Breast lift: everything you need to know about mastopexy

Age and hormonal changes, childbirth and feeding, experiments with weight and other reasons can negatively affect the breast. If you need to improve its shape, then mastopexy (breast lift) is one of the solutions.

Plastic surgeon Dmitry Skvortsov told more about the operation.

When it comes to breast correction, one thing that usually comes to mind is the implantation of silicone prostheses. But in fact, there are many more options. For example, some women, overly generously rewarded by nature, on the contrary, want to reduce (reduce) their breasts.

In addition, a large breast size usually does not have the best effect on its shape and elasticity, and also needs the support of corset underwear.

There are women with small breasts that have lost their shape. In this case, it is possible to carry out not only a lift, but also the implantation of silicone prostheses, or lipofilling (injections of one’s own fat into the breast area). However, the second method is rarely used in practice, because gives unpredictable results.

No less than those patients who are completely satisfied with the size of their breasts, but its shape is extremely upsetting. After all, the loss of elasticity or ptosis (omission of tissues) significantly spoils the aesthetics. It is for this category of women that the best choice is mastopexy (an operation to restore the shape of the breast).

“Currently, this is a fairly popular intervention in aesthetic surgery,” says Dmitry Skvortsov. “The variety of techniques makes it possible to choose a plan for any patient so that the result of the intervention is the most natural.”

There are three degrees of breast ptosis (the lower the nipple is, the higher the degree of tissue prolapse), but this information is more important for the surgeon.

For women who want to find out if they have breast ptosis, a simple pencil test can be done. All that is needed is to place a pencil under the chest. It falls out – excellent, there is no ptosis at all. It is holding, but not reliably, which means that ptosis has been outlined. The pencil is tightly blocked under the mammary gland – this is ptosis.

Mastopexy usually takes one and a half to two and a half hours. It is performed under general anesthesia.

Contraindications for breast lift surgery are:

• anemia;
• exacerbation of chronic diseases;
• tumors;
• fibrocystic mastopathy;
• diseases of the endocrine system;
• lactation and future pregnancy planning.

The cost of a breast lift on average in Moscow will cost 200 thousand rubles. Installing silicone prostheses will not be cheaper. However, if the patient certainly wants to enlarge her breasts with implants (after all, after mastopexy, her size will decrease slightly), then this operation can be combined with endoprosthetics.

However, according to the expert, in order for a woman not to regret her decision to have a mastopexy later, it is important that certain conditions are observed in the clinic where she applied. The operation must be carried out:

• under high-quality anesthesia, which guarantees not only absolute painlessness, but also the absence of problems in the postoperative period;
• in a specially equipped room using modern technologies;
• after the operation, the patient should be able to recover in a comfortable room under the supervision of specialists.

As the expert said, today there are several types of breast lift without the use of endoprostheses. The choice of one or another option depends on the degree of sagging of the breast tissue.

Here are the main interventions:

1. Periareolar lift

The surgeon makes two incisions in the shape of a circle, one along the diameter of the areola, the other three to four centimeters higher. The resulting ring of excess skin is removed and the incisions are sutured.

When used: suitable for small breasts with slight ptosis. Helps raise the nipples higher. This method can also correct slight asymmetry of the chest and areolas, reduce the diameter of the areolas themselves.

2. Vertical lift

In this case, the incision is made a vertical incision from the edge of the areola to the inframammary fold. The seam during this intervention will be barely noticeable.

When used: with more noticeable ptosis of the mammary glands, when you have to remove a lot of excess skin.

3. Anchor (T-shaped) lift

In this case, an anchor-like incision is made (around the areola, vertical and in the inframammary fold) This is the most radical and durable type of breast lift, in which the displaced connective tissue forms a scar that will securely hold the shape until milk correction is required. glands due to age-related changes.

When used: when the breast, initially large, is also greatly stretched after pregnancy and feeding, as a result of severe weight loss or other circumstances.

After aesthetic surgery, as with any other surgical intervention, complications are possible.

“For the most part, they are associated with non-compliance with the prescriptions of doctors during the recovery period,” says the expert. – Divergence of seams, hematomas are possible. In order for the result of the operation to please the patient, during the rehabilitation it is necessary:

• avoid active movements, exclude shock loading, lying on the stomach. For the first week after surgery, it is important to avoid contact with water;
• do not take blood-thinning drugs or other medications not recommended by the surgeon;
• exclude trips to the fitness room, saunas, solarium, spa and massage rooms;
• take care of the seams, treat them with antiseptics;
• wear compression underwear (a month after the operation, this must be done around the clock);
• undergo scheduled examinations by a surgeon and a mammologist.

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