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BREAST LIFT SURGERY IN SCOTTSDALE & PHOENIX
Gravity, pregnancy, breast feeding, and genetics can all contribute to undesirable changes in the appearance of your breasts. Sagging breasts can result from a loss of volume due to breastfeeding, weight loss or changes in skin texture and elasticity due to aging. While all of these changes are common, it can be disappointing to lose your youthful breast shape and size. Scottsdale and Phoenix Breast Lift Specialist Dr. Jonathan Weinrach uses his surgical expertise to reshape breasts for a rejuvenated appearance. If you are considering a breast lift or other cosmetic breast surgery in Phoenix or Scottsdale, contact us with any questions or to schedule your consultation appointment.
BENEFITS OF BREAST LIFT SURGERY
Breast lift surgery, also called mastopexy, offers many benefits for candidates:
- Eliminate sagging caused by aging, pregnancy, or weight loss
- Reposition nipples that have begun to droop
- Reduce the size of the areola
- Remove excess skin that can cause physical discomfort
- Improve breast shape
- Feel more confident
Breast Lift Patient Testimonials
How A Breast Lift Works
Breast lift surgery usually takes between two and three hours, depending on the patient’s individual anatomy. Breast lift surgery is typically performed as an outpatient procedure with the use of general anesthesia. Dr. Weinrach is experienced in a range of surgical mastopexy techniques. The method and technique used for your breast lift will depend on a number of factors, such as skin quality, breast volume, and whether or not you have had any breast surgery in the past. Occasionally, some minor lifts involving the lifting the nipple a short distance can be done with local anesthesia in an office setting.
Most breast lifts will include two to three incisions. One will circle the areola, while the second will start under the areola and run to the bottom of the breast. The third, if needed, is made in the crease where the breast meets the chest and varies in length depending on the amount of skin to be removed. When the third horizontal incision is not needed, this is what is oftentimes referred to as a “lollipop” incision.
Once all excess skin is removed, the nipple and areola are moved upwards into a more appealing position. The incisions are then meticulously closed – a nice closure without too much tension maximizes the chance of obtaining the best scar with minimum visibility.
If breast implants are planned, they are usually placed under the chest wall muscle. The overall goal of a breast lift is to help a woman attain younger-looking breasts by reversing sagging, elevating the nipple into a more youthful position, and adding fullness to the upper part of the breast. Safety is always Dr. Weinrach’s number one priority and he performs breast lift surgery only in fully accredited facilities using board-certified anesthesiologists.
Types of Breast Lifts
There are a variety of techniques and incision types may be used for breast lift surgery, including:
A crescent lift is a minimally invasive procedure for patients who have very little breast sagging and need the nipple lifted a very short distance. A crescent lift is not a common procedure but when indicated can be the perfect solution with minimal downtime.
Sometimes referred to as a “donut lift”, this is a common procedure for patients in need of a reduction of the size of the areola as well as a lift of the nipple for a short distance. This is not a procedure for removing or repositioning significant sagging of excess breast tissue.
This technique is used for patients who are in need of greater amounts of lift of the nipple and areola, as well as who have signficant sagging of the lower breast tissue as well. This is the technique that uses what is often referred to as the “lollipop” type of incision. This does leave a scar around the areola as well as on the lower pole of the breast; however this is in exchange for greatly improved breast contour.
An inverted T lift is reserved for patients with the most severe breast sagging who require large amounts of skin and tissue removed. “Inverted T” refers to the shape of the incision and scar that is used – a horizontal incision in the crease where the breast meets the chest in addition to the vertical incision in the lower pole of the breast make it possible for the surgeon to remove the most amount of skin.
Want to learn more?
Make your aesthetic goals a reality. Jonathan C. Weinrach, MD FACS and his team look forward to exceeding your expectations. Schedule a personalized consult with Dr. Weinrach by clicking below.
Want to learn more?
Make your aesthetic goals a reality. Jonathan C. Weinrach, MD FACS and his team look forward to exceeding your expectations. Schedule a personalized consult with Dr. Weinrach by clicking below.
Who Is a Good Candidate for a Breast Lift
Breast Lift is done to correct sagging breast tissue and to raise and reposition a nipple and areola that is too low. Breast sagging can occur after breast feeding, weight loss, or just simply from time and gravity. Good candidates include women who are at a healthy, stable weight and who do not smoke. Cigarette smoke and other nicotine containing products such as patches, gums, and electronic cigarettes (vaping) greatly increase risk of major complications – the nicotine in these products, and the carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke decrease the blood flow and oxygen delivery to healing breast and nipple tissues. Non healing and loss of these tissues can result when a breast lift is done on women who use these products.
Expectations must also be realistic. Breast lift can greatly improve breast contour and and appearance, however one must be accepting of permanent scars on the breasts. Many women are very happy with the trade-off of permanent breast scars in exchange for more beautiful breasts. However, some women understandably are not comfortable with breast scarring; these women are not candidates for breast lift.
PREPARING FOR BREAST LIFT SURGERY
If you are considering breast lift surgery, the first step is to schedule a consultation appointment with Dr. Weinrach at our Scottsdale office. During your consultation appointment, he will discuss your goals and your medical history, examine your breasts, and explain your options. If you decide that a breast lift is right for you, Dr. Weinrach will give you pre-surgical guidelines, which will include stopping smoking and all nicotine containing products.
BREAST LIFT RECOVERY
After the procedure, your breasts will be covered with a light dressing and a surgical bra or elastic bandage. Mild swelling and bruising after a breast lift may occur, and Dr. Weinrach will prescribe the proper medication to relieve any discomfort. In the days following surgery, light activity is encouraged to get your body up and moving around. The vast majority of patients feel well enough to return to work and their normal daily routines in about one week. It is important to avoid any strenuous exercise for several weeks.
Dr. Weinrach will follow you closely after surgery to monitor the healing process. In addition to postoperative office visits, patients are always encouraged to contact us in the days and weeks after their procedure to update us with their progress. Feel free to call Dr. Weinrach at any time if you have any health concerns after a breast lift.
BREAST LIFT RESULTS
The vast majority of patients are highly satisfied after a breast lift. Breast lift surgery is an effective long-term solution to give your breasts a more youthful appearance. Breast lift surgery results are long-lasting and you can optimize the longevity of your results by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and a stable weight.1 Use of a good, supportive bra as often as possible is also helpful to maintain newly lifted and rejuvenated breasts. It is important to remember that scars from a lift are permanent. However, scars gradually fade over time and are a welcome trade-off for beautifully lifted and more youthful breasts.
BREAST LIFT WITH BREAST AUGMENTATION
If you would like to add lift and volume to your breasts, you may consider breast implants. Breast augmentation in combination with a breast lift can be performed as a combination procedure, but not always. There is some controversy to this topic. A breast implant can be safely placed at the time of breast lift when a relatively smaller volume implant is placed, in healthy non smoking patients. Women who desire a lift who already have breast implants but desire a smaller implant are great candidates to have the implant and lift done together. Women who desire very large breast implants who require a significant lift of the nipple should have a staged procedure in Dr. Weinrach’s opinion. The pressure of a large implant behind the nipple in addition to the significant tissue rearrangement with a significant lift of the nipple can unsafely affect the blood supply to the nipple. The tension on the closure of the incisions needed for a breast lift from a large implant can cause healing complications as well. It is best to do the breast lift and breast implant in two separate operations in these types of situations.
Meet
Dr. Weinrach
Dr. Weinrach is dedicated to helping patients achieve their aesthetic goals through an individualized approach to patient care and commitment to safety. His extensive experience and unique skill set produces long-lasting, natural looking results.
CONTACT DR. WEINRACH FOR BREAST LIFT SURGERY IN SCOTTSDALE & PHOENIX
The easiest way to decide if a breast lift will deliver the results you want is to schedule a consultation with Dr. Weinrach and his experienced team. Our beautiful and friendly office and staff will make you feel right at home once you step inside. Call us at (480) 634-6014 with any questions or easily book an appointment online through our contact form. We look forward to helping you!
Breast lift faqs
What is the price of breast lift surgery?
Breast Lift/Mastopexy (no implant): $11,100
Breast Lift with Silicone Gel Implants: $16,700
Breast Lift with Saline Implants: $15,200
*Above prices include facility, anesthesia, implants, and surgeon fees. Prices are estimates based on average cases. Any individual case could cost more or less; a consultation is needed to best determine cost.
Why does breast lift surgery become necessary?
Some women are blessed with very good genetics and maintain breast tissue that remains relatively youthful in appearance without sagging. Other women, whether due to genetics, pregnancy, weight loss, or other reasons can develop weakness of the breast tissues with sagging and loss of volume. This can result in an abnormally low position of the nipple on the breast, excess breast skin, loss of volume, and a deflated appearance to the breast. Breast lift can address and correct these issues.
When do you recommend implants with a lift?
Women with an abnormally low position of the nipple on the breast, who have excess breast skin with sagging and loss of upper pole breast volume are good candidates for a breast lift with implants.
What type of results can I expect from cosmetic breast lift?
Breast lift does involve placing incisions on the breast, which does result in scars. However the tradeoff is greatly improved breast contour. Some women simply can not tolerate having scars on their breasts; those women are not candidates for breast lift. On the other hand, other women can not tolerate sagging, deflated breasts, and the scars are a worthwhile tradeoff for the greatly improved and more youthful appearance their breasts have after breast lift.
How long do the results last?
No plastic surgery is permanent. Gravity obviously starts exerting its force on the breasts from the moment you become upright after surgery. Fluctuations in weight, whether they are losses or gains, can affect breast shape. Pregnancy and breast feeding can also greatly affect breast shape. The best way to achieve a long lasting result is to have breast lift surgery after all pregnancies are completed, maintain a stable, healthy weight, refrain from smoking, and wearing a supportive bra as often as possible. With these measures a nice result can be maintained for many years.
Will I wear a different bra size after my breast lift?
Breast lift surgery is designed to lift the breasts and eliminate sagging. A breast lift without implants is not meant to increase or decrease the size of the breasts, but many patients do find a small decrease in bra size due to the removal of excess skin, while some patients may opt for a slightly larger bra to accommodate fuller cleavage.2 Ultimately, if your main goal is to reduce breast volume, you may be interested in a breast reduction, which will lift breasts while significantly reducing size. If you would like to increase volume, you may consider breast lift with implants.
Does insurance cover breast lift surgery?
While there are countless types of insurance plans, to the best of our knowledge the great majority if not all of them will not cover the costs of breast lift surgery. We are not a contracted provider of any private health insurance plan; we are not able to send insurance companies any requests for coverage or letters of medical necessity in order to obtain insurance authorization.
Are there financing options for breast lift?
Financing is available for breast lift surgery. For more information about financing, click here: Carecredit
Will I be able to breastfeed after breast lift or breast lift with augmentation?
Will breast lift with implants leave noticeable scarring?
Breast lift does involve placement of incisions on the breast which result in permanent scars. Smaller degree of lifting involve less incisions and thus less scars; larger degrees of breast lift involve more incisions and thus more scars. Scars take time to mature and improve in appearance. It takes a year or even more for scars to mature. For the great majority of women, scars from breast lift surgery heal remarkably well and are certainly a small price to pay in exchange for the greatly improved and youthful contour a breast lift accomplishes.
References
1 American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Breast Lift. Available: https://www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/breast-lift/results
2 American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Breast Lifting May Decrease Bra Size, Says Study in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. Available: https://www.plasticsurgery.org/news/press-releases/breast-lifting-may-decrease-bra-size-says-study-in-plastic-and-reconstructive-surgery
3 Cleveland Clinic. Breastfeeding after Breast or Nipple Surgery. Available: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/15585-breastfeeding-after-breast-or-nipple-surgery