As time passes, pregnancy, nursing, excessive weight loss, and gravity have adverse effects on women’s breasts causing them to lose their elasticity, firmness, and shape and begin to sag. A breast lift is a procedure that corrects this condition using a combination of removing excess breast skin. If desired, implants may be used to restore breasts to their natural shape and size.
Miami plastic surgeon Dr. Hochstein offers various breast lift procedures/techniques that are designed to individually address each patient’s needs. He may suggest a crescent-shaped, anchor-shaped, or Benelli lift variation depending on that person’s goals and situation.
Breast Lift Candidates
The best candidates for a breast lift (Mastopexy) are healthy women who are realistic about the result they would like to achieve. A breast lift can enhance your appearance and your self-confidence. The best results are achieved on patients with small, sagging breasts due to a loss of skin elasticity, secondary to pregnancy and / or nursing, or weight loss.
Women who have minimal sagging or drooping in the breast area may be good candidates for a “partial mastopexy,” which involves the crescent-shaped technique. The incision will be made above the areola and moved upward in a new location. Typically, those who have severe signs of sagging are better suited for the anchor-shaped lift, which is designed to create a new breast envelope through repositioning of the nipple and reshaping of the breasts. This incision will start at the base of the areola and then vertically descend to where the breasts meet the rib cage. The Benelli lift involves making an incision solely along the areola and removing a donut-shaped piece of tissue around the areola border. Typically, this results in flatter, rounder breasts.
For women who have excess skin associated with either weight loss or the effects of pregnancy associated with breastfeeding, as well as involuntary atrophy with increase in skin laxity after breastfeeding, breast lifts are very important and maybe their only option to regain their desired shape. A breast lift (Mastopexy, Bennelli or Lollipop) operations are often combined with a breast augmentation, using saline or silicone implants under the muscle. Also due to pregnancy women often combine breast lift surgery with an abdominal surgery (Tummy Tuck) and Liposuction.
Possible complications of the surgery include bleeding and infection following surgery, which may cause scars to widen, (poor healing and wider scars are common in smokers). The procedure can also leave you with unevenly positioned nipples, or a change in feeling in the nipple or breast.
Bennelli Lift
The Bennelli lift is an areolar lift where skin is removed circumferentially around the areola. Bennelli lift involves making an incision solely along the areola. It entails the removal of a donut-shaped piece of tissue around the areola border. Sometimes a little more tissue is removed above the areola to compensate for a lifting effect when it is sutured; comparable to the crescent. This may result in flatter and rounder breasts in the end.
Bennelli-Lollipop Lift
This is similar to the Bennelli lift; however this technique may be more effective on women who have medium ptosis. With straight incisions that run from under the areola to the breast crease, the lollipop is a good option for patients who may have too much sagging for the Bennelli Lift and not enough for a full mastopexy. In general, scars around the areola fade faster than in other areas like the breast crease.
Mastopexy Lift
Finally, a formal mastopexy using the anchor scar or the Wise-pattern technique is an excellent lift that usually leads to a nice breast shape, and can be combined with implants placed behind the muscle. This lift scar is an anchor-like incision which can be good or bad, and depending upon color of skin, can lead to increased hyper pigmentation, wide-spreading scars, hypertrophic scars or even keloids. This should be discussed with Dr. Hochstein in great detail prior to undergoing a formal mastopexy or anchor scar Wise-pattern lift.
MASTOPEXY VS. BENELLI LIFT
A breast lift, also called a “mastopexy,” may be perfect for women whose breasts have lost their shape and firmness. If factors like pregnancy, nursing, and the force of gravity have caused your breasts to lose elasticity, you may be left with stretched skin and less volume. To learn which type of mastopexy technique is best for your condition, make an appointment with Dr. Hochstein for a consultation visit. During this time, he may suggest a crescent-shaped, anchor-shaped, or a Benelli lift variation to help bring your breasts to a more youthful appearance. (A lift is not considered permanent, considering that weight fluctuation and aging may naturally take a toll on its shape; however, it is still successful toward improving the condition of sagging breasts.)
Mastopexy can take up to four hours to complete. It is usually performed with general anesthesia, although it depends on the technique used. For women who show only mild signs of sagging, or what is called “ptosis,” partial mastopexy may be all that is needed. This technique involves a crescent-shaped, or “S-shaped,” incision above the areola; moving the nipple upward into a new location. But for Miami breast lift patients who possess severe signs of sagging, an anchor-shaped lift, or a mastopexy, may be the best bet. It is designed to actually create a new breast envelope through the repositioning of the nipple and the reshaping of the breast. Although a full mastopexy leaves patients with heavy scarring, it is the most-commonly performed procedure for women needing a dramatic lift. The anchor-shaped incision starts at the base of the areola and vertically descends to where the breast meets the rib cage; a horizontal crescent-shaped incision is then created where the breasts meets the rib cage, before it is sutured.
Similar to the crescent-shaped incision, the Benelli lift involves making an incision solely along the areola. It entails the removal of a donut-shaped piece of tissue around the areola border. Sometimes a little more tissue is removed above the areola to compensate for a lifting effect when it is sutured; comparable to the crescent. This may result in flatter and rounder breasts in the end. The Benelli-Lollipop lift is similar to the Benelli lift; however this technique may be more effective on women who have medium ptosis. With straight incisions that run from under the areolae to the breast crease, the lollipop is a good option for patients who may have too much sagging for the Benelli and not enough for a full mastopexy. In general, scars around the areola fade faster than in other areas like the breast crease.
With straight incisions that run from under the areolae to the breast crease, the lollipop is a good option for patients who may have too much sagging for the Benelli and not enough for a full mastopexy. In general, scars around the areola fade faster than in other areas like the breast crease.
Many women with larger breasts often choose to have Breast Reduction surgery. Such surgery can alleviate back problems, avoid loss of sensation from stretched nerves, and look more attractive.
Contact Us For A Consultation
During an initial consultation, Miami breast lift surgeon Dr. Hochstein will go over more in-depth details regarding the various breast lift techniques. Women may also seek the help of “Dr. H” for other breast enhancement procedures, such as breast augmentation surgery (“augmentation mammaplasty”). Oftentimes, these procedures can be performed together.
Please feel free to contact our office if you have any questions about the benefits of breast lift surgery, or if you would like to make an appointment with Dr. Hochstein for a consultation visit.
To see examples of Dr. Hochstein’s Miamiand Ft Lauderdale breast lift patient results, feel free to view breast lift before and after photos.
Women who are interested in a mastopexy may schedule a complimentary consultation with our breast lift surgeon by calling (305) 931-3338 or sending an email.
