Many women assume that a traditional breast lift is the only way to correct sagging breasts, and sometimes this is true. But for many women, it’s completely possible to get a breast lift from implants alone. This option depends mainly on your breast volume and how much of your breasts’ sagginess results from loose skin. But for most patients with moderate sagginess and a good overall breast position, implants can restore volume and a perkier position at the same time.
When is a Lift Really Necessary?
Breasts become saggy due to weight fluctuations, pregnancy, or nursing. The large majority of patients who have serious ptosis (sagginess) and large breast volume will require a breast lift to get dramatic results, and implants alone won’t be enough (or may even worsen the sagging). For similar reasons, the best option for most patients who have significant sagginess and low breast volume: combined breast lift and augmentation, which most surgeons these days can perform at the same time. A lift alone is not advised in this situation because it reduces the total amount of breast tissue, and an augmentation alone will not correct serious sagginess.
How an “Implant Only” Lift Works
How perky your breasts look depends partly on the actual position of your breast tissues, and partly on where the fullest area of your breast is positioned in relation to the chest wall and the nipple-areola complex. In many cases, women with “droopy” breasts actually have a good overall breast position, but simply lack volume, causing a “deflated” look with a lower contour and a lower nipple position.
A well-placed implant can correct both of these problems, eliminating the illusion of sagging, because the added volume moves the contour of the breast upward and can even slightly lift the nipple areola complex without any direct surgical changes to that area.
Will it Work for Me?
One of the key factors to help answer that question is the position of the nipple-areola complex. In women with moderate to minor sagginess and nipples that (1) are not significantly down-turned and (2) are not positioned much lower than the breast fold, an implant alone will work. Women whose nipples show a greater degree of down-turn will probably need a small-scale, periareolar lift to get the results they want.
If the fold below your breasts is not very “deep,” and your breasts are not showing significant sagging, implants alone are probably enough to lift the breast mound. My patients are often surprised with the results they can get in this situation, and very pleased at the way this option lets them get excellent, comprehensive results without an extra step.
Dr. David Kaufman earned a bachelor of science degree from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, graduating with distinction, the highest academic honor. As an active duty naval special warfare officer, he served our nation for four years, including duty in Operation Desert Storm. He then attended Harvard Medical School, receiving his medical doctor degree in 1996. From there, he entered and completed postdoctoral surgical training in a combined general and plastic surgery residency at Stanford University Medical Center.
A board-certified plastic surgeon and member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Dr. Kaufman’s diverse surgical experience and skill enables him to choose procedures and techniques to best suit each patient. Consider him and his practice, Kaufman Plastic Surgery, if you are looking for a plastic surgeon in the Sacramento area.
