Procedures
MASTOPEXY (uplift
with short scars)
Over the years, factors such as pregnancy, nursing, and the force of gravity
take their toll on a woman’s breasts. As the skin loses its' elasticity,
the breasts often lose their shape and firmness and begin to sag. Breast lift, or mastopexy, is a surgical procedure to raise and reshape sagging
breasts. Mastopexy can also reduce the size of the areola, the darker skin surrounding
the nipple. If your breasts are small or have lost volume—for example,
after pregnancy—breast implants inserted in conjunction with mastopexy
can increase both their firmness and their size.
THE BEST CANDIDATES FOR BREAST LIFT
Many women seek mastopexy because pregnancy and nursing have left
them with stretched skin and less volume in their breasts. However if
you are planning to have more children, it may be a good idea to postpone
your breast lift. While there are no special risks that affect future
pregnancies (for example, mastopexy usually doesn’t interfere with
breast feeding), pregnancy is likely to stretch your breasts and offset the results of the procedure.
PLANNING YOUR SURGERY
Thus, the most common patient has finished child bearing and desires the
renewal or the more youthful restoration, full, “perky” breasts.
The goals are frequently one or all of these:
• Elevate the lowered nipple location (and possibly reduce its size);
• Tighten the loose, sagging skin;
• Restore the fullness of the entire breast, especially the upper part below the
collar-bone (upper pole fullness)
AFTER YOUR SURGERY
Current trends in the breast uplift (mastopexy) demand creating
as little incisional scar as possible. The “anchor” scar
is now rarely used; instead incisions limited to around the nipple
or some vertical component are the norm. In some severe cases,
a small incision in the fold may be required.
The effectiveness and
longevity of the lift (especially maintaining the fullness at the
top of the breast) may be improved with simultaneous insertion of
an implant but for those patients who refuse an implant, improvement
can still be obtained. Over the passage of time, gravity, loss of elasticity, skin thickness and
genetic factors really determine the effectiveness
and duration of the result. Consequently, some individuals may require a “re-lift” at some point in the future.
Again, as in most all of our
procedures, patients have resumed their normal activities after two weeks (except
strenuous upper body activities).
