A woman constantly changes during her lifetime, hormonally, emotionally and physically. The shape and firmness of the breast is one of the most frequent female concerns as it is generally regarded the symbol of their feminine quality. Fortunately, today’s medical solutions can offer help to almost all the aesthetic problems.
Breast lift in technical terms is called mastopexy. It is a cosmetic surgical procedure that restores the shape and firmness of the breast, giving it a brand new contour or size. Generally mammoplasty greatly enhances appearance and self-confidence.
The idea is to produce a natural outcome that is proportionate to the patient’s body and also to maintain its function to beast-feed.
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Who Is The Usual Breast Lift Patient?
Women having breast ptosis, that is sagging breast that lost their elasticity and firmness due to:
- Breastfeeding
- Pregnancy
- Drastic weight loss
- Aging, aged skin
- Bad body posture
- Gravity
- Past breast augmentation
Quite often breast lift is accompanied by breast augmentation or reduction surgeries, to reach a fuller or smaller breast size.
Breast Lift Procedure
- Mastopexy is often performed as an outpatient surgery in a hospital or an accredited surgical center. Make sure to have somebody accompany and take you home.
- You will be informed about the procedure and the underlying risks and requested to sign a written consent.
- Before the surgery you are required to do some lab tests and a checkup for general health status. It might include blood test, blood pressure and mammography scanning.
- Some rules you have to observe before operation: no smoking and stop taking any blood thinning or anti-inflammatory medication.
- Breast lift surgery might be performed under local anesthesia or sedation.
- The doctor must consider the following aspects before deciding over the technique and incision pattern:
- degree of breast ptosis
- skin elasticity
- breast size
- position of the areolas
- The incision pattern will be well chosen by your plastic surgeon. He can make 3 types of incision:
- around the areola
- around the areola and a line downwards from the areola to the breast crease
- In case of high degree sagging, around the areola, line downwards from the areola to the breast crease and along the breast crease.
- The breast lift procedure continues with shaping, lifting and extra skin removal, nipple and areola repositioning and resizing if necessary and closing the breast tissue and skin.
- In case of simultaneous augmentation mastopexy the procedure is a bit different because results are not as predictable as in case of a simple breast lift or breast augmentation.
- After the surgery for a few hours or maybe overnight you will be monitored and possible post-surgery fluids will be drained from your breast with a thin tube. You will be prescribed appropriate medication to alleviate pain and prevent infection.
- You will have to wear a special bra or elastic bandage to support your breast, which will be removed after 7-10 days and reapplied to the incision for another 1-2 weeks.
- Results can be seen immediately, but you are advised to keep your breasts well protected and avoid stress and physical activity for at least a month. Your results may be photographed after 2-3 months after the surgery, so by then breasts take their final shape.
- Follow your doctor’s instructions to avoid complications.
What Are The Risks You Take?
Statistically there are low incidence rates of complications, still there are risks you have to count with:
- Scarring, painful healing of the incision.
- Infection
- Bleeding, blood clot formation and deep vein thrombosis
- Insensitive breast and nipples
- Swelling, bruising, skin pigment changes
- Undesired shape, asymmetries, painful firmness of the breasts
- Allergic reactions
- Fluid accumulation
- Difficulties in breastfeeding
Breast Lift Surgery Costs
Review your health insurance policy to see if any breast surgery costs are covered by it. In fact, in very rare occasions will it cover an aesthetic procedure, so patients usually have to count with the cost implications themselves.
The costs of the surgery are calculated before the procedure. Make sure that all the extra related costs are mentioned, like medication and pre-consultation fees, follow-up care, anesthesia, operating theatre facilities, special garments.
Prices depend on many factors, such as geographical location, the reputation of the medical facility and the doctor’s experience. In the U.S.A. doctors’ fees range between $4.000-6.000, related costs not included, so it might worth considering breast lift surgery abroad.