Dear Dr. Seckel, I know your site is mainly about the face but I want information on breast surgery. I am 35, live in Boston, have had 2 kids and my breasts have gotten smaller and sag a bit. I have read about breast augmentation and the mastopexy breast lift but I really do not want visible scars on my breasts. Is it possible that a breast augmentation will also give the breast a bit of a lift? Thank You, Denise, Boston, MAI
Dear Denise,
Thank you very much for your email. As a Plastic Surgeon I do many breast operations and welcome your important question,
By far the greatest number of women seeking breast augmentation and or lift are women just like you who have had their children and are unhappy with what has happened to their breasts after having children. During pregnancy the breast is full and very feminine looking. After childbirth the actual breast gland atrophies, gets smaller, and the skin that has been stretched during pregnancy sags and allows the breast to drop.
What bothers my patients most is the lack of fullness and cleavage. They just want to be able to fill out their bathing suit and look good in today’s fashions.
There are many wonderful techniques available today to restore the breast to a beautiful full youthful feminine appearance. Depending on how much the breast has sagged some people may need the dermal mastopexy or breast lift, which as you point out does leave noticeable scars.
But for most people the breast augmentation procedure can correct the post pregnancy breast appearance without the need for a lift or mastopexy.
The key issue in making this decision is the position of the nipple. Check the crease in the skin below your breast. This is called the inframammary crease. If the nipple is above this crease then chances are a breast augmentation can be done without a breast lift and restore your breast to a full youthful appearance.
Another technique I use to avoid scars and lift the breast is called the Transareolar Breast Augmentation. Using this technique I make a very small incision in the areola—the round pink part surrounding the nipple. I then modify the breast gland so that it falls nicely over the implant.
Using the Transareolar approach does push the nipple up and places the volume of the implant under the nipple and which is where the volume of the normal breast was during pregnancy.
The other benefit is that the areolar scar is almost invisible. Scars tend to be pink, the areola is pink, and so the scar is not as noticeable as it is when placed under the breast or in the armpit. Also in my experience there is no increase in risk to the sensation or feeling of the nipple it nearly always remains the same as it does with other breast augmentation techniques.
The implant can be placed either under the breast or under the chest muscle using this technique, but when a breast lift is needed the implant is usually placed beneath the chest muscle directly under the breast gland.
Obviously I would have to examine you to see exactly which procedure will give you the result that you will be happy with.
However most women I see who complain of small sagging breasts after having their children can get a beautiful result with the Transareolar Breast Augmentation and avoid the scars associated with the breast lift or Dermal Mastopexy Procedure. I have hundreds of very happy patients who came to me with exactly your problem.
Thank you for your very important question.
To read more about plastic surgery read Save Your Face or contact me.
978-369-4499
Concord, Massachusetts
Boston, Massachusetts