Breast Implants, Breast Lift or Both?

Breast Implants, Breast Lift or Both?

Unfortunately, breasts can begin to droop at any age. Several factors can affect whether a woman’s breasts droop.

These factors include:

• Genetics – some teenagers’ breasts begin drooping as they form.
• Weight loss – if you lose a significant amount of weight and your skin does not retract, they may look empty or sag
• Pregnancy – during pregnancy, hormone production causes them to grow and swell as they fill with milk. This rapid growth frequently causes the skin to stretch. Once a woman’s milk production stops, she may be left with decreased volume and/or droopiness.
• Age – As we age, our skin loses its elasticity. This occurs due to the natural decrease in our production of collagen. This loss of elasticity can cause soft, sagging breasts.

If you are dealing with sagging breasts and loose skin, you may be thinking about having an augmentation procedure. The information below should help you determine if you need implants, a breast lift or both.

Implants Add Volume

Breast implants will make your breasts look fuller and create minimal lifting to the breasts.

A Breast Lift Actually Raises the Breast

The breast lift procedure is designed to raise and firm your breasts. This gives them a more youthful look. During a breast lift procedure, the nipples are moved to a higher position, excess skin is removed and the breast is reshaped.

Determine if You Need Implants, a Breast Lift or Both

The medical term for breast drooping is breast ptosis. This condition may be classified as mild, moderate or severe. These classifications can be used to help determine which augmentation procedures will offer a patient the best results.

Mildly Drooping

Women whose breasts are just mildly drooping may be able to achieve perkiness using a silicone gel or saline implant. To achieve this, the implants are placed behind the pectoral muscles. The implant fills out the upper and lower portion of the chest; thus, making it look like the nipple is located higher on the breast. This impression may also be created by placing a silicone implant in front of the pectoral muscle.

Moderately to Severely Drooping

If you have breasts that are moderately or severely drooping, you may opt for a breast lift with or with out implants. The different type of breast lift will depend on the severity of ptosis (sagging). A Peri-areolar breast lift (also known as a donut breast lift) for mild to moderate ptosis vs. full breast lift (wise pattern breast lift) for severe ptosis. If you do choose to have implants placed (without adding a breast lift), you may end up with a “snoopy deformity” were your breast slide of the implants and create appearance as if you have four breast.. This can occur if your natural breasts remain low while your implants are up high. A breast lift is ideal for women with moderately to severely drooping breasts.

Determine Your Classification Using the Pencil Test

The Pencil Test

1. Place an unsharpened pencil horizontally underneath your breast, directly where your bra band rests.

2. Using a mirror, determine if the position of your nipple is at, above or below the pencil. Make sure you use the nipple, not the areola. The areola is the pigmented area that surrounds your actual nipple.

What Your Results Mean

If your nipple hangs:

• Below the pencil – your drooping is severe and a breast lift is definitely recommended
• At the crease – your drooping is mild to moderate and, depending on the results you want, you can choose a breast lift or implants

How to Determine if You Need a Breast Lift, as well as Implants

Put your bra on and then look in the mirror. Are you happy with the size of your breasts? If you are, then you may only need a breast lift. If you are not happy with their size, you may want to consider having implants and a breast lift.

Once you decide to have a breast augmentation, breast lift or both contact Dr. Tal Roudner’s plastic surgery center in Miami and schedule your initial consultation. We look forward to meeting you.

(Click to view our Before & After Photos)