Breast Lift versus Breast Augmentation/ Which One Is Right for Me?
There are many reasons why women seek a consultation regarding their breasts with a plastic surgeon. Some simply want a larger bust line while others are only looking for more fullness or a perkier shape. Not everyone is a candidate for breast implants nor does everyone want them. Some women can achieve these goals without a breast lift (mastopexy), while others need a mastopexy alone or combined with an implant. How does your surgeon determine what is right for you?
There are three important factors that should be assessed at your consultation: What is the relative position of your nipples on your breast mound and are the two breasts symmetrical? What is the quality of the skin enveloping your breast as well as the density (or lack), of breast tissue itself? What are your expectations?
If a woman complains to her surgeon that her breasts have lost fullness in the upper portion and the nipples are still situated well above the lower border of the breast or inframammary fold, then she would not be a candidate for a mastopexy and would be better served to use a small implant to regain some of the lost breast volume. Another woman with the same desire to return the lost fullness in her breast may have a nipple that is well below the inframammary fold. This patient’s breast would most likely be classified as saggy or in medical terms ptotic, (pronounced with a silent p). In general the greater the degree of ptosis the more likely the patient would require a breast lift.
Nipple position is very important to the surgeon in deciding what technique of mastopexy to perform, so is the condition of the skin. Loose hanging skin with poor elasticity will need more lifting and longer incisions then a breast with thick skin and dense tissue.
