Will Breasts Look Fuller After a Breast Lift?

This is a great question that many of our patients at Ranch and Coast Plastic Surgery ask. The answer is that they can look fuller as they will be more “perky” and no longer sag. However if it is added fullness that you are after, we recommend you get implants too. Implants can be placed during the breast lift procedure.

What is Recovery Like for a Breast Lift?

The incisions will be bandaged immediately following the surgery. Patients head home the following day with a surgical compression bra that they often leave on until showering on the second day post-surgery. Then patients can re-use this surgical bra or wear their own bra without underwire. Using ice packs is encouraged for (the first night). This can help with the pain and swelling.

Patients should stay elevated for one week after a breast lift. Oral pain medication can also be utilized to manage discomfort. Most patients experience some swelling for at least two weeks after surgery and most of the swelling is gone by 6-8 weeks. Patients are often ready to continue their daily routines after a week post-surgery and can begin non-impact cardio by 10 days.

Breast Lift In San Diego

Thanks to the aftermath of breastfeeding, aging or simply genetics, many women find themselves struggling with saggy breasts. Patients wanting to tighten up the appearance of their sagging breasts can benefit from a breast lift.

What is a Breast Lift?

A breast lift, (clinically called a Mastopexy) is when the breast is reshaped by removing excess skin and tightening the surrounding tissue to add support. Depending on the case, areolas are moved up, made smaller, and reshaped during the breast lift procedure.

How is a Breast Lift Performed?

There are 3 types of incisions that can be made to accomplish a breast lift. San Diego Cosmetic Surgeon Dr. Paul Chasan decides on the correct incision choice based on the extent of sagging and the patient's anatomy. Below are the different incision possibilities:
1. Donut (also known as the circum-areolar incision) - This incision makes a circle around the nipple. Results of this incision are mild as the minimal incision limits the amount of lift that can be accomplished.
2. Lollipop (vertical incision) - This technique is the donut with another vertical incision that extends down the center of the circle like a lollipop stick. This type of breast lift can resolve moderate to severe breast sagging.
3. Anchor - This incision is the same as the Lollipop with added anchor like incisions under the breast crease. This option is the most aggressive technique for severe breast sagging.

Breast Lift Techniques

How to Minimize Scarring and Get the Best Breast Lift Result Possible - Choose the right surgeon!

Many plastic surgeons are trained on how to do breast lifts, but Dr. Chasan has developed specific techniques to diminish scars. We encourage prospective breast lift or any augmentation patients to look at the doctor's before and after photos and scour reviews. It is also important to ask how many breast lifts the doctor has done prior and if they are board certified. Dr. Chasan is board certified and has done hundreds of breast lifts as well as thousands of breast augmentations. He pays special attention to every detail of his procedures and takes his patients concerns and goals to heart. It is of utmost importance to Dr. Chasan and our entire Plastic Surgery team that our patients scar as little as possible. In addition to our part, we make sure that patients are well aware of what they need to do too to reduce the chance of unnecessary scarring.

Questions or Ready to Schedule a Breast Lift Consultation in San Diego?

Our team at Ranch and Coast Plastic Surgery know that deciding on getting cosmetic surgery is a big one. If you are in the San Diego area and have questions about your options for a breast lift, would like to discuss breast lift costs or are ready to schedule your consultation, please contact us today.

Dr. Chasan Discusses Breast Lifts on The Wellness Hour

Randy: You say that breast lifting has a lot of art to it. It's an artistic talent.

Dr. Chasan: I think there is a lot of art to breast lifting. And the longer I've been in this game, the more I realized the disparity between artistic surgeon and non-artistic surgeon. There just is, and that's one of the big displays of my art. And you know, so often I see the patient who comes to me and I say, "I'm sorry, you're drooping and you'll need a lift," and they go down the street to Dr. X who says, "Oh no, you don't need a lift, you don't need the scars, let's just put a bigger implant and it'll fill up the volume." And to somebody who's unsuspecting that might sound right. But, if you think about it, if you are drooping without an implant and you disconnect that tissue and you put a heavy bag in there, guess what? You're going to droop more. And invariable I see these people back, "I never wanted to be this big and now I'm drooping to my knees."

So whether you need a lift or you don't need a lift is really based on your anatomy. And if your nipple is at or below the crease, your inframammary crease, you probably need a lift. And some people need volume and a lift, so they need implant and a lift. And I really pride myself on how that lift goes, how the breast looks, how round the breast can be as far as the inferior pole, that the areolas are equal, that the areolas...I like smaller areolas. I like an incision that is so faint you barely can see it. And my technique that I've talked to you before about is I'm obsessed with taking tension off the incision.

Randy: This is for minimal scarring?

Dr. Chasan: Yes. So, for example, looking at a breast lift, the bottom of the breast where you wedge out, you know, where you take out tissue here, I actually wedge out a little bit of breast tissue there. And what I do is I actually close...the breast tissue has a lot of structure, so I actually close the breast tissue and then the skin's just kissing. And if the skin's just kissing, there's no tension on the skin, you're going to have a better scar. Then, if I can do a micro bite closure and just finely close that incision so it's almost perfect, then they have the best opportunity to have the best scar. And so if I can do that on every patient, their scars are going to be a lot better.