Breast augmentation remains one of the most frequently performed cosmetic plastic surgery procedures. The question of when to incorporate a breast lift is often discussed during the initial consultation appointment. The combination of a breast lift with breast augmentation is termed augmentation mastopexy. The word augmentation indicates that we a enlarging the breasts, while the word mastopexy means breast lift.
Breast lifts are indicated when the breast sags past the fold under the breast. This fold is called the inframammary fold or IMF for short. Breast lifts are also performed to reposition the nipple higher on the breast. Usually raising both the nipple and the breast are needed.
For breast that have always been small, there is less sagging, and a breast lift is not usually necessary. If the breasts have deflated, but have not dropped, then breast augmentation alone is usually be enough. When the nipples are above the IMF, and the breast tissue is below the IMF this is termed pseudoptosis, or fake sagging. If the goal is to increase the bust size, pseudoptosis can often be corrected with breast augmentation alone.
When there is true sagging, coupled with a desire to increase the size of the breast, then the combination of a breast lift with breast implants is one of the most useful combinations available. The series of videos that follow discuss breast augmentation and breast lifts. There are many variations and combinations of the procedures, so the information here is kept in general terms.
This is segment one of four from a recent airing of KRON’s Body Beautiful with Vicki Liviakis. The 800 number shown was for the live broadcast, so if you have questions please call my office directly at (925) 943-6353, or use the contact form to the left. Additional information can also be obtained from the links at the end of this article.
This episode includes:
Breast Augmentation vs. Breast Lift or the combination Augmentation Mastopexy.
When is Breast Augmentation alone enough?
What causes the breasts to sag (Breast Ptosis)?
How do plastic surgeons define breast ptosis (sagging)?
What is corrected with a Breast Lift (Mastopexy)?
How does a Breast Lift affect nipple position?
How does a Breast Lift affect the breast mound?
How does a Breast Lift affect the breast skin?
How is Breast Augmentation performed?
What is the recovery after a Breast Lift?
What is the recovery after a Breast Augmentation?
Breast feeding after Breast Augmentation and Breast Lifts.
If you are interested in learning what specific treatment will work best for you, a personal consultation appointment would be the best way to find out. A Board Certified Plastic Surgeon can help define your goals and tailor the treatment to best achieve the results you desire. To schedule your consultation, please call (925) 943-6353.
Additional information on Breast Augmentation and Breast Lifts can be found here:
Dr. Joseph Mele appears on the Bay Area's News Channel, KRON4's Body Beautiful
Thank You
Thank you Bay Area plastic surgery patients, for a great show yesterday. We discussed breast augmentation, breast lifts, breast reduction and combinations of all the above. For anyone who missed the show, and is interested in seeing the broadcast, I will be posting it here in the San Francisco Plastic Surgery Blog very soon.
KRON4′s Body Beautiful
Body Beautiful is a live show that allows you to call in with your questions. Unfortunately, it was not possible to answer everyone’s questions in half an hour. However, you can always send me your question by using the contact form found in the lower left corner of this page.
Breast Lift Before and After Pictures
Several pictures where used to illustrate the results possible with Breast Augmentation (Mammaplasty) , Breast Lift (Mastopexy) and Breast Augmentation Lift (Augmentation Mastopexy). While censored for television, the breast augmentation before and after pictures demonstrated the natural fullness that can be achieved with a breast implant. The breast lift before and after pictures showed how the breast and nipple are lifted with the mastopexy. The two procedures can also be combined and the breast augmentation mastopexy, or breast augmentation lift. The breast augmentation mastopexy before and after pictures show what the procedures can achieve when performed together.
Breast Lifts not only lift the breast, but also reposition the nipple. Since the nipple and areola on the before and after pictures have to be censored for the breast lift video segment shown on network television, some of the details are lost. I will show you here, what I cannot broadcast on television.
Before Breast Lift with Breast Reduction: Notice the nipple position. When the nipple is located at the bottom of the breast, this is classified as Grade III ptosis. The breast mound is below the inframammary fold (IMF), and overlies the upper abdomen
After Breast Lift with Breast Reduction: The nipple and breast are now perky. The breast has been moved up onto the chest, and the nipple has been moved up on the breast. Can you find the freckle just above the nipple over in the before picture?
What Can a Breast Lift Do?
The above, breast lift with breast reduction before and after pictures, show what a lift can achieve. The breast has been lifted off the upper abdomen and placed back onto the chest. Since breast reduction was also performed, some breast volume was reduced. Reducing breast volume is not required to achieve a breast lift. A breast lift can be done with breast augmentation to add volume, with breast reduction to reduce volume or by itself when the breast volume is fine.
The pictures show that the nipple has been lifted from its dependent position at the bottom of the breast, to the point that is most anterior. The nipple was at elbow level before the lift, afterward the nipple is at the midpoint of the upper arm. Before the mastopexy the breast look old, sad and tired, afterward, the breasts appear young and perky.
Another measure of how for the nipple has moved is demonstrated by the freckle that is just above the nipple after the lift. The same freckle can be seen (more faintly) in the before picture, near the center of the chest, on the upper breast mound, about half way between the nipple and the collar bone. This shows not only how far the nipple has moved, but also how much breast tissue has been moved up under the skin. Even the cleavage has been moved up on the chest, and this is with volume reduction. Upper pole fullness can be further enhanced with the use of a breast implant.
Many Types of Breast Lifts are Available
The lift used above is an inverted-T mastopexy. This is also called the keyhole lift or anchor lift, and is the biggest lift performed. In the after picture the scar can be seen. It runs around in a circle around the nipple, from the nipple down to the base of the breast, and along the bottom of the breast in the inframammary fold (IMF). The vertical incision and the incision around the areola allow for the repositioning of the nipple higher on the breast. The periareolar (around the areola) incision also allows for reduction of the areola’s diameter if desired. The horizontal incision, in the IMF at the base of the breast, allows the breast mound to be moved upwards and reduces the skin in the lower breast to help support the breast tissue up.
Many types of breast lifts are available. My goal is to always choose the smallest lift that will give us the results we desire. In this case, this is the biggest lift available. While there is more scar length, the quality of the lift, and the control achieved, makes the result worthwhile. Not only is the breast rejuvenated in appearance, but the reduction of breast skin also firms the breasts, resulting in less pendulous breast movement and more patient comfort when physically active.
More Information on Breast Augmentation, Breast Lifts and Breast Reduction
Click on any of the following links for more information on the topic covered in this post courtesy of DrMele.com:
Dr. Joseph Mele appears on KRON4's Body Beautiful.
Write down all your questions about Breast Lift San Francisco and Breast Augmentation Bay Area. Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, and breast enhancement expert, Dr. Joseph Mele, will be answering questions regarding cosmetic breast enhancement, live, on Channel 4, this Monday.
Back by popular demand, Dr. Joseph Mele will be the guest on San Francisco KRON4′s Body Beautiful. Hosted by Vicki Liviakis, Body Beautiful shows you the latest trends and treatments in cosmetic surgery. Bay Area residents can call in, and have their questions answered live, on Monday, September 20, 2010, between 11:00 and 11:30 AM.
A special 800 number will be displayed during the program. If you have plastic surgery questions, call in and ask Dr. Mele. If you are not available Monday at 11 AM, email your question and TiVo the answer. (EDIT: This show has aired, but you can still ask me questions by using the contact form on the lower left of this page, click here, or call (925) 943-6353.)
Please join us. This week’s show will focus on the most popular breast enhancing procedures: Breast Augmentation, Breast Lifts and the combination Breast Augmentation Mastopexy. Questions can also be submitted off air, at any time, by using the contact form on this page (in the lower left corner).
Before and after pictures for men and women are included; however, this video is geared primarily toward female breast reduction. For a video covering male breast reduction (gynecomastia reduction) go back one article or click here -> Gynecomastia Reduction (Male Breast Reduction) Video.
This video reviews many aspects of female breast reduction. San Francisco’s KRON4 anchor, Vicki Liviakis, asks the difficult questions that women considering breast reduction surgery need answered. This breast reduction video was broadcast live on Body Beautiful. The 800 number displayed was for the live show only. If you have questions about gynecomastia reduction surgery, please call my Walnut Creek Plastic Surgery Office at (925) 943-6353, or use the contact form to the left.
Breast Reduction San Francisco
What Breast Reduction Information is Provided?
This Breast Reduction Video covers:
The Indications for Breast Reduction Surgery:
Lower Neck Pain
Upper Back Pain
Shoulder Pain
Shoulder Rutting (dents from the bra straps)
Rashes in the Skin Folds under the Breasts
Breast Reduction Before and After Pictures
Male Breast Reduction (Gynecomastia Reduction) with Liposcution
Female Breast Reduction Surgery with Correction of Breast Asymmetry
Does Insurance Cover Breast Reduction Surgery?
Viewer Questions:
How Does Diabetes Effect Plastic Surgery?
How Does Scar Formation Effect Plastic Surgery?
If I Have a Breast Lift, Do I Have to Have Breast Reduction?
How Does Breast Reduction Influence Exercise?
How Does Breast Reduction Influence Breast Feeding?
