A few of my patients lately have heard about media stories on the so-called “BOTOX® Breast Lift.” Basically, this procedure is supposed to temporarily create some of the effects of the typical breast lift in Tampa. I have to say that from a medical and technical standpoint this idea seems a little far-fetched.

BOTOX® Cosmetic, of course, minimizes dynamic facial wrinkles by contracting facial muscles. A few cosmetic surgeons in the UK are injecting BOTOX® into the rhomboid muscle of the chest, supposedly lifting the breast.

The problem with this idea is that the chest muscles really have very little to do with breast position. Normally, breast sag (ptosis) results from a combination of volume change and loss of skin elasticity, most commonly after pregnancy or weight loss. When I perform breast enhancement surgery in Tampa, I lift the breasts by removing precise amounts of excess skin and tissue, allowing each breast to sit in a more elevated position with a more flattering contour. Muscle treatments would fail to address the source of the problem or to help prevent additional sagging in the future. At the same time, the depth of the muscles means that the person injecting the BOTOX® would need to be very cautious to avoid accidentally injecting the ribs or the pleura (lung sac) instead of muscle tissue.

When you factor in the cost of the large amounts of product that need to be used to achieve a noticeable effect, and the fact that treatments are required every 6 months to maintain results, the procedure is hardly cost effective. In my opinion, patients would do better to opt for long-lasting results and go for the traditional surgical procedure.

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