Breast Lift

A breast lift, medically called mastopexy, is a procedure performed when genetics, aging, childbearing, breastfeeding and/or weight loss have caused drooping of the breasts and loosening of the breast skin. The breast lift procedure is performed under general anesthesia on an outpatient basis. A breast lift can be performed alone or combined with a breast reduction or breast augmentation.

Good Candidates for a Breast Lift
Healthy adult women concerned about breast sagging are usually ideal candidates for a breast lift. Dr. Gerut advises women who are not finished with childbearing to consider waiting until they have completed their families, because pregnancy and nursing can contribute to breast drooping, which would undo the corrections offered with a breast lift.

Breast Lift Scarring
It is important to understand that this surgery does result in an obvious scar, because the breast cannot be effectively lifted without one. There are several variations:

• The Anchor procedure, which is the most common. Sometimes called an Inverted T, this scar runs vertically from the nipple to beneath the breast and across the crease under the breast.
• The Lollipop procedure, also called the Vertical Mastopexy, Short Scar Mastopexy, or LeJour, is similar to the anchor with its vertical scar from the nipple downward, but without the incision underneath the breast. The Lollipop is Dr. Gerut’s preferred breast lift at his plastic surgery practice in Hewlett, Long Island but if the patient is best served with the anchor technique, that is the one he will use. This will all be reviewed with you at your consultation with Dr. Gerut prior to your procedure.

How a Breast Lift is Performed
A breast lift is an elective outpatient plastic surgery performed in Dr. Gerut’s fully accredited and licensed surgical suite located in his office in Hewlett, Long Island. Plastic surgery patients benefit from the attention to detail and patient comfort and safety that result from that Dr. Gerut’s many years with the same surgical team, including board certified anesthesiologists. Breast lift surgery almost always requires some kind of anesthesia, not simply injections of Novocain. The anesthesia options are sedation/twilight or general anesthesia.

Dr. Gerut begins the procedure by making incisions in the breast, after which the excess skin from the central lower portion of the breast is removed. The nipple is then placed into a higher position, keeping it attached to breast tissue. The breast tissue is reshaped and lifted, and the skin is closed by suturing the circle around the nipple and areola and closing the vertical incision from the bottom of the circle to under the breast. The vertical incisions are usually fairly long and it is usually necessary to gather the skin up as it is closed, like tightening the drawstring of a purse. This causes pleats in the skin as the incision is closed. These pleats can look quite strange at first, but always disappear as healing progresses. A compressive bra is placed on the patient to assist in maintaining the position of the breasts and to help minimize swelling. Dr. Gerut rarely inserts drains in a breast lift procedure but, if extensive removal or rearrangement of breast tissue is needed, a temporary drain may be placed. This will be discussed with you at your private consultation with Dr. Gerut long before you have the procedure.

For patients adding a breast implant or undergoing a breast reduction with a lift, please see those procedures by clicking the links above.

Recovery from a Breast Lift
In a simple breast lift, without an implant or reduction, most women say that the postoperative pain is less than they expected. The supportive bra will be worn for 1-2 weeks for 24 hours a day. Dr. Gerut will limit your activity for 2-4 weeks just to walking—no aerobics, lifting or stretching. For most breast surgery patients, final results appear around the 6-month mark, and scars fade very well after a year. Most of our Long Island breast lift patients feel up to returning to work and/or social activities in about a week to ten days. In the unlikely event that a drain was placed, it’s usually removed at the first postop appointment. Dr. Gerut will advise you about other postop recovery tips at your preop appointment, where you’ll be given a sheet of instructions to help you.

If you’re concerned about drooping and sagging in your breasts, board certified New York plastic surgeon Dr. Gerut can help. Call us at 516-295-2100 or complete our online consultation form to start your journey to a better looking you!