Breast Lift (Mastopexy) in Houston, TX

From pregnancy and breast feeding to weight loss and aging, there are a number of reasons you may look in the mirror one day and realize that gravity has not been your friend. If it’s time to seek help, Christopher Hankins, MD and Premier Plastic Surgery will restore breast volume and lift with mastopexy surgery. Our office happily serves the residents of Houston, Pearland, Lake Jackson and the surrounding areas of South Houston.

Many women experience deflation and ptosis of their breasts as a result of the aging process or pregnancy. If the loss of breast volume is causing you to be uncomfortable with your appearance, either an augmentation with an appropriately selected breast implant or a  breast lift (mastopexy) is an excellent cosmetic surgical procedure to restore your breast’s volume and lift. If you are one of the many women who feel uncomfortable about the loss of breast volume (fullness), sagging breast tissue, or the size or symmetry of your breasts and are looking for a cosmetic surgical solution, Dr. Hankins can help.

In the before and after section of the website, you will see several patients who have had their breast deflation and ptosis corrected with an appropriately selected breast implant only.  There are many women who do not want any scars on their breasts and as a result are treated with breast augmentation only. Other women do not desire to be augmented at all and are treated by mastopexy only.  Still others fall somewhere in between and may be treated with augmentation mastopexy. Every case is unique and treatment is therefore tailored to the patient’s goals and desires.

Who is a Candidate for Breast Lift Surgery?

At Premier Plastic Surgery, Dr. Hankins’ patients typically desire breast lift (mastopexy) surgery due to:

• Loss of breast volume and sagging due to aging
• Loss of breast volume and sagging due to pregnancy
• Loss of breast volume and sagging due to breast feeding
• Improvements in self-confidence and body image

In younger women, the breast is shaped so the nipple is at or slightly higher than the crease below the breast, the inframammary fold. The upper surface of the breast has a gentle concave contour, whereas the bottom of the breast in profile has a convex contour. There is ample fullness in the upper pole of the breasts.

During pregnancy and in the postpartum period, the breasts swell to produce milk, which results in stretching of the ligaments which attach the dermis (skin/tissue) of the breast to the pectoralis fascia, or the connective tissue layer immediately above the pectoralis major muscle.

Reduction in the size of the breasts occurs as the fatty tissue and glandular component of the breasts involutes following discontinuance of breast feeding. With shrinkage of the underlying tissue of the breasts, the skin envelope becomes deflated, resulting in a progressive descent of the position of the nipple with respect to the chest wall. When the position of the nipple falls below the inframammary fold, a condition known as ptosis develops. Depending on the degree of tissue loss and skin laxity, the volume deficit may be compensated for with an implant or, in more severe cases, excision of skin either with or without an implant.

If you are concerned about any of these conditions affecting your breasts, schedule a breast surgery consultation with Dr. Hankins.

Breast Lift Surgical Approaches

There are a number of surgical approaches for a breast lift, or mastopexy, procedure. Dr. Hankins will examine you and discuss the best approach to correct and improve your breasts and restore them to their original shape and position on your chest wall.

Slight Drooping

Correction of this deformity is highly individualized according to the needs of the patient. In the case of slight drooping of the breast, a breast augmentation may be that is needed to restore the fullness in the upper pole of the breasts. (See breast augmentation for more information).

Extreme Drooping

For breasts that are extremely droopy, a reduction of the breast envelope must be carried out to restore a pleasing shape to the breasts. Each patient is different and a customized approach to restore the patient’s breasts to their original shape will be planned. If a breast reduction is needed, Dr. Hankins will discuss this procedure with you. To learn more, see breast reduction surgery.

Incision Types

Dr. Hankins can perform mastopexy with a variety of techniques. These options include:

• Lollipop Lift: The most common approach creates a circular incision around the areola and a vertical line down to the lower breast crease.
• Anchor Lift: Beginning with a lollipop lift, anchor lift uses an additional horizontal incision along the lower breast crease to tackle more severe breast sagging. This is the most common type that we perform.
• Donut (or Benelli) Lift: This is a less invasive approach to breast lift that prioritizes raising the position of the areola while tightening some breast skin. However, the trade off is that the breasts can appear flatter.
• Crescent Lift: The incision is restricted to the perimeter of the top half of the areola. It is only recommended to patients with early or mild breast sagging. It can elevate the nipple areolar complex 1 – 2 cm.

Breast Lift Recovery

Mastopexy is an outpatient procedure. You should prioritize resting and relaxing for the first few days until you feel well enough to resume normal activities like work one to two weeks later. You will receive a compression garment that you should wear at almost all times. Not only does this help to hold your breasts in their new position, it also significantly reduces swelling and bruising for an accelerated healing time. Some patients may require drains to expel excess fluids.

Take prescribed pain medication as necessary to manage lingering discomfort. Although Dr. Hankins schedules follow-up appointments to check on your progress, the stitches are dissolvable, so they do not need to be removed.

Breast Lift Costs

The price of breast lift depends on the extent of the breast drooping, the techniques necessary to lift the breasts and whether the procedure is combined with other surgeries. Dr. Hankins can provide a complete quote after examining your breasts and listening to your preferences during a consultation. Because breast lift is an elective surgery, it is not covered by health insurance plans, but we do accept financing plans to help you pay for your surgery in installments.

Breast Lift FAQs

Will my breasts look bigger after breast lift?

In a word, no. The purpose of breast lift is to elevate your existing breast tissue to achieve a more youthful presentation and appealing shape. The size of your breasts will not change, however. If you are interested in increasing your breasts’ volume in addition to lifting them, Dr. Hankins can combine breast augmentation with breast lift for amazing results.

How long do breast lift results last?

Most of Dr. Hankins’ patients can expect to see the results of breast lift surgery for 10 or more years. While breast lift can reverse the signs of aging, it cannot stop the aging process altogether. Eventually, breast skin gets looser and drooping resumes. So long as you are still a good candidate for elective surgery, you can choose to repeat the surgery in the future to re-elevate your breasts. It is advisable to wear a bra to maximize the longevity of the procedure as gravity works 24/7/365.

Should I expect to have scarring after breast lift?

Because incisions are necessary to perform breast lift, you should expect to have some scarring following the surgery. Fortunately, Dr. Hankins takes a gentle, deliberate approach to surgery, using techniques that are known to result in scars that become faint with time. He also positions incisions around natural lines and folds where they hide easily. Most women agree that having perkier, higher breasts is worth the mild scarring.