed for women with drooping or sagging breasts. In some cases, these women's breasts have stretched the skin and less volume. (An analogy would be to compare this condition to having too much wrapping paper and not enough contents.) This condition may be due to a considerable weight loss, pregnancies, or breast-feeding. (Note that if you're planning on having more children, it may be a good idea to postpone your breast lift.).

About the Breast Lift Procedure
This procedure is done on an outpatient basis taking approximately one to three hours to complete, depending on the complexity of the surgery required.

There are two major types of mastopexies. The first is a donut mastopexy, which is used to correct minor forms of ptosis. It involves an incision on the superior (upper) half of the areola and excising the skin above it. Sometimes I will do this just in the office under local anesthesia. The procedure usually leaves a very inconspicuous scar on the upper half of the areola.

The second type of mastopexy is a variation on a vertical mastopexy. This requires an incision around the entire areola that extends inferior, to the inframammary crease and usually has a short horizontal componet. All scarring is hidden by a bra or a low cut dress. The breast tissue is reshaped internally. This is a more complicated procedure that takes approximately 1.25 hours per breast to carry out.

What Post-Op care is required for Breast Lift?
Post-operatively, my mastopexy patients experience surprisingly little pain. After a major mastopexy, some patients say that the breast feels tight, like when they were nursing. After a vertical mastopexy it is important to wear a sports bra afterwards for several weeks to help shape the breast. Most breast scars fade quickly and will continue to become fainter with time