Breast Lift (Mastopexy) Offered by Mercy Plastic Surgeons

The goal of a breast lift is to elevate the nipple, reposition the breast tissue, and remove the excess skin. A breast lift can be performed with a variety of techniques, depending on the patient’s anatomy. Every breast lift procedure begins with an incision around the nipple. The patterns for a breast lift procedure include:

• An incision only around the areola
• An incision around the areola with a vertical incision to the breast crease
• An incision around the areola with a vertical incision to the breast crease followed by a horizontal incision across the breast crease

Once the breast incision is made, the breast is lifted and reshaped to create a more youthful looking breast.

Women seek a breast lift when they feel uncomfortable that their breasts are sagging or have lost shape. Sagging breasts can be a result of gravity, aging, breastfeeding (due to the expansion and later contraction of the breast size) and weight loss. Sagging or drooping breasts can be classified as to the degree or grade:

• Grade 1: the nipple is just above the infra-mammary fold
• Grade 2: the nipple is at the infra-mammary fold
• Grade 3: the nipple is below the infra-mammary fold

The most severe form is when the nipple is below the fold and at the lowest level of the breast. A breast lift can help reposition the nipple and add more firmness to the breast.

A breast lift does not change the size of the breast. If a patient desires to have a breast lift and increase the size of the breast, then a breast lift can be combined with a breast augmentation. If the patient desires to have a smaller breast, then a breast lift can be combined with a breast reduction.