Women are often surprised to see how I can customize a procedure to match a person’s body type and specific cosmetic needs. When performing a breast lift in Indiana, the type of incision I use depends on the degree of lifting that is required.

Understanding your options can help you determine which method is best for you. Here’s an explanation of the two most common incision types for breast lifts:

• Anchor-shaped incision – This gives surgeons the greatest freedom for removing skin and reshaping the breasts. Although it is the most extensive option, many patients opt for it because it provides the opportunity to create the most dramatic results.
• Concentric (donut) incision – This method can be performed with or without a vertical incision. Patients who have the concentric incision benefit from minimal scarring, but the extent of change will likely not be as great as for those who choose an anchor-shaped incision.

Although these options are the most common among my patients, other approaches are sometimes used to best fit the woman’s needs and lifestyle.

If you are unhappy with your very large breasts, chances are you may also be unhappy with their position and shape as well. Large breasts can be heavy, and over time, gravity can take its toll on them, causing severe sagging and distortion, especially following pregnancy and breast-feeding. “Symptomatic breast hypertrophy” is also a major culprit in chronic back, neck and shoulder pain, poor posture and skin irritation. As a cosmetic breast surgeon in Chicago, I see many women who are looking for elective breast lift surgery with a breast reduction, to improve the shape and size of their breasts. Breast reduction decreases breast volume by removing excess breast tissue and fat, as well as the overlying excess or stretched skin, which necessarily also involves the repositioning of tissues in a more favorable way. Combining breast reduction and breast lift in Chicago is one of the most logical procedure combinations, because it utilizes many of the same techniques.

Why Reduce?

Many women with these issues opt to reduce the size of their breasts for cosmetic reasons: they don’t like the look of their breasts or have difficulty fitting into some clothing. However, elective breast reduction also has numerous physical benefits for women, since large breasts can put great strain on a woman’s shoulders, neck, and back and cause severe physical discomfort. In recent years, however, we have noticed that insurance companies are outright denying benefits for women who may have been approved 5 to 10 years ago, or they make the conservative treatment “requirements” (such as 6 months of chiropractic visits) too inconvenient or onerous to reasonably pursue (especially since these are not nearly as likely to achieve significant relief anyway). Many women therefore opt to undergo “elective” breast reduction/mastopexy for both cosmetic and symptomatic reasons. We usually significantly discount these “elective breast reductions,” especially if the insurance company has denied a patient who is symptomatic, and in the DD-cup and up range. I find that breast reduction patients are among the most satisfied patients after surgery, because relief from their physical symptoms is almost immediate.

How Can Breast Lift Reshape the Breasts?

Almost always, women with large, heavy breasts also experience sagging and their breasts hang lower than desired. For this reason, most breast reductions are combined with breast lifts in order to elevate the nipple into a more desirable location, and tighten the “skin envelope” in general. When the skin on the breasts becomes stretched, the breasts may become pendulous rather than round. For many women, this can be both uncomfortable and embarrassing. With a breast lift, excess skin is removed, typically on the underside of the breast, and the breast is reshaped and lifted upward as the incisions are closed. A breast lift component of a breast reduction therefore reshapes the breasts to a round, youthful or “perky” shape (specifically by resdistributing volume, and helping re-fill the “superior” pole and cleavage areas). In some cases the amount of tissue (mostly skin) removed can be relatively minimal, thereby allowing preservation of the woman’s initial cup-size, and creating an “auto-augmentation” effect, which otherwise carries none of the potential risks of actual breast implants.

By combining a lift with a breast reduction in Chicago, you receive the benefits of both procedures without the downtime of having two separate procedures at two different times. Women often find that their breasts are somewhat (if not significantly) smaller, but always firmer and perkier. For those looking for relief from uncomfortable side-effects of large breasts, smaller is definitely better.

A number of women consider mastopexy, better known as breast lift in Atlanta when their breasts begin to show the physical signs caused by aging, gravity, heredity and pregnancy. Although this procedure is not intended to increase the size or upper volume of a woman’s breasts, it is a great tool for creating a youthful breast appearance.

Breast lift incisions typically follow one of three patterns:

1. Around the areola (donut mastopexy)
2. Around the areola, then vertically down from the areola to the breast crease (lollipop or vertical mastopexy)
3. Around the areola, vertically, then horizontally along the bottom breast crease (anchor or inverted “T” mastopexy)

Once the incisions are made, your surgeon will begin reshaping your breasts. This process typically entails a combination of methods, including reshaping the underlying breast tissue. Surgeons will typically shift the nipple and areola upward for a more youthful look. Finally, Excess skin is removed to give the breasts a tighter contour.

The doctor will close the incisions, making sure to minimize the potential for scarring. Results are immediately visible, but swelling will subside over several weeks to reveal your new youthful looking breasts.

When considering a breast lift in Indiana, the incision placement is very important. Both the location and pattern of the incision play a part in the degree of lift that can be achieved. At my practice, the two most common options I use are the anchor-shaped incision and the “donut” incision, with or without a vertical incision.

Anchor-Shaped Incisions

The anchor incision is probably the most commonly used technique. This method includes an incision around the perimeter of the areola, another made vertically from the areola to the breast crease, and a final incision in the breast crease itself. Although this technique does produce more scarring than other incision types, it also allows for a significant amount of lifting and reshaping. Women with a high degree of skin sagging typically benefit the most from this technique.

Donut Shaped Incisions

The donut incision creates a circular scar around the perimeter of the areola and is appropriate for women who have a mild to moderate degree of skin sagging. This pattern may also include a vertical incision from the areola to the breast crease (also known as a “lollipop” or “keyhole” incision). Many women who also want breast implants in addition to breast lift are good candidates for this incision type.

In Bloomington and Champaign, breast lift procedures are frequently requested by women who want to enhance their appearance and improve their self-esteem. Pregnancy, nursing, or weight loss can result in lost breast volume as well as sagging. When women’s breasts begin to look deflated or sag, it can impact them both physically and psychologically. Reasons like these are why many women choose to undergo breast lift surgery.

During breast lift surgery at my practice, I lift the breasts by removing some of the extra, stretched-out skin and then suturing the skin below the breasts to make them tighter and perkier. Women with large, heavy breasts may want to combine a breast lift with a breast reduction. In those cases, I will remove the excess breast tissue to relieve the chronic back and shoulder pain they experience from having large breasts.

Breast lifts usually cause the breasts to appear fuller naturally. For women who have lost a great deal of natural breast volume, breast implants may be an option. In either case, make sure to discuss your unique anatomy and goals with a qualified surgeon.

My patients asking about a breast lift in Michigan are sometimes concerned about their bra size changing after surgery. Breast size can in fact change following a breast lift.

• Some women want to elevate breasts that are sagging as a result of pregnancy, nursing, weight loss, or the passage of time. If they have lost breast volume and want their breasts tightened, I may need to remove tissue, which can result in a slightly smaller bra size.
• In other cases, women may want to make asymmetrical breasts symmetrical, which is less likely to result in a smaller bra size.
• I also use breast lifts for women who want to raise and reduce the size of the nipples and areolas. In these cases, an alteration to bra (and breast) size will again depend on how much tissue needs to be removed during the procedure.

For women who want to add volume as well as achieve a more youthful, perkier position, I can combine a breast lift with a breast augmentation to create fuller looking breasts. In this case, bra size is usually larger after the procedure.

It’s a subject that has been covered several times: how do you pick a plastic surgeon? There are many appropriate answers to this question. I’d like to present what I’ve found can be one of the best ways: a referral from your family doctor.

You trust your general practitioner to have thorough medical knowledge and your best interests in mind. So who better to trust when you’re picking a surgeon for a cosmetic procedure such as a face lift, liposuction, or breast implants in Detroit?

I’d also suggest that you consider referrals from the medical staff at your GP’s office. Nurses and physician assistants have a great deal of personal contact with patients and with other medical professionals. Perhaps even more often than doctors, they hear what others have to say about plastic surgeons. They’ll know who has a positive reputation – and who does not.

This is just a brief note about one possible resource. There are plenty of other options. Have YOU had success in finding a plastic surgeon? How did you make your choice?

The type of breast enhancement surgery a woman needs depends on several factors, one of them being the amount of sagging, or ptosis, her breasts have. Depending on the “grade” of ptosis, a patient may need a breast lift, a breast augmentation or both. As a neat little trick, the level of ptosis can be approximated at home using only a carefully placed ruler. While you should always seek your surgeon’s advice when determining if you need surgery, it can be helpful to consider your ptosis grade before scheduling your initial consultation.

How to Determine Your Ptosis Grade:

The first thing you need to do is find a straight measuring ruler. Then, with your clothing and bra off, place the ruler snuggly in the inframammary crease (the fold below your breasts) and let your breasts hang over the ruler. (If you’re confused at all, see a diagram here.)

The top of the ruler will mark where your inframammary crease is, and to measure your level of ptosis, look at where your nipples sit relative to this line. Your grade will depend on your nipple position.

• Grade 1 (Mild Ptosis)
• If the center point of your nipples sits directly in front of the top of the ruler or slightly below the top, you may have mild ptosis.
• Grade 2 (Mild to Moderate Ptosis)
• If the center point of your nipples sits 1-3 centimeters below the crease, then you may have mild to moderate ptosis.
• Grade 3 (Severe Ptosis)
• If the center point of your nipples sits more than 3 centimeters below the top of the ruler, then you may have severe ptosis. Also, if you nipples point downward or sit toward the bottom of your breasts, then you may have severe ptosis.

For severe sagging, I usually perform a breast lift in Boca Raton, but if there has been a loss of breast volume, a breast augmentation in addition to a lift may be best. The more sagging there is, the more likely it is you may need a breast lift. Keep this in mind when you visit your plastic surgeon; he or she should be able to determine which surgery is best.

It is not uncommon for men and women to want to “reinvent” themselves when going through major life changes like divorce, relocation, or other stressful events. However, the need to reinvent the way you look is often sparked by negative anxieties rather than positive desires for self-improvement. When this is the case, there might be unrealistic goals and expectations lurking under the surface that plastic surgery just cannot fulfill.

It’s important to understand that going under the knife is not likely to make people care about you more or earn you a better job. Because the heat of the moment can bring about rash decisions, I urge my Boca Raton plastic surgery patients who are experiencing transitional periods to carefully evaluate their long-term goals for plastic surgery.

During times of emotional stress, surgery can be a very bad idea. Even though patients may undergo the surgery to look and feel better, the added stress on the body and the dramatic changes can exacerbate rather than help their stress level. To avoid this, be realistic with yourself, ask what your motivations are, and discuss your expectations with your surgeon. I would never turn someone away from undergoing a tummy tuck, face lift, or a breast lift in Boca Raton just because he or she was in a time of turmoil, but I do recommend each patient taking a step back and carefully considering everything that’s going on in their lives. It’s my role as a doctor to look out for the wellbeing of each and every one of my patients.

Some patients come to my practice in Atlanta for breast enlargement because they have lost breast volume with age, weight fluctuations, or pregnancy. Often, they believe that replacing lost volume with a breast implant will also help with sagging or drooping, but this is not usually true. For most women with sagging breasts, a breast lift should be performed at the time of the breast augmentation surgery for optimal results.

I recommend this combination of procedures to women who are dissatisfied with the size, shape, and position of their breasts. If the breasts are drooping and the nipples are pointing downward, a breast augmentation alone will not create the desired effect. In fact, placing implants in breasts that are already sagging increases the pull on the already stretched breast skin, and may contribute to further sagging over time.

The breast lift removes excess skin, lifts the breast and nipple, and reshapes and firms the breast. If this procedure is done in conjunction with breast augmentation, the result is fuller, firmer breasts with a more youthful shape and projection.