A breast lift is often included in a mommy makeover, as breast sagging and deflation are common after having children, losing weight, or simply as a result of the aging process. A breast lift, otherwise known as a mastopexy, raises and reshapes the breasts for a younger and more attractive appearance. But did you know that new options in breast lift surgery can also enhance breast shape to look like implant lifted breasts but without implants, using only your own tissue?
Here, we’ll describe how a breast lift can make you look younger and feel better about yourself, and how advances in surgical technique have made it possible to also increase breast size as part of a breast lift without using implants.
Understanding a Breast Lift Without Implants
Who is a Good Candidate for a Breast Lift Without Implants?
The main goal of a breast lift is to correct sagging and give the breasts a rounded, more uplifted shape. If you’re bothered by drooping or flattened breasts, a breast lift might be the solution you’re looking for. The best candidates for a breast lift are in good health, not significantly overweight, and not pregnant or breastfeeding.
If you’d also like an outcome that resembles implants but are reluctant to have implants, you may be a good candidate for my auto-augmentation breast lift. This is the term for my technique of using your own fat and other tissue to enhance breast size as part of a breast lift without implants.
The Breast Lift Procedure: What to Expect
Breast lift surgery is usually performed under general anesthesia. Incisions are made where the resulting scars are concealed by the breast’s natural contours — around the areola, along the curve of the crease below the breast, and in a vertical line from the lower edge to the areola to the center of the crease below the breast. Excess skin is removed to correct sagging, and the nipple may be repositioned but kept attached.
During an auto-augmentation breast lift procedure, I separate and reposition tissue within the breast to create volume in deficient areas while removing volume from excess areas. In some cases, when needed, I may place absorbable mesh material within the breast to support the tissue as it heals in its new form. These are sometimes also referred to as “internal bras” or “bra slings,” or “scaffolds.” Absorbable scaffolds act like internal bra slings to create even more lifted rounder breasts.
Benefits of a Breast Lift Without Implants
A breast lift without implants gives your breasts a younger-looking and more attractive form. It corrects sagging and reshapes the breasts to be rounder, fuller, and firmer. An auto-augmentation breast lift also increases apparent breast size without the use of implants. You’ll never have to worry about implant leaks or rupture or about having an adverse tissue reaction to the implant material.
In the decades I’ve been performing breast lift procedures without implants in New Jersey, I have found that auto augmentation gives my patients results that can rival those achieved with breast implants.
Comparing Breast Lift with and Without Implants
A breast lift without implants is an excellent option if your goal is to reshape your breasts or correct sagging. It creates long-lasting results, and you won’t ever have to think about removing or replacing implants.
A breast lift with implants is a better option if you’d like a more significant increase in breast volume and you’re not bothered by the idea of having manufactured implants in your breasts. Breast implants have a long history of safety and positive cosmetic results, and you can choose from different implant types, sizes, and shapes.
Recovery Process for a Breast Lift Without Implants
You should expect two or three days of downtime after breast lift surgery. You’ll wear a lightweight, surgical compression bra to reduce swelling and ensure that your breasts heal well in their new form. My staff and I will give you thorough care instructions and will be available to answer any questions you have before you come back for your follow-up appointments. Most patients return to work in about a week and resume most fitness endeavors in four weeks.
You’ll see positive changes from the surgery right away, and these will gradually improve as post-operative swelling disappears. Final results will appear 6 to 12 months after your surgery.
Natural Results: Achieving a Youthful Contour
The beauty of a breast lift without implants is that you’ll get natural-looking results naturally, through the sculptural repositioning of your own tissue. Sagging and deflated breasts are transformed into beautifully rounded and youthfully uplifted breasts.
How to Prepare for Your Breast Lift Surgery
There are just a few steps you’ll need to take in the days and weeks before your surgery. I will advise you to temporarily stop taking certain medications and supplements, anything that can increase the risk of excessive bleeding or interfere with healthy healing. I may also ask that you get a mammogram screening before your surgery. Finally, because you’ll be recovering from anesthesia, you’ll need to arrange ahead of time for a trusted friend or family member to drive you home after your surgery,
Combining a Breast Lift with Other Mommy Makeover Procedures
You can have a breast lift by itself, of course. But for a more comprehensive rejuvenation, you may want to combine it with other procedures in a Mommy Makeover. The most common options chosen for a Mommy Makeover, in addition to cosmetic breast surgery, are a tummy tuck to restore a firm, flat abdomen, and liposuction to remove bulges of unwanted fat from a particular part of your body.
If you don’t need those body-contouring changes, you might combine your breast lift with a facial procedure, such as a facelift and/or neck lift, a brow lift, or eyelid surgery. Find out how a breast lift without implants can transform your appearance, making you look and feel younger and more beautiful, and how you might combine your breast lift with other treatments or procedures in a customized Mommy Makeover. Contact Spiro Plastic Surgery online today or call us at (973) 736-5907 to schedule a consultation with Scott Spiro, M.D. in New Jersey.
