BREAST UPLIFT (Mastopexy) SURGERY

• It lifts hanging breasts due to factors such as age, breastfeeding, and gravity. It gives them a better shape.
• To determine if you need a breast lift measure how much your breasts sag. There are two ways to do this.
  1) You can either place a pencil underneath your breast to see if it stays in place; if it does (or if your breasts sag over the pencil), it is recommended to have a breast lift.
  2) You can also easily measure yourself from the center or tip of your nipple to the sternal notch (the large, visible dip in your collar bone) to gauge how far the nipple has fallen. The standard young breast has been determined to have a measurement of about 8" (21 cm nipple to sternal notch). There is a range of possibilities and, in fact, all women have different characteristics, but an excessive deviation from this norm is reason enough to think about having a breast lift. If you find that the distance is greater than 8 inches, try moving the nipple up to this level with your opposite hand. This maneuver will give you a very rough idea of the final position if you had a breast lift performed.
• It reduces the size of the areola (circular colored skin surrounding the nipple), if it is too large.
• It corrects preexisting asymmetries between both breasts.
• It may be performed together with a silicone implant surgery if the patient also wishes to enlarge the size of her breasts.

• It does not in itself enhance the size of a woman's breasts. If your only problem is the lack of volume, we recommend that you visit the section of our site devoted to breast implants.
• Even though it will make your body look more beautiful and harmonious, and it will probably also improve your self-esteem, it will not be enough to make you look perfect. In reality many other factors are considered when having a breast lift. The final result may also differ due to stretching of the skin.

Anesthesia

Local anesthesia and complementary sedation, or general anesthesia.

Surgery length

Between one and three hours, according to the complexity of the case.

Depending on the degree of sagginess one of the following procedures will be performed:

BENELLI LIFT

This procedure is designed to lift smaller breasts that possess less than severe ptosis, or sagging, through the removal of a doughnut-shaped piece of tissue around the areola. If the areola is too large, the incision may be done inside its outline, so as to remove the part of it that is nearest to the edge. The resulting 'ring' of skin between the two incisions is removed and the edges are sutured. . If an implant is not used along with the lift, your surgery may result in a flatter, rounder breast shape. The fine scar line will be barely visible. The Benelli Lift is less invasive than full mastopexy.

When the correction needed is greater, it may be necessary to complement the periareolar (circular) incisions with a vertical one just below each one of them.

THE LOLLIPOP LIFT

The Lollipop Lift requires larger incisions than the Benelli Lift but is not as invasive as a full mastopexy. The Lollipop breast lift can be performed for women with small breasts and severe drooping or for women with larger breasts and less than severe drooping.

This procedure initially uses the same incision around the areola as the Benelli Lift with the addition of a vertical incision from the areola to the breast crease to remove a ribbon of skin and excess tissue. Along with the lifting and suturing of the areola, the two sides of the vertical incision are sutured together.

The vertical incision creates more visible scarring with the Lollipop Lift than with the Benelli Lift, but causes less scarring than a Full Pattern Mastopexy.

FULL PATTERN MASTOPEXY

Full Pattern Mastopexy is the most common breast lift surgery, requires the most incisions, and provides the maximum amount of lift. A full mastopexy is most beneficial for women with large breasts and severe sagging.

The incisions for this surgery include a key-hole shape around the areola and an anchor shape that descends vertically to the crease of the breast and from right to left along the crease. The excess skin is removed, the areola and nipple are repositioned, and the remaining skin tissue is sutured together vertically and along the lower crease of the breast.

Though there is greater scarring, Full Pattern Mastopexy offers the most dramatic reshaping results and the highest potential for a beautiful, sexy complete body shape, and scars are usually left in places that will be hidden by bras and bathing suits. Nipple placement and breast symmetry can also be problematic with full pattern Mastopexy.

You will have to stay hospitalized for one night.

Even though the results of breast lift surgery are not permanent, we may say that they last quite long.

Your breasts will look youthful and firmer for a long time. In spite of the resulting scars, when most patients evaluate the outcome, they feel that the benefits obtained far outweigh the negative aspects.