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Breast Lift

Definition: This is an operation which is used to lift breasts up by removing excess or surplus skin. It reshapes & improves the shape of the breast making it more firm. The operation can be combined with breast implantation if the breasts are small or the implantation can occur at a later stage. If the droop of the breast is very mild, implantation alone may help reduce that droopy look & correct the loss of fullness.
However with the increase in age & also the affect of gravity the breasts will droop again to a variable extent in different patients.

Who requests a breast lift?
Usually it is requested by women after childbirth and breast feeling. Following pregnancy & lactation (breast feeding) breasts can lose their fullness & firmness & begin to droop.

It is also requested by patients after excessive weight loss when the breasts can become saggy & pendulous.

Some people are not in the above group but have very droopy breasts. It can also be performed to correct asymmetry of breast size &/or nipple areola position whether congenital (from birth) or acquired (as part of a process of breast reconstruction).

Anaesthetic: This is usually performed under general anaesthetic.

Duration of stay in hospital: Usually an overnight stay.

Time off work: Usually 3 - 4 weeks.

Duration of operation: 1 - 2 hours.

Technique: There are different incisions patterns that are used for breast lift. These include vertical scar incision which leaves a scar around the nipple & a vertical scar going down from the nipple towards the base of the breast; or inverted T incision which leaves a scar around the nipple, a vertical scar & a horizontal or transverse scar at the base of the breast; or a circum areola incision which leaves a scar just around the nipple.

The aim of the operation is to remove surplus skin while leaving the breast tissue intact. The breast tissue itself can be remoulded using stitches to give a better shape. The wounds are then stitched up at the end of the operation. An effect of removing the surplus skin lifts the breast up & makes it appear firmer.

The nipple is also put in a higher & more aesthetically pleasing position. If the breast tissue volume is small, then mastopexy alone may not give a satisfactory result in which case this can be combined with insertion of breast implants to achieve volume & fullness. At the end of the surgery drains are inserted which are usually taken out the following day.

Post-Op care: The patient is usually placed on painkillers as well as antibiotics. A supportive bra is fitted before discharge & is usually worn for a period of four to six weeks to help make the increased size of the breast more comfortable. The increase in size of the breast is because of the swelling that accompanies the operation.

As the sutures used are usually absorbable sutures, the ends or knots are usually trimmed in about two weeks from the date of surgery.

Risks/Complications:

General: The general complications are in accord with having the anaesthesia which includes chest infection or blood clots in the leg which can dislodge & travel to the lungs. This is potentially fatal & the risk of this happening is reduced by fitting the patient with tight stockings as well as giving an injection of a blood thinning drug.

Specific: Bleeding - can occur & blood accumulation (haematoma) may require a trip back to theatre for evacuation.

Infection - usually prevented by the administration of antibiotics.
Wound breakdown - usually superficial & minor & just requires dressings for a few weeks.
Scars – the scars are usually red initially & become pale as they become mature. For some patients they can become lumpy which may require treatment with steroids or scar revision.
Sensory problems in the nipple areola complex - The sensation in the nipple may be altered, in other words it can become hyper-sensitive or it can become numb.
Some asymmetry in the position of the nipple areola complex or the shape & size can become more apparent following mastopexy. This may require further correction if significant in the future.
Dog ears - which are prominent folds which occur at the ends of scars may occur. These will require correction, usually under local anaesthetic, a few months down the line.