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Another name for a breast lift
is mastopexy.
The female breast over time ages
like any other part of the human body. Aging brings
on a change in breast position that can only be
corrected with a breast lift with or without breast
augmentation. The first noticeable change is often
a sagging of the breast tissue and the nipples point
downward. The other significant change is a loss
of cleavage and fullness of the upper breast.
Dr. Chartchai's patients come
to him for a breast lift when they notice that time,
gravity, and the effects of childbirth have had
significant impact on how their breasts look.
By regaining proper nipple positioning
and cleavage, not only does a woman look more youthful
but she feels more youthful.
Often, the drooping and loss of
cleavage is corrected simply with breast implants.
If the drooping is pronounced, however, a breast
lift may be necessary, sometimes with an augmentation
as well.
What do you want to change?
Breast lifts are performed on patients that are
currently facing ptosis (a condition in which a
person's breasts sag due to natural occurrences
such as pregnancy, weight loss, breastfeeding, and
gravity).
If the volume of your breast tissue
is good but you want the "perkiness" back, a lift
by itself may be all that is necessary. If you would
like a lift but add a little more volume, breast
implants at the time of the lift may be the answer.
The benefits of having a breast
lift are many, ranging from improved appearance
to better fitting clothes. Your breasts have more
cleavage, and they sit higher on your chest and
project further. Your nipples are repositioned to
a more youthful location. Your upper body and lower
body are in better balance. You may even want to
go bra-less.
- Procedure
Donut mastopexy
The peri-areolar breast lift is also known as
a donut mastopexy, whereby an appropriate amount
of breast tissue around the areola is excised
so that the nipple/areola are positioned on top
of the sub-mammary folds.
Some women believe they need breast implants along
with a lift, but if they have significant amount
of natural breast tissue, Dr. Chartchai's skill
and technique creates enough lift to seemingly
restore the breast to a more youthful fullness.
- "Lollipop"
lift
A "Lollipop" breast lift is best when the nipple
needs to be raised a moderate amount, and will
change the breast from a hanging rectangular appearance
to a projected round appearance. This involves
a vertical incision from the areola to remove
excess tissue and skin and creates a much more
attractive, round, full shape within the lower
breast.
- "Anchor" lift
An "Anchor" breast lift is usually necessary when
nipples have descended significantly. This will
result in an additional horizontal scar. Dr. Chartchai's
technique minimizes the horizontal scar so it
is hidden completely underneath the breast. Patients
can wear any type of clothing without concern
of the scar being seen.
Recovery time
After a breast lift, a patient will experience temporary
swelling and bruising. There will be some decrease
in nipple sensation that may last from 6-12 weeks.
Or the nipples become hypersensitive and even erect.
This too will go away with time.
The most significant downside
to a breast lift is the incision scarring. Dr. Chartchai
has developed techniques to decrease the length
of the scar. Scars around the areola are well hidden
at the interface between the skin and the darker
colored areola. These scars are acceptable and few
women are concerned about them. Scars may take a
year or longer to fade.
The surgery creates a small amount
of rippling at the incision around the areola but
this usually goes away within a year or less.
You may be able to return to work
after 7-10 days, if you can avoid reaching above
shoulder level. Heavy lifting must be avoided for
6 weeks, and upper arm exercises should be restricted
for the same amount of time.
Possible complications
The most common complication after breast lifting
is asymmetry. While naturally all breasts have some
asymmetry, Dr. Chartchai intends for his patients
to achieve as much symmetry as possible. However
it is unreasonable to expect both breasts to be
exactly identical or both nipples to be perfectly
equally positioned.
Keloids
Occasionally scars will heal poorly and never
fade for some patients. A keloid is a very poor
scar and is more common in African-Americans and
other darker complexioned people. Dr. Chartchai
strives to minimize the size of incisions and thereby
minimizing the amount of potential keloid scarring.
A good indication as to how your scars will heal
is to look at other scars or incisions on your body.
If they have healed well it is unlikely that you
will scar poorly during the breast lift.
Rarely, some patients have permanent
loss of feeling in their nipples or breasts.
Other possible complications that
must be considered are those associated with any
surgical procedure. These include infection, wound
healing problems, fluid or blood collection and
contour irregularities.
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