As a woman ages, the skin loses some elasticity
This can cause the breasts to lose their natural shape
Women who have lost a significant amount of weight or who have had children, especially if they breast fed, can experience a loss of breast volume resulting in an empty, collapsed skin brassiere and a saggy breast. These patients usually need a breast lift (Mastopexy) rather than simply a breast augmentation. The easiest way to tell if a woman needs a breast lift is to determine whether her nipple lies above or below the fold beneath her breast. If the nipple lies above the fold, a mastopexy is not necessary – the empty skin envelope can be filled with an implant to restore fullness and shape to the breast. If the nipple lies below the fold, the patient will need a mastopexy, with or without an implant, to move the nipple back up to its normal location, reduce the amount of extra skin and restore shape and fullness to the breast mound.
Some women with saggy breasts have enough breast tissue to have a lift without an implant – especially if they don’t want to be any larger – but in my experience, the overwhelming majority of women who need a mastopexy will require an implant in addition to a breast lift to give them better shape in the upper pole of the breast and more fullness in the “cleavage” area. When an implant is necessary, I prefer a smooth silicone implant placed under the muscle. I never use a saline implant in a patient who needs a mastopexy
The tradeoff for a prettier breast that has better shape and position is more scar than that seen with a breast augmentation. The scar goes around the nipple, down to the fold beneath the breast and out in both directions underneath the breast (inverted “T”). The scar generally fades very well over time, but never goes completely away.
It is important for patients to realize that there is no permanent mastopexy. Eventually, gravity always wins. But while some recurrent sagging or “bottoming out” over time is inevitable, your breast will still look better than it did originally. Moreover, re-lifting is frequently a simple matter of removing a little more skin along the old scars without cutting around the nipple again.
If a woman has enough sagginess to require a mastopexy then NO OTHER OPTION IS APPROPRIATE FOR HER. Simply putting in an extra large implant to fill up the skin envelope in a patient that needs a mastopexy is a big mistake – one that I have learned over the years not to make. This just turns a smaller saggy breast into a large saggy breast. Furthermore, over time it stretches out the skin and thins the breast tissue to the point where adequate correction in the future is difficult if not impossible.
A mastopexy requires 3 – 31/2 hrs of surgery time but is still an outpatient procedure. Because it is a longer, more involved operation than breast augmentation, it costs more. Recovery is essentially the same as for a breast augmentation: Up and around in a day or two, back to usual activities in 5 – 7 days and back to exercise and full activity with no restrictions in 3 weeks.
A breast lift can enhance your appearance and your self-confidence, but it won’t necessarily change your looks to match your ideal, or cause other people to treat you differently. Before you decide to have surgery, think carefully about your expectations and discuss them with your surgeon. The best candidates for mastopexy are healthy, emotionally-stable women who are realistic about what the surgery can accomplish. The best results are usually achieved in women with small, sagging breasts. Breasts of any size can be lifted, but the results may not last as long in heavy breasts. Do you need more information about the breast lift procedure? The easiest way to learn more about breast lift in Monroe is to schedule your consultation with Dr. Mickel. Dr. Mickel will spend as much time as necessary to make you feel comfortable with the breast lift procedure. He encourages you to write down any questions you have prior to the consultation and to bring them with you when you visit his office.
If you have additional questions or would like to schedule your breast lift consultation with Dr. Mickel, please contact our office by phone at (318)388-2050
Dr. Mickel is an amazing surgeon and a kind and gentle man. He saw in me the person I wanted to be and then was able to give me that body to match. I still can’t believe that this is my new body. I would recommend Dr Mickel to anyone who is thinking of having a breast lift or any cosmetic surgery for that matter. He is one of a kind and I am so thankful to have found him
Ryleigh
Seeing is believing. Click the link above to view a selection of Breast Lift Before and After photos from patients who have allowed us to share their before and after photos on our web site. If you choose Mickel Plastic Surgery, we will select additional before and after images from our large selection of plastic surgery patient photos for you to study as you consider your options. We hope you enjoy this opportunity to see the possibilities of Breast Lift in Monroe, LA.