What is the difference between a breast lift vs breast augmentation to increase breast size?

Doctor's Answers 2

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Dr Samuel Ho

Plastic Surgeon

Thank you for your question!

Breast lift, or mastopexy, is a procedure performed for droopy breasts that usually occur after breastfeeding or with age. It seeks to remove excess skin laxity and reposition the breast tissue and nipple/areolar to a higher, more aesthetic-looking location. However, it does not add volume to the breast, although the breast may appear to be “fuller” or perkier after the mastopexy procedure. An implant may still be required to add volume to the deflated breast in addition to the mastopexy; this is more accurately termed augmentation mastopexy.

In selected cases, a breast implant alone may be all that is required to create the lift need for a droopy breast.

To determine whether you require a breast lift/mastopexy, an augmentation mastopexy or a breast augmentation alone, it is best that you are examined by a fully-qualified plastic surgeon, who would then be best placed to advise you.

I hope this has been helpful!

Breast augmentation with implants can increase the size of the breasts and lift the nipple position, whereas a breast lift removes excess breast skin and lifts nipple position without increasing its size.

There are techniques to rearrange the breast tissues when doing a breast lift to make it more pert and thereby giving the illusion that it is bigger!

Similar Questions

Are there any side effects such as loss of sensation after breast augmentation?

Sensory loss in the breast or more specifically, the nipple-areolar, complex is an uncommon complication of breast augmentation, occurring in less than 1% of simple breast augmentation. This is more associated with excessively large implants, poor breast pocket dissection and excessive retraction, and the use of surgical incisions around the areolar to place the implant in. I typically place my implants through a tiny incision in the fold on the underside of the breast.

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Answered By

Dr Samuel Ho

Plastic Surgeon

How long will I take to recover after breast implant surgery?

For breast augmentation with implants, I usually tell my patients to plan for a week off work. However, most patients feel well enough to return to work before the week is up. Patients recover faster and feel less pain after subglandular (implant is placed above muscle) compared to submuscular (implant is placed under muscle). Either technique has its own advantages and disadvantages. I think its good to have a discussion with your plastic surgeon about which technique to use.

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