Combining a Breast Lift with Breast Augmentation

It is customary for a woman’s breasts to lose their youthful perkiness and shape over time. For women who have breastfed or lost significant amounts of weight, there may also be a noticeable lack of fullness and sagging, as the skin and underlying tissue becomes more lax and stretches. Fortunately, breast rejuvenation can improve the appearance of the bust line dramatically, helping to restore youthful feminine curves.

Depending on the amount of fullness and lift desired, some women may benefit from both a breast augmentation and a breast lift, which can be performed in one surgery or in two stages.

Augmentation with implants alone may be sufficient for women who simply want to add a cup size and lost fullness. In most cases, a saline or silicone implant is placed just beneath the chest muscle for optimal results. However, in patients where both breast size and elevation need to be addressed, a breast lift may also be recommended.

Breast lift basics

Breast lift surgery, also known as mastopexy, elevates the breasts by tightening tissue and removing excess skin to give a more youthful shape and contour. There are various methods for performing this enhancement, which will depend largely on the degree of sagging, the size and downward position of the areola, and the amount of excess skin. Gravity, aging, hereditary factors, major weight fluctuations and pregnancy can all contribute to a loss of skin elasticity and drooping breasts.

Besides addressing problems with ptosis (drooping), a mastopexy can also reposition or change the size of the nipples if desired.

A breast lift does have limitations. A mastopexy alone will not add volume or roundness to the upper part of the breast, which often deflates as we age, or after multiple pregnancies. For this reason, women who want fuller and raised breasts should consider a breast lift in conjunction with augmentation.

Breast augmentation with a lift

Both procedures together may offer better breast projection and overall results for the right candidates because it addresses two distinct issues for a full rejuvenation.  Some surgeons prefer to perform the breast lift and augmentation separately, in two separate stages. This will largely depend on the patient’s aesthetic concerns, the size of implant desired, degree of ptosis, and anticipated results.  Some women may benefit from having the two procedures combined into one surgery, which allows the plastic surgeon to customize the implant position in tandem with tightening tissue, for more precise symmetry. By combining implants with a breast lift in one operation, there is also only one recovery period.

Women who need a great deal of lifting, or who want to boost their cup size from an A cup to a C cup may fare better with a staged breast lift and augmentation.

Because every patient is unique, this judgement call can only be made after a thorough physical examination and consultation with your plastic surgeon, who will choose one of the best method for delivering an excellent outcome.

Breast lift with implants in NYC

New York City plastic surgeon Dr. B. Aviva Preminger has extensive experience in all types of breast rejuvenation surgery. If you want to boost your cleavage and are considering breast augmentation with a lift, we invite you to schedule a private consultation with Dr. Preminger by calling today.