Breast Lift

Breast Lift (Mastopexy)

When it comes to breast surgery, many people mistakenly believe that it is all about increasing their size. Oftentimes, women are perfectly satisfied with the size of their breasts. Instead, they feel that it is their positioning that is affecting their confidence and self-esteem.

Childbirth, age and weight loss can all have a negative impact on the appearance of a woman’s breasts, causing them to avoid wearing certain clothes and even situations, such as swimming, where they feel that their breasts are more noticeable than usual. Breast lift surgery can improve the appearance of breasts, repositioning them higher on the chest, making them appear firmer, perkier, and more youthful.

Breast Lift

Over time, pregnancy, nursing, and gravity can take their toll on a woman’s breasts. As the skin loses its elasticity, the breasts may lose their shape and firmness and begin to sag. Breast lift, or mastopexy, is a surgical procedure to raise and reshape sagging breasts – at least, for a time. (No surgery can permanently delay the effects of gravity.) Mastopexy can also reduce the size of the areola, the darker skin surrounding the nipple. If your breasts are small or have lost volume – for example, after pregnancy – breast implants inserted in conjunction with mastopexy can increase both their firmness and their size.
If you’re considering a breast lift, this information will give you a basic understanding of the procedure – when it can help, how it’s performed, and what results you can expect. It can’t answer all of your questions, since a lot depends on your individual circumstances. Please be sure to ask Dr. Lesavoy if there is anything about the procedure you don’t understand.
Types of breast lift treatments
There are different types of breast lift techniques. The kind that is right for you will depend on the extent of the lift that you need, in order to achieve your desired result. Dr. Lesavoy will be able to advise you on the best type of breast lift surgery for your unique circumstance.
The ‘Donut Lift’
Also called a peri-areolar lift, this type of breast lift is designed to correct mild sagging. It most commonly performed at the same time as breast augmentation (enlargement).
One of the key benefits of this type of lift is that it leaves the patient with just one small scar around the areola. This gradually fades in redness and becomes virtually imperceptible over time.
Sometimes, the donut lift is also used to reduce areola size and make the nipples appear smaller and tighter.
The ‘Lollipop Lift’
Also called the vertical lift, is designed to correct moderate sagging.
In the Lollipop Lift, Dr. Lesavoy can reshape the entire breast and remove some excess skin, leaving breasts looking tighter, firmer, and more youthful.
Incisions are made around the areola, and run from the areola to the inframammary fold, creating the lollipop shape, which gives this lift its name.
The ‘Anchor Lift’
Sometimes referred to as an inverted T lift, this is the most dramatic and best style of breast lift. Anchor lifts are recommended for patients who have signifigant pendulous breasts that require extensive lifting and reshaping.
The anchor lift requires the surgeon to make three incisions into the breast tissue. In addition to the lollipop shape, there is a third incision made along with inframammary fold along the crease of the breast.
The three incisions mean that the anchor lift causes the most scarring of all three types, but as with all surgical scars, they will fade over time.
BEST CANDIDATES FOR A BREAST LIFT
Before we can approve any patient for a cosmetic surgery procedure, you will need to attend a consultation appointment with Dr. Lesavoy.

While a breast lift can enhance your appearance and your self-confidence, it won’t necessarily change your looks to match your idea of perfection, or cause others to treat you differently. Before you decide to have breast lift surgery, think carefully about your expectations and discuss them with Dr. Lesavoy.

The best candidates for mastopexy are healthy, emotionally-stable women who are realistic about what breast lift 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.

However, most patients are candidates for breast lift surgery, especially patients with the following conditions:

  • Nipples that point downwards
  • Breasts that are significantly asymmetrical and sagging
  • Areolas or nipples that sit partially or fully underneath the crease of the breast
  • A severe dislike of the shape or position of their breasts even while wearing a bra
ANESTHESIA FOR BREAST LIFT SURGEY
Breast lifts are usually performed under general anesthesia, which means you’ll sleep through the operation. In selected patients – particularly when a smaller incision is being made – Dr. Lesavoy may use local anesthesia, combined with a sedative to make you drowsy. You’ll be awake but relaxed and will feel minimal discomfort.
AFTER BREAST LIFT SURGERY
After the breast lift surgery, you’ll need to wear an elastic bandage or a surgical bra over the gauze dressings. Your breasts will be bruised, swollen, and uncomfortable for a day or two, but you shouldn’t have severe pain. Any discomfort you do feel can be relieved with medications prescribed by Dr. Lesavoy.

In a few days, the bandages or surgical bra will be replaced by a soft support bra. You’ll need to wear this bra around the clock for three to four weeks, over a layer of gauze. The stitches will be removed after a week or two.

If your breast skin is very dry following surgery, you can apply a moisturizer several times a day. Be careful not to tug at your skin in the process and keep the moisturizer away from the suture areas.

You can expect some loss of feeling in your nipples and breast skin, caused by the swelling after surgery. This numbness usually fades as the swelling subsides over the next six weeks or so. In some patients, however, it may last a year or more, and occasionally it may be permanent.

RECOVERY AFTER A BREAST LIFT
A breast lift is a major surgery, and it will take some time to recover. When you first come around after your procedure, you can expect your breasts to be tightly bandaged.
You should also expect to experience some pain and tightness in your chest. Dr. Lesavoy will prescribe you medication to help alleviate your discomfort.

You will normally be advised to take off from work for at least 7-14 days after surgery. Two weeks after your surgery, you will need to return to our offices to have your sutures removed. However, you can expect to need to wear a sports or post-surgery bra for a minimum of 6 weeks after your procedure.

Dr. Lesavoy will give you specific instructions to follow to ensure the best possible recovery and results from your breast lift surgery. He will also schedule regular appointments with you, so that he can check on the progress of your healing and ensure that your breast list is successful.

Dr. Lesavoy is a highly skilled and experienced board-certified Plastic Surgeon who is delighted to be able to provide an exceptional standard of breast lift surgery and patient care to patients in Beverly Hills and the surrounding area. If you would like to find out more about his cosmetic surgery services or schedule a consultation, please do not hesitate to call us today at 310-248-5451.

RECOVERING FROM SURGERY
It could take up to six weeks for you to recover from a combined mastectomy and reconstruction or from a flap reconstruction alone.

If implants are used without flaps and reconstruction is done apart from the mastectomy, your recovery time may be less.

Reconstruction cannot restore normal sensation to your breast, but in time, some feeling may return. Most scars will fade substantially over time, though it may take as long as one to two years, but they’ll never disappear entirely. The better the quality of your overall reconstruction, the less distracting you’ll find those scars.

Follow Dr. Lesavoy’s advice on when to begin stretching exercises and normal activities. As a general rule, you’ll want to refrain from any overhead lifting, strenuous sports, and sexual activity for three to six weeks following reconstruction.

YOUR NEW LOOK
Very often, your reconstructed breast may feel firmer and look rounder or flatter than your natural breast. It may not have the same contour as your breast before mastectomy, nor will it exactly match your opposite breast. But these differences will be apparent only to you. For most mastectomy patients, breast reconstruction dramatically improves their appearance and quality of life following surgery.
CAN I HAVE JUST ONE BREAST RECONSTRUCTED?
If you only have cancer in one breast, then you may have chosen to have a single mastectomy, which only removes the affected breast. Single breast reconstruction is extremely common.

Dr. Lesavoy has the skill and experience to be able to reconstruct your new breast, so it looks and feels symmetrical to your natural one.

WILL I NEED A NIPPLE RECONSTRUCTION?
Nipple reconstruction takes place in a separate surgery that usually occurs a few months after your breasts have been reconstructed.

This gives them time to heal into their new, permanent shape, so you can be sure that the nipple placement looks natural. Nipple reconstructions are usually performed by manipulating a small part of the skin on your newly reconstructed breast.

Unfortunately, a mastectomy severs the nerves that provide sensation to the breasts. This means that your reconstructed breast and nipples will not have any feeling. However, they will look and feel completely natural.

HOW SOON AFTER MY MASTECOMY CAN I HAVE MY RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY?
Many women are understandably devastated by the loss of their breasts and want to undergo reconstructive surgery as soon as possible.

While it is possible to have reconstructive surgery at the same time as a mastectomy, you might be advised to wait until your treatment program is complete, if you require additional cancer treatment such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

Dr. Lesavoy will always strongly recommend that you take the advice of your oncologist before deciding to have your breast reconstruction surgery.

If you have had, or are schedule for, a lumpectomy or mastectomy, you don’t have to live without your curves forever. A breast reconstruction can restore your shape and help you feel feminine, sexy, and like yourself again. Want to learn more about the benefits of breast reconstruction with Dr. Lesavoy? Schedule a consultation today at 888-537-2869.

Come On In

Book a Complimentary Consultation and Tell Us How We Can Help You

Get In Touch

Contact Form

Address

  • 9301 Wilshire Boulevard #410
  • Beverly Hills, CA 90210
  • US

Phone

(310) 248-5451

Email

drlesavoy@aol.com
Privacy Policy Cookie Policy Terms and Conditions Skip to content