Breast Lift

A mastopexy—often called a breast lift—is a popular cosmetic surgery for women who want to restore the natural youthfulness of their breasts that has been lost to pregnancy, breastfeeding, weight loss, and effects of gravity that makes breast skin lose its elasticity.

A breast lift restores the breasts by removing excess skin and breast tissue, as well as decreasing the size of the areola and raising it to a more youthful position. A breast implant may also be used to enhance breast volume if desired.

Mastopexy Procedures

There are different grades of breast deformation, and appropriately, different grades of mastopexies to match. You can determine your grade and what style of breast lift you might need by looking at your profile in the mirror. The crease beneath the breast—known as the inframammary crease—determines the grade of skin elasticity and sagging that the breast has undergone. A youthful breast has the nipple above the inframammary crease.

Mastopexy Augmentation
For breasts with mild sagging, a crescent-shaped incision is made above the areola. This is usually combined with a breast implant for a fuller, more firm looking breast.

Periareolar Mastopexy
For breasts with moderate sagging, a circular incision will be made around the areola for a periareolar mastopexy. The extra skin between the areola and the incision is removed. Areolae can also be reduced during this procedure.

Full Mastopexy
For breasts with severe sagging, a full mastopexy is required. An anchor-shaped incision is made around the areola, with the bottom of the “anchor” at the inframammary crease. This procedure is designed to essentially recreate the breast envelope by reshaping the breast and lifting the nipple to a more youthful position, as well as reducing the size of the areolar complex.

Mommy Makeover
A Mommy Makeover is a combination of a mastopexy of any grade, a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty), and liposuction to reverse the signs of pregnancy.

A consultation with Dr. Shapiro at his Scottsdale office will help you decide which surgery will be the best fit for you.

Scars and Maintenance

Scars from a periareolar mastopexy are only obvious around the immediate areola, where the incision was closed. The full mastopexy scars are around the areola, in a vertical line from the areola down to the inframammary crease, and inside the inframammary crease, which are sometimes made inconspicuous by the crease itself.

In general, scars around the areola fade faster than in other areas. The vertical scar from a full mastopexy is practically invisible over time. Dr. Shapiro, a Scottsdale plastic surgeon, recommends using silicone gel sheeting to reduce the visibility of scars for the first few months after surgery. He will also use Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) laser therapy that reduces redness and scar visibility over time.

For patients who undergo a full mastopexy, the breasts tend to have lost a good portion of their elasticity and so may need a second, smaller skin lift procedure to help the breasts raise into the desired place. Dr. Shapiro will perform this maintenance in Scottsdale free of charge after one year of the original surgery, asking only that you pay a small tray fee for disposable materials used during the surgery.