Q: Who is a good candidate for a breast lift?

A: The usual candidates for breast lifts are women who have lost breast volume following pregnancy and have extra skin, low-positioned nipples and “older looking” breasts.

Q: How is the procedure performed?

A: Breast lifts are performed in a hospital or an outpatient surgery center, usually under general anesthesia. The procedure typically takes 1 ½ to 3 ½ hours and involves removing excess skin and relocating the nipple and areola to a higher position.

Patients with smaller breasts and minimal sagging may be candidates for a lift procedure that requires smaller incisions. Called a "doughnut mastopexy," this procedure involves making round incisions around the areola and removing a doughnut-shaped area of skin. For more significant lifts, the scar is placed around the nipple and vertically down the breast. Occasionally a horizontal scar is placed in the breast fold.

For longer-lasting results, some women desire breast implants in addition to a lift. In these cases, the implant procedure is performed at the same time as the lift procedure.

Q: What can I expect from recovery?

A: Following surgery, your breasts will be bruised, swollen and sore for one to two weeks. You’ll need to wear a surgical bra for the first week after surgery, and then a support bra for several weeks after that.

Following surgery, you may experience some loss of sensation in your nipples and breasts. Sensation gradually returns over weeks and months. However, some patients experience numbness for up to a year or so. On rare occasions, loss of sensation can be permanent.

Most women can return to work within one to two weeks. Avoid strenuous sports and lifting anything above your head for three to four weeks. If you become pregnant, your breast lift should not affect your ability to breastfeed.

Q: What are the risks?

A: All surgical procedures carry some risk. Although rare, risks associated with mastopexy include bleeding, infection, unevenly positioned nipples, permanent loss of sensation in your nipples or breasts, or problems with wound healing.

The procedure does leave permanent scars that may take some time to fade. Maximum fading takes approximately one year. Scar locations include an incision around the nipples, vertically down the breast and sometimes horizontally in the breast fold.