Breast Lift in Boston

What is a Breast Lift?

A Breast lift, also known as mastopexy, is a surgical procedure designed to improve the shape of the breast to give it a more lifted, perky, balanced appearance.

During this procedure, the diameter of the areola complex is reduced to a more youthful size, close to about 4 cm, and it is “lifted” and repositioned to a higher more centered position over the breast mound. Excess skin is removed as the skin envelope is tightened to give a rounder perkier, more lifted appearance to the breast. If you are looking for more lifted, perkier breasts with more volume and more fullness in the upper pole of the breast, then a breast lift can also be combined with a breast implant to achieve this.

Breast Lift Candidates

A typical breast lift candidate is a woman over the age of 18 with sagging, drooping breasts. Women desiring a breast lift surgery should ideally not be planning further pregnancies or breastfeeding. This is because your results after you receive a breast lift can change if you experience major weight gain or weight loss after surgery, as can occur with pregnancy.

Patients undergoing a breast lift following weight loss should be at or near their goal weight and should be able to maintain that weight. Fluctuations in weight can stretch the breast tissue, causing sagging. Candidates for cosmetic surgery should also be in good overall health, and nonsmokers in order to avoid to avoid complications.

A breast lift is commonly combined with other cosmetic breast procedures, including breast augmentation. By combining a breast lift with implants, breast volume can be enhanced while achieving a more lifted appearance. Patients who have sagging tissue of the breasts due to weight loss or pregnancy commonly have excess skin in other areas as well, such as the tummy, arms, or legs. These patients may wish to combine the breast lift with other contouring procedures, such as a tummy tuck, liposuction, brachioplasty, or other body lift procedures to further enhance their results.

Often, these combinations of procedures are referred to as "mommy makeovers." Dr. Eliopoulos routinely performs these more complex combinations of contouring procedures in the appropriate patients very safely. These patients love the amazing changes they can make to several areas of their body safely and effectively, all in one stage. It results in less recuperation time and less time off from work, and it is also more affordable than having the procedures done separately.

A breast lift reshapes the breast to remove excess skin, as well as repositioning and reshaping the nipple areola, giving you firmer perkier breasts for a more youthful figure.

Breast Lift Procedure

Consultation

Prior to your Breast Lift Boston Plastic Surgeon Dr. Eliopoulos will meet with you for a thorough consultation to determine your candidacy. She will examine your breast tissue, size, skin elasticity, nipple areola position, overall breast shape, and more to determine if a breast lift is right for you. Together, you will discuss your cosmetic goals. Dr. Eliopoulos can then recommend what procedure and what type of incision will provide the most benefits with the least amount of scarring.

You can also discuss the possibility of combining your lift with another procedure at the same time. Dr. Eliopoulos will also show you before and after pictures of her patients who have undergone this procedure. Patients find this to be a very useful part of the consultation process.

After multiple discussions with Dr. Eliopoulos, her patients gain realistic expectations of what they can achieve when they choose to go forward with mastopexy surgery. They also feel well-informed of their options, and are comfortable with the idea of well-hidden scars needed to reshape their breasts.

Incision Types

A variety of incisions are used to accomplish this reshaping, depending on the amount of excess skin. Sometimes incisions can be limited to simply around the areola complex, but more commonly we extended this incision into a lollipop shape with a vertical scar running from inferior areola to inframammary crease, and sometimes add a scar running along the inframammary crease. These scars are nicely hidden under bras and bathing suits. Our patients who choose this procedure are very comfortable for the trade-off of these scars for the improved shape of the breast.

• Standard anchor pattern: An incision is made around the areola, down to the crease of the breast, and along the crease at the bottom of the breast. This approach allows Dr. Eliopoulos to remove the most amount of skin to alter and reposition your breast tissue, and really make a dramatic change to the breast.
• Vertical method: An incision is placed around the areola and down the front of the breast to the crease. This incision is a good option for patients who have less excess skin and need a moderate lift, and want to minimize scarring.
• “Doughnut” incision or circumareolar lift: A circular incision is created around the nipple areola complex. This technique is good for patients who need minimal skin removal and also wish their stretched or enlarged areolas to be reduced in size. Patients often like this incision because scarring is hidden within the border of the areola nicely.

Breast Lift Before & After Photos

Procedure

Dr. Eliopoulos performs her breast lift surgeries under general anesthesia for optimum safety and comfort, at one of two accredited facilities: Lowell General Surgery Center at Drum Hill, and Lowell General Hospital. She typically marks the breasts before the operation begins, to guide the surgical procedure.

During the procedure, she will remove excess skin and reshape the tissue and nipple areola if needed. She will normally reposition the nipple areola to a higher point on the breast and a more rejuvenated, lifted position. (If patients have elected to undergo breast augmentation as part of their breast reshaping, this typically is done first and then the breast lift immediately follows.)

While you are under anesthesia, Dr. Eliopoulos will place you in a sitting position multiple times in order to view the breast in a more natural position. This helps to ensure the best shape and symmetry with your mastopexy. She will use dissolvable stitches to close your incisions beneath the skin, so you will not see any sutures externally.

There will be special surgical tape over the incisions as well, and Dr. Eliopoulos may place drains within the breast to collect excess fluid that can sometimes develop after the operation. You will wake up in a comfortable, soft banded surgical bra with fluffs of gauze tucked inside.

"I was extremely nervous about having plastic surgery. I really wanted to have a Breast Lift and Tummy Tuck. My breasts were never going to magically lift or look full. I had heard good things about Dr. Eliopoulos. I made an appointment to go see her. My experiences with this office were beyond my expectations! I feel better in my skin and I like how I look in a mirror again. I have received outstanding care at the Center for Plastic Surgery." Sandy

Recovery

Immediately following this outpatient surgery, you will relax and recuperate in the recovery room for one to two hours or so, until you feel up to going home. You will need someone to drive you home and stay with you for the first 24 hours given that you have had general anesthesia. Dr. Eliopoulos often likes to see you in the office the next day for a quick visit to make sure you are doing well.

During the first few days, you should get plenty of rest and avoid lifting or straining. You will want to do light walking to promote the healing process and maintain good circulation in your legs. If you had drains placed, they are typically removed at your one-week visit. An average of about one week is required off from work.

Your surgical tapes will be removed in the office between two to three weeks out from surgery, and again, you have no stitches to remove. At your one-month visit, Dr. Eliopoulos will hopefully allow you to resume normal physical activities and exercise, and she will give you more specific instructions at that visit. She will also give you further instructions at that time on how to best care for your scars.

Benefits of Breast Lift Surgery

Following your surgery, you will have perkier breasts with a more youthful, lifted silhouette. This often helps patients enjoy more freedom in choosing clothing styles, and patients often experience a boost in their self-esteem as well. As an added bonus, although a breast lift is primarily a cosmetic surgery, it can also potentially eliminate discomfort from sagging breasts.

Whether performed alone, in conjunction with other breast procedures such as breast augmentation, or with other body contouring procedures such as a tummy tuck and liposuction, Dr. Eliopoulos’s patients have a high rate of satisfaction with this procedure.

How Long Does A Breast Lift Last?

As with any body contouring procedure, we must understand that results can change as we age, or if we gain or lose weight. But typically, after we have repositioned the nipple higher to a more lifted position during the breast lift, that nipple areolar complex is “fixed” and will not tend to fall to the bottom of the breast again.

Commonly, even with minor fluctuations in weight, the improved breast shape may change a bit, but still tends to look better and more youthful than had we not done the breast lift in the first place.

Does Insurance Cover A Breast Lift?

Unfortunately, insurance does not cover a breast lift, which is a cosmetic procedure. If you are curious about the cost of a breast lift, we encourage you to call our office and we can review that with you.

What To Expect After A Breast Lift?

My patients are usually pleasantly surprised about their recuperation from this outpatient surgery. Although discomfort is mild, we encourage our patients to take it easy in the first few days, staying in the surgical bra most of the time.

Our Boston breast lift patients are typically back to work in a week or less. By one month, they are resuming exercising and excited with their new shape! We guide them postoperatively with scar care to achieve maximum results.

Discover Your Options

If you would like to enhance the appearance of your bust and refine your figure, we can help. Contact our office today to schedule your consultation with Dr. Eliopoulos, and to find out if a breast lift is right for you.