Breast Lift
Restore a firmer, more youthful breast shape with a personalized breast lift designed to address sagging, stretched skin, nipple position, and changes caused by pregnancy, weight fluctuations, and aging.
Restoring Shape, Position and Proportion
A breast lift, also called mastopexy, is designed to lift one or both breasts to correct unwanted droopiness, or breast ptosis, while improving breast fullness, firmness, and symmetry.
During surgery, excess skin is removed from around the nipple and/or lower portion of the breast. The nipple is repositioned to a more youthful location, and the areola may also be reduced in size.
The amount of skin that needs to be removed depends on the degree of sagging. That anatomy ultimately determines which incision pattern will provide the most effective correction.
What Can a Breast Lift Improve?
Breast shape can change over time due to pregnancy, breastfeeding, weight fluctuations, aging, and gravity.
Breast Sagging
Removes stretched skin and repositions breast tissue to create a more elevated breast contour.
Nipple Position
Elevates nipples that have descended or point downward to a more youthful position.
Areola Size
An enlarged or stretched areola can often be reduced during the lifting procedure.
Breast Symmetry
A lift can improve differences in breast shape, position, and nipple height.
Breast Lift Incision Options
Dr. Slack tries to limit incision length whenever possible, but the incision pattern should never compromise the quality of the lift.
Periareolar Lift
Doughnut MastopexyAn incision is placed around the areola. This may be appropriate when only a limited amount of lifting is needed.
Vertical Lift
Lollipop PatternThe incision extends around the areola and vertically downward toward the breast fold, allowing greater tightening and reshaping.
Anchor Lift
Inverted-T / Wise PatternThis incision extends around the areola, vertically downward, and along the breast fold. It allows the greatest degree of skin removal and reshaping.
Dr. Slack evaluates how much skin needs to be removed and selects the incision pattern that can provide appropriate correction while limiting incision length whenever possible.
Can Breast Implants Replace a Breast Lift?
Not when a patient truly needs a lift.
There is a common assumption that placing a larger implant into a sagging breast will make it firmer and more upright — similar to inflating a deflated balloon.
Dr. Slack explains that breasts do not behave that way. Although an implant may help some borderline patients avoid a lift, implants are not an alternative when significant breast ptosis is present.
In some patients, the additional weight of an implant can actually make sagging worse.
You May Need a Lift If...
The appropriate procedure can only be determined after evaluating your individual anatomy.
Breast Lift Alone or Lift With Augmentation?
The answer depends on whether your primary concern is breast position, breast volume, or a combination of both.
Breast Lift Alone
A lift removes excess skin and reshapes the existing breast tissue. It can improve breast position, firmness, nipple location, and symmetry without adding an implant.
Best suited for patients primarily concerned with:
- Sagging or drooping breasts
- Low nipple position
- Excess stretched skin
- Breast shape rather than additional volume
Lift + Augmentation
An implant can complement a breast lift by adding volume, particularly in the upper breast where some women want additional fullness.
May be appropriate when you want:
- Correction of breast sagging
- Additional breast volume
- Greater upper-pole fullness
- Both lifting and enlargement
What Happens to Upper-Breast Fullness?
Immediately after a breast lift, the tightened skin can create substantial fullness in the upper portion of the breast. Dr. Slack compares this to the effect of a push-up bra, except the tightened skin is temporarily providing the support.
Over time, however, skin naturally relaxes and stretches. Some of that early upper-pole fullness is therefore expected to decrease.
For patients who want more lasting upper-breast fullness, an implant or fat grafting can provide additional volume.
It is still important to maintain realistic expectations. A breast lift — with or without an implant — cannot completely reverse every change associated with pregnancy, aging, skin stretching, or gravity.
Combining a Lift and Augmentation is More Complex
A breast lift and breast augmentation change the breast in opposing ways. A lift removes and tightens skin, while augmentation adds volume and places additional tension on that skin.
Because those changes interact, predicting exactly how the breast will settle after surgery can be more difficult than with either procedure alone.
Sometimes a Staged Approach Makes More Sense
Because breast lift and augmentation can influence one another during healing, some patients may benefit from performing the procedures separately rather than at the same time.
Dr. Slack notes that skin stretching and other postoperative changes can occasionally require additional tightening. When procedures are staged, surgeons may wait approximately 4–6 months to allow breast shape and tissue changes to stabilize.
The appropriate timing depends entirely on the patient's anatomy, goals, safety considerations, and individual circumstances.
A possible stabilization period when breast lift and augmentation procedures are performed separately.
Breast Lift FAQs
What does a breast lift improve?
A breast lift removes excess skin and reshapes breast tissue to improve breast position, nipple placement, and symmetry. It does not primarily add volume.
Can implants replace a breast lift?
Not when significant breast sagging is present. An implant adds volume but does not replace the skin removal and repositioning achieved by a lift.
What incision patterns are used for a breast lift?
Depending on the degree of sagging and skin excess, options may include a periareolar, vertical, or anchor incision. Dr. Slack selects the pattern based on your anatomy.
Will a breast lift make my breasts larger?
A lift primarily changes breast shape and position. Patients seeking added volume may discuss augmentation or fat grafting with Dr. Slack.
Can a lift be combined with breast implants?
Yes. A combined lift and augmentation may be appropriate for patients who want both improved breast position and additional volume, although the combined procedure requires careful planning.
What happens to upper-breast fullness after a lift?
Early fullness may decrease as the skin relaxes and tissues settle. An implant or fat grafting may be considered when additional volume is desired.
Is a staged lift and augmentation ever recommended?
For some patients, performing the procedures separately can be appropriate. When staged, a waiting period of approximately four to six months may allow tissues to settle, depending on individual circumstances.
How do I know which breast lift approach is right for me?
Dr. Slack evaluates breast anatomy, skin quality, degree of sagging, volume, and your goals during a personal consultation.
Your Breasts - and Your Goals - Are Unique
Each patient has different breast anatomy, skin quality, degree of sagging, volume, and aesthetic goals. Those factors influence whether a lift, augmentation, or combination of procedures will provide the most appropriate result.
Dr. Slack personally meets with patients to evaluate those factors and discuss the benefits, limitations, and realistic expectations of each option.
Considering a Breast Lift?
Meet personally with Dr. Slack in Allen, Texas to discuss your concerns, breast anatomy, and whether a breast lift, augmentation, or combination procedure is best suited to your goals.
Allen, Texas · Serving Plano, McKinney, Frisco & North Dallas