The most common plastic surgery operative procedure is breast augmentation, according to American Society of Plastic Surgeons. The surgery often boost a woman’s self-confidence and, without questions, one of the most satisfactory operations. One crucial question, though, is whether the woman is best served with a breast augmentation or breast lift (mastopexy).
I often use the degree of ptosis to guide the decision. Ptosis is defined as the amount of breast tissue hanging over the fold. When the ptosis is 0 to 1 cm, simple augmentation is probably the right choice and the result would be satisfactory.
If the ptosis is more than 2.5 cm, most people would be better served with breast lift, or mastopexy. Simply using large implants will not solve the ptosis problem. It will certainly create the fullness of upper area. It will also give us the desired cleavage line. However, the breasts will still hang over the large implants and the nipple position will be too low. To get the best appeance, I often recommend full mastopexy. The largest down side of mastopexy is perhaps the resulting scars. While I certainly do not discount the impact of scars on the breasts, the improved shapes are, in my opinion, much more rewarding.
The most difficult situation is when the ptosis is between 1 to 2.5 cm. A big part of the final decision would be dependent on the individual.Often there is no one “right” decision. Whereas some may choose full lift, others may decide not to do lift at all. Still others may decide to go with crescent mastopexy, or crescent lift, where the areolas are lifted up to one inch by removing some skin above the upper part of areolas.
Breast augmentation or breast lift… that is the question. I have tried to outline for you some of the thinking behind the decisions of breast lift. It is sometimes a complicated decision. To get the best results, you are advised to discuss with me in our consultation.