BREAST LIFT
Los Angeles, Palmdale and Valencia
Breast Lift
Breast lift, technically called mastopexy, is surgery that raises and firms the breasts by removing excess skin and tightening the surrounding tissue to reshape and support the new breast contour.
Enhancing Your Appearance With a Breast Lift
A woman’s breasts often change over time, losing their youthful shape and firmness. These changes and loss of skin elasticity can result from:
- Pregnancy
- Breastfeeding
- Weight fluctuations
- Aging
- Gravity
- Heredity
Sometimes the areola becomes enlarged over time, and a breast lift will reduce this as well. A breast lift can rejuvenate your figure with a breast profile that is youthful and uplifted.
A Breast Lift is a Good Option for You If:
- You are physically healthy and maintain a stable weight
- You do not smoke
- You have realistic expectations
- You are bothered by the feeling that your breasts sag, have lost shape and volume
- Your breasts have a flatter, elongated shape or are pendulous
- When unsupported, your nipples fall below the breast crease
- Your nipples and areolas point downward
- You have stretched skin and enlarged areolas
- One breast is lower than the other
What Breast Lifts Don’t Do
Breast lift surgery does not significantly change the size of your breasts or round out the upper part of your breast. If you want your breasts to look fuller, consider breast lift and breast augmentation surgery. If you want smaller breasts, consider combining breast lift and breast reduction surgery.
Who Can Have a Breast Lift?
Breast lift surgery is a highly individualized procedure and you should do it for yourself, not to fulfill someone else’s desires or to try to fit any sort of ideal image.
What Kind of Anesthetic is Used During a Breast Lift?
A Breast Lift is normally performed under general anesthetic, although some patients elect to have the procedure done under local anesthetic.
How Long Does a Breast Lift Take?
A Breast Lift can take from one to four hours to complete.
What do I Have to do to Prepare For a Breast Lift?
You will be examined by a physician and undergo blood work testing to ensure that you are medically fit for surgery. You should stop taking aspirin, or any anti-flammitory drugs.
You will be given a prescription to antibiotics and painkillers, which you should fill before your surgery so that you have them easily available on day of surgery and your driver and/or caregiver is not running around to drugstores on the day of your surgery.
What Happens on The Day of a Breast Lift?
A friend or family member must bring you to the Beverly Hills Institute of Plastic Surgery. Our Patient Care Coordinator will greet you and bring in into the an examining room, where your Plastic Surgeon will mark outlines on the parts of your body that will indicate where the treatment will be administered.
Photos will be taken of the treatment areas, so that you will be able to compare the results to another set of photos that will be taken after you have fully recovered from the surgery.
Following the Breast Lift Los Angeles surgery, you will be placed in a support/pressure garment that will help to reduce inflammation and bruising.
Since the first 24 – 48 hours after surgery is critical to optimal recovery, we suggest that patients consider being chauffeured to and recovering at _____________.
Serenity is staffed by medical professionals that are specially trained in caring for patients immediately recovering from plastic surgery. If you do not elect to recover at Serenity, a friend or family member must come to our facility to pick you up after your surgery and bring you safely home. Someone must remain home with you for the first 48 – 72 hours, to assist you as you recover from your surgery.
Your incisions will be left open to drain and heal. A large amount of fluid will leak from the incision location. This will require regular changing of sterile absorption pads.
Your surgeon will call you once you are safely home, to see how you are doing and to make sure you are recovering normally.
What is The Breast Lift Recovery Process?
After your breast lift procedure is completed, dressings or bandages will be applied to the incisions. You’ll need to wear an elastic bandage or support bra to minimize swelling and support your breasts as they heal.
A small, thin tube may be temporarily placed under the skin to drain any excess blood or fluid that may collect after breast lift surgery.
What is The Cost of a Breast Lift?
Costs are based on the unique needs of the patient. In general, the costs are calculated based on the number of areas being treated. Your Patient Care Coordinator will discuss the cost of your Breast Lift Los Angeles and the payment options available to you.
What Are The Risks of a Breast Lift?
Like all surgery, they are always risks. Typical Breast Lift risks include: an unfavorable breast lift scar, bleeding (hematoma), infection, poor healing of incisions, changes in nipple or breast sensation, which may be temporary or permanent, anesthesia risks, breast contour and shape irregularities, skin discoloration, permanent pigmentation changes, swelling and bruising, damage to deeper structures – such as nerves, blood vessels, muscles, and lungs – can occur and may be temporary or permanent, allergies to tape, suture materials and glues, blood products, topical preparations or injected agents, breast asymmetry, fatty tissue deep in the skin could die (fat necrosis), fluid accumulation, excessive firmness of the breast, potential partial or total loss of nipple and areola, deep vein thrombosis, cardiac and pulmonary complications, blood clots, pain, which may persist, possibility of revisional surgery.
Once you are deemed a good candidate for a Breast Lift, your Plastic Surgeon will discuss the risks in detail with you during your initial consultation.
You Will be Given Specific Instructions That May Include:
How to care for your breasts following surgery, medications to apply or take orally to aid healing and reduce the risk of infection, and when to follow-up with your plastic surgeon.
- Where will I be taken after my surgery is complete?
- What medication will I be given or prescribed after surgery?
- Will I have dressings/bandages after surgery? When will they be removed?
- Are stitches removed? When?
- When can I resume normal activity and exercise?
- When do I return for follow-up care?