There is more to mastopexy than just lifting the breasts. There are several possible techniques, and each has its own distinct advantages in certain situations. At the office of Dr. Bruce Kadz in Beverly Hills, CA, we pride ourselves in delivering “beauty redefined in the hands of excellence”. Let’s discuss the most commonly performed breast lift techniques to help you understand which one is right for you to achieve your unique aesthetic goals.
What Are the Most Common Breast Lift Techniques?
Crescent
The crescent lift is not used as common as the donut or lollipop lifts discussed below. However, it is still extremely effective in certain cases. This method involves placing an incision along the upper half of the areola. During this procedure, a crescent-shaped piece of skin is removed from just above the areola. The cut ends are then reattached with fine sutures which may be biodegradable.
This technique is not used very often because it is best suited for women with only a slight degree of sagging. It is almost always performed in conjunction with breast augmentation. We strongly recommend the crescent lift if you suffer from a mild degree of sagging and would like to correct nipple asymmetry. Nipple asymmetry is a condition describing one nipple being higher than the other. It does not compare the size of the two nipples.
Donut
The donut lift involves nothing more than an incision created around the areola’s perimeter. It is also known as a Benelli lift, named after the surgeon who invented the technique in 1990. This method is best suited for women who have a mild to moderate degree of sagging. However, if it is used in conjunction with breast implants, it can effectively eliminate more severe sagging.
Lollipop
The lollipop lift uses an incision created around the perimeter of the areola and down the areola vertically to the breast crease. This is also known as a keyhole incision. This technique is ideal for women who have only a moderate degree of sagging but cannot be helped adequately by alternative methods, such as a PDO thread lift. This technique is not well suited for women who wish to receive breast implants along with their lift.
Inverted T
The inverted T lift is the most commonly performed mastopexy method. This procedure is so named because the incisions are created along the base of the breast and down its middle. Like every other technique on this list, this mastopexy technique involves an incision hidden within the dark creases of the areola.
You may also hear people refer to this technique as Wise pattern mastopexy or Anchor pattern mastopexy. It is similar to the pattern used in inverted T breast reduction. We strongly recommend this technique for women who have a great deal of excess breast skin or deflation of breast volume. These conditions usually occur after drastic weight loss and nursing.
Am I a Good Candidate for a Breast Lift?
During your initial consultation, we will help you determine if you are an ideal candidate for a breast lift. We will review your medical history, perform a physical examination to assess your current health and compare the current position of your breasts and areola to your aesthetic goals.
In general, the best candidate for a breast lift has downward-pointing nipples and areolas, has experienced moderate-to-extreme volume loss and feels their breasts are not perky enough. The best candidates are also characterized by certain things:
They Don’t Smoke
The best candidates for mastopexy are non-smokers. You must commit to abstaining from all forms of nicotine, including cigarettes, for six weeks before and after your procedure. Nicotine raises your blood pressure, which can affect the course or outcome of your procedure. Ask your general health practitioner for local resources if you need help to quit.
They’re In Good General Health
Being generally healthy is important before you undergo nearly any medical procedure. This means the best candidates do not have any blood diseases, such as those requiring anti-clotting or antiplatelet medications. It is also important to not undergo this procedure within two weeks of having an infection. It is essential that your body is well-rested and healed from any illness before the procedure.
They Are Self-Conscious About the Lift of Their Breasts
It’s important to understand that mastopexy does not change the volume or projection of the breasts. It only affects their lift. However, if you are considering this procedure to complement a breast reduction, you should know that the lift may cause your breasts to appear slightly smaller.
Does Mastopexy Pair Well With Other Procedures?
There are several other body contouring procedures that help mastopexy perfect your proportions. Among these are abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), Brazilian Butt lift, breast reduction, breast augmentation, thigh lift and arm lift.
Breast Augmentation
Many women combine breast augmentation and mastopexy to perfect the size, shape and position of their breasts after nursing. Even when nursing mothers pump breast milk to compensate for their infant preferring one breast to the other, asymmetry can still occur. Other women are born with asymmetrical breasts.
Regardless of your reason for wanting to increase the volume of your breasts, there are innumerable breast lift options for you to choose from. From the type of implant to its shape, to the technique used, to the volume increase you want, you can achieve the perfect breasts with breast augmentation and mastopexy.
Breast Reduction
Breast reduction is another complementary procedure for mastopexy. There is a common misconception that reducing the size of your breasts will enhance their lift. However, this is not the case. The only way to enhance the lift of your breasts is to receive mastopexy. At the same time, you should talk to us about a breast reduction if you feel one breast is larger than the other and you believe both breasts are too large overall.
Liposuction
Some women opt for liposuction of the breasts to reduce the fatty tissue volume accumulated there. Other women need liposuction on their arms, legs, hips, back or abdomen, among other places. If you are receiving mastopexy to perfect your contours, there may be other parts of your body that you would like to enhance. Having multiple procedures performed on the same day will save you a significant amount of money on surgeon’s fees, anesthesia fees and other fees.
Abdominoplasty
Especially for women who desire mastopexy after pregnancy, abdominoplasty is an excellent complement to the procedure. Abdominoplasty is used to address many medical and cosmetic concerns, including lower back pain, bladder control disorders, ventral hernias and more. It removes excess fat deposits and excess skin, tightens loose, sagging skin and tightens weak abdominal muscles.
When considering if abdominoplasty is right for you, you need to know that there are three types of abdominoplasty.
Mini-Tuck
First, there is a procedure known as the mini-tuck. It only addresses excess fat and skin below the navel. This is the most common body contouring procedure for women who have experienced physical changes during and immediately after childbirth.
Full Tuck
Second, there is a full tummy tuck, which addresses weak abdominal muscles, excess skin and fat and loose fat above and below the belly button.
Extended Tuck
Finally, an extended tummy tuck is used to address all the same concerns as a full tummy tuck as well as excess fat and skin on the lower back, sides and hips.
Brazilian Butt Lift
If you are perfecting the contour of your breasts, you need to consider your overall proportions. This includes the proportions of your breasts to your waist, hips and buttocks. A Brazilian butt lift may involve buttock implants. However, it is far more common for women to opt for analogous fat transfer when receiving a Brazilian buttock lift.
Analogous fat transfer entails removing fat from one part of the body via liposuction, processing it and injecting it into strategic parts of the buttocks. The fat may be removed from any number of your body’s regions, including the inner thighs, lower abdomen, hips, lower back and flanks. If you would like to go this route, we will assess the volume of fat deposits on your body to advise you on which areas have enough fat to complete the buttock augmentation.
Vaginal Rejuvenation
We offer several mommy makeover packages that include vaginal rejuvenation procedures with mastopexy. For some women, labiaplasty is desired to shorten the length of the labia minora, improving symmetry.
Other women lack confidence in their mons pubis region. For these women, we strongly recommend monsplasty to contour the pubic region. Childbirth, aging, weight gain or less-than-ideal genes should not make any woman feel self-conscious. We want you to feel comfortable and confident in your skin.
Achieve the Contours of Your Dreams Today
Whether your sagging, drooping breasts are due to extreme weight loss, rapid weight gain, pregnancy or just age, you don’t have to settle for your current aesthetic. To discover which breast lift method is right for you, contact the office of Dr. Bruce Kadz in Beverly Hills, CA today to schedule your initial consultation.
