San Diego Breast Lift

Women's breasts are often affected by factors such as pregnancy, nursing and the force of gravity. Due to loss of elasticity, the breasts lose their shape and begin to sag. Breast lift, which is also called as 'Mastopexy' is a surgical procedure to raise and reshape sagging breasts. Mastopexy can also reduce the size of the areola, the darker skin surrounding the nipple. If one's breasts are small or have lost volume--for example, after pregnancy--breast implants inserted in conjunction with mastopexy can increase both their firmness and their size.

Though mastopexy does not affect breast-feeding, it is always adviced to postpone the treatment if one is planning for future pregnancies as pregnancy will stretch the breasts again. The procedure can also leave unevenly positioned nipples, or a permanent loss of feeling in your nipples or breasts.

The incision outlines the area from which breast skin will be removed and defines the new location for the nipple. When the excess skin has been removed, the nipple and areola are moved to the higher position. The skin surrounding the areola is then brought down and together to reshape the breast. Stitches are usually located around the areola, in a vertical line extending downwards from the nipple area, and along the lower crease of the breast. Those with relatively small breasts and minimal sagging, require less extensive incisions. One such procedure is the "doughnut (or concentric) mastopexy," in which circular incisions are made around the areola, and a doughnut-shaped area of skin is removed.

If an implant inserted along with the breast lift, it will be placed in a pocket directly under the breast tissue, or deeper, under the muscle of the chest wall.

Moisturizer can be applied several times a day if the breast skin is very dry but the moisturizer should be kept away from the suture areas. The patient may experience some loss of feeling in your nipples and breast skin, caused by the swelling after surgery. This numbness usually fades as the swelling subsides over the next six weeks or so. Lifting anything over the head level for three to four weeks should be avoided.