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Breast Lift or Mastopexia

Breasts can lose their firmness as a result of aging, pregnancy or weight loss. Massages and pectoral exercises are no solution to this problem. A breast uplift is the only way to get an effective breast enhancement. 

Depending on your wishes, the current volume and the elasticity of your breasts you can opt for a kind of breast augmentation or a kind of breast reduction .

People usually choose for a breast augmentation when only the gland volume is lost, when the nipple is not located too low and when there is no major excess skin. If this is the case, a breast implants is placed behind the mammary gland. This procedure has a lifting effect and leaves practically no scars.

When the breast is so pendulous that the nipple is located in or below the breast fold, a breast uplift will resemble a breast reduction . This type of breast uplift only involves skin, and not mammary gland tissue, to be removed. This surgery leaves more scars because more skin is removed.

 

The surgery

 The procedure is done under general anaesthesia and takes about two to three hours.

To perform a breast uplift the plastic surgeon makes two incisions: the first around the areola and the second going from the areola to the breast fold. It is important to know that no incision will be made in the breast fold, whereas in the past this would have been the case. So, after the breast uplift there will be no anchor scar or inverted T.

After the incisions, the excess skin will be cut away. The nipple and the areola will stay connected to the mammary gland tissue and will be rearranged to a higher position. The skin above the nipple will be brought together along the underside.

You can also choose to get a breast prosthesis . A nipple correction or an areola correction can be executed during a breast uplift as well.

Sometimes during a breast uplift, subcutaneous drains are placed to drain off excess wound fluids. These tubes will be removed after two to three days.

The wounds will be stitched with fine suture to make to scars as invisible as possible. One or two weeks after the breast uplift, the sutures will be removed.

 

Post operative care

You can go home the same day.

During a breast uplift, subcutaneous drains (fine tubes) are sometimes placed to drain off excess wound fluids. These tubes will be removed after about three days.

After the lifting of hanging breasts, you need to wear a support bra during one month. This bra perfectly supports your breasts and is measured on immediately after the breast uplift.

The first few weeks after the breast lifting, heavy exertions should be avoided. Most patients go back to work after about a week.

Breast lifting leaves a scar around the nipple and a vertical scar that goes to the breast fold. Our plastic surgeon uses an advanced technique without incisions (and scars) in the breast fold. So, the inverted T or the so-called anchor scar belongs to the past. The aesthetic result is now far more beautiful.

The scars will be reddish at first but they will gradually fade and smoothen. To expedite the healing process after the lifting of hanging breasts, the scars can be carefully massaged with a moisturizing lotion after about two weeks.

It can happen, though only occasionally, that the scar needs to be corrected. It all depends on the surgery technique that was applied. This correction will be done under local anaesthesia and always provides great results.

 

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