If you’re unhappy with your breasts, you’re not alone. Thanks to procedures such as breast augmentation (augmentation mammoplasty) and breast lift (mastopexy), you don’t have to put up with small-sized breasts, sagging breasts, uneven breasts, and the like.
Breast augmentation uses breast implants to increase the size of your breasts and to make them appear more rounder or fuller. On the other hand, a breast lift raises your breasts by removing excess skin and tightening your breast tissue to restore their youthful shape and firmness.
Combining both breast lift and implants procedures not only optimizes your surgery outcome but also saves you money cost-wise and time recovery-wise.
What Are the Available Options for a Breast Lift With Augmentation?
Your plastic surgeon will first review your medical history, do a physical exam, and discuss your aesthetic desires to ensure a breast lift with implants is right for you.
If found to be a suitable candidate for the procedure, the surgeon will discuss and recommend various treatment options and educate you on the risks of each. And based on your preferences, goals, and body shape, he/she will craft a customized treatment plan for you.
Here are some of the things you will need to consider:
1. Which breast implant is right for you?
There are two types of breast implants that are commonly used.
- Saline-filled breast implants. These implants have an outer silicone shell filled with sterile salt water. If the implant ruptures, it deflates, and the saline gets absorbed and naturally expelled by your body.
- Silicone-filled breast implants. With these implants, the silicone outer shell contains silicone gel, which feels more like natural breast tissue. A leaking silicone implant does not collapse since the gel remains inside the implant shell or escapes into the implant pocket.
You can decide to either have breast lift with saline or silicone-filled breast implants based on your preferences.
2. Which breast implant shape is best for you?
You can choose between:
- Round breast implants. These are the most common shape of breast implants and range from low to high projection. They make your breasts appear fuller, and you don’t have to worry about them rotating out of place as they have the same shape all round.
- Teardrop breast implants. The bottom of the implants is fuller than the top, resulting in a more natural look.
3. What is the right breast implant size for you?
Breast implants come in various sizes. And your choice of breast implant size will play a significant role in how you look and feel after the surgery, so choosing the correct volume is crucial. To help you decide the perfect size:
- Bring photos of what you’d like your breasts to look like to your consultation.
- Try on breast different implant sizes under your favorite top.
4. What type of placement should you choose?
Implant placement can either be:
- Submuscular: implants are placed under the pectoral muscle, resulting in a more natural appearance and a reduced rate of capsular contracture (hard scar tissue that forms around a breast implant). However, you’ll have a longer postsurgical recovery.
- Subglandular: implants are placed on top of the pectoral muscle and hence a faster surgery and shorter recovery period. Your implants will, however, be more noticeable and capsular contracture more probable.
Read More: What is Breast Implant Capsular Contracture, and how can it be treated?
5. Which is the best incision site for you?
The incision technique your plastic surgeon uses will depend on your aesthetic goals, breast size, and shape, areola size and position, amount of extra skin, and the breast tissue in need of reshaping. The choice of technique will, in turn, determine the location of your incisions and the resulting scars. Your surgeon may make incisions:
- Around the areola (periareolar lift): suited for women who need a small amount of lift.
- Around the areola and vertically down from the areola to the breast crease (lollipop lift): ideal for moderate sagging.
- Around the areola, vertically down from the areola, and along the breast crease (anchor lift): suitable for significant breast sagging.
Talk with your plastic surgeon about what you want first so that he or she guides you. Wrong choices either with breast implants size, type and shape may lead to a breast Implant Revision Surgery that may be costly and time-consuming.
Breast Lift With Augmentation Procedure
The procedure will take 2 to 4 hours, during which time you will be under general anesthesia, i.e., completely unconscious. Then per the agreed-upon treatment plan, your surgeon will proceed to:
- Make either a periareolar, anchor, or lollipop lift.
- Reshape your breast tissue, remove excess skin, reposition and/or resize your nipples and areolas.
- Insert the breast implants either on top or under the pectoral muscle.
- Close the incisions with sutures, surgical tape, or skin adhesives.
After recovering from the anesthesia, you can usually go home, with your breasts wrapped in gauze and a surgical bra for support. Surgical drains might be placed at the incision sites in your breasts to empty any excess blood or fluid. Your surgeon will instruct you on how to drain them and monitor fluid levels.
Best Candidate for a Breast Lift With Implants
How will you know if you need a breast lift with implants? A good candidate;
- Is physically healthy
- Doesn’t smoke
- Has maintained a stable weight over time
- Has breasts that have become flatter, elongated, or are hanging due to sagging or lost volume and shape
- Has nipples that point downward or drop below the inframammary fold
- Has stretched skin due to aging, weight loss, or having a baby
- Has noticeably asymmetrical breasts, i.e., different size, shape, and arrangement
- Has realistic expectations
Can You Get a Breast Lift With Existing Implants?
Yes. Choosing to have a breast lift years after your breast augmentation will not usually be a problem. If your implants are in good condition and do not have any problem, having a breast lift done with pre-existing breast implant will not have any issue. Ask or consult with a board-certified surgeon before making any decision.
The surgeon will conduct an evaluation to determine if your breast lift with implants surgery can be done with the existing implants or the option that is most suitable for you.
In most cases, If your implants are more than 12 years old, your doctor may suggest replacing them to prevent later complications such as rapture.
Breast Lift With Implants Recovery
You may experience the following typical post-operative symptoms:
- Tightness in the chest region and stiffness
- Swelling, bruising, and soreness for a few weeks
- Hypersensitivity or lack of sensitivity of nipples or the entire breast
- Mild to severe itchy feeling in the breasts
- Pain
Now, your recovery timeline will be more or less as follows:
- Sleeping on your back for the first several weeks or more of your recovery period; use extra pillows to help keep you from turning over.
- Returning to work under conditions that do not require a lot of physical exertion within your surgery week.
- No laundry or housework for at least a week.
- No driving for a minimum of two weeks.
- No strenuous activities like heavy lifting or high-impact aerobic exercise for at least one month to 6 weeks.
As your incisions start to heal, you will notice scarring. The scars will initially appear red and raised. And although permanent, they will soften, flatten, and fade into white over time. As for changes in your breast, you will notice more fullness and less sagging immediately. It will, however, take several weeks or months before the breasts fully settle.
The final results, while long-lasting, may not be permanent. Aging may cause sagging, especially if you have large breasts. And weight fluctuations may affect your breast size and shape. The procedure might also improve your body image and self-esteem if you maintain realistic expectations and don’t expect perfection.
Read More: Scars from Breast Implants: What to Expect and how to make them fade quickly
Breast lift with implants recovery tips
- Over-the-counter painkillers can help with mild to moderate pain and swelling
- Wear a support bra to minimize swelling and support your breasts as they heal
- Apply a silicone-based product like Biocorneum to reduce the appearance of raised, red scars
- Sleeping upright can help reduce swelling
- Follow your surgeon’s post-operative instructions to achieve optimal results
Cost of Breast Lift With Implants
Breast lift with breast implants cost varies per patient depending on several factors. Some of the factors that contribute to the total cost include; geographic region of the patient, the experience of the selected surgeon, surgery-related expenses, and the facility.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), the average cost of combining a breast lift with breast augmentation is $6,225. The costs cover the facility, surgeon’s fee, post-surgery, anesthesia, and implant costs.
How much is a breast lift?
If you don’t like the idea of having a breast lift and implants combined during breast augmentation, or maybe the implants make you feel uncomfortable, you can decide to only have a breast lift.
The procedure offers alternative ways for raising your breasts by removing excess skin and tightening your breast tissue to restore their youthful shape and firmness. In addition, apart from taking less time to complete the surgery, the results are long-lasting.
The average cost of a breast lift is about $4,636.
Breast lift with breast implants Financing.
The total cost of having breast lift and breast implant combined may add up from $6,000 – $10,000). This amount is high for some women and may not be there for immediate use. The procedure being cosmetic, they are not covered by most insurances.
You might consider getting a third party financing deals or treatment that are not covered by insurance. Also, you can consider using credit cards if the interest rates associated with using them is minimal.
Most practices have different options. Before you get started, talk to your surgeon about the different options available to finance your surgery and then choose one that suits your budget and needs.
References ⌵- Colleen W., Daniel B., Breast Lift with Implants: What You Should Know, October 8, 2019.
- Restifo Plastic Surgery, What Does A Breast Lift With Implants Involve? n.d
- Mark S., Combining a breast lift with breast implants, December 5, 2017
