breast procedures
Mastopexy – Breast Lift
What is Mastopexy?
Mastopexy, commonly known as a breast lift, is a surgical procedure aimed at lifting and reshaping sagging breasts. During a mastopexy, excess skin is removed, the breast tissue is reshaped, and the nipples are repositioned to achieve a more youthful and perky appearance.
Why Have a Breast Lift?
Sagging of the breasts is a common legacy of motherhood, breastfeeding, and the pull of gravity, as well as the impact of pregnancy and breast distension due to milk causing the supportive fibrous bands to weaken and the skin to stretch. As the breasts shrink afterwards, they settle into the stretched skin without support, leading to sagging due to gravity. Gaining and losing weight can also contribute to this effect, as can the natural ageing process, explaining why women are often displeased with the appearance of their sagging breasts.
How is a Breast Lift Performed?
The procedure typically begins with the surgeon making incisions around the areola (the darker skin surrounding the nipple). Sometimes extending vertically down the breast and occasionally horizontally along the breast crease, depending on the extent of correction needed. Through these incisions, excess skin is removed and the underlying breast tissue is lifted and reshaped into a tighter cone.
The areola and nipple complex are repositioned at a higher level so that they lie at the points of the tightened breasts.
If the breasts are small and sagging, silicone breast implants can be placed underneath to increase their size during the surgery. The most optimal outcomes are typically seen in women with small, drooping breasts, although breasts of any size can be lifted.
Our Doctors
Michael McBride FRCS (Plast)
