Leading New York City plastic surgery practices offer customized breast augmentation procedures for women looking to enhance breast size and shape and resolve asymmetry. Women over forty who consider getting breast implants may also have concerns of excess tissue and skin. Sagging is usually the result of factors such as aging, breastfeeding and weight loss. For candidates with sagging issues, augmentation alone would not provide satisfactory results and in such cases, NYC plastic surgeons recommend combining it with a breast lift.
On the other hand, while mastopexy or breast lift surgery improves upper pole fullness, it cannot improve breast volume. The procedure involves removing excess skin and tightening the sagging muscles to result in a perkier and more youthful appearance.
So it’s clear that both these cosmetic surgical procedure accomplish different things. While augmentation improves size and contour, a lift corrects ptosis or sagging. So a combination procedure is the recommended option for women who want to achieve both these goals to rejuvenate their appearance. The most common category of women who consider the combo procedure are women who:
- Want to have their breasts lifted along with increasing size
- Need breast augmentation but have a significant degree of ptosis
- Want mastopexy (breast lift) but desire more fullness than what a breast lift can offer
- Have lost breast volume and projection due to considerable weight loss or pregnancy
The breast augmentation-lift involves removing excess or stretched skin and repositioning the nipple to a higher position, tightening the breast tissues, and placement of the implant usually behind the chest muscle. Options for augmentation include FDA approved saline, silicone gel, gummy bear and IDEAL implants. ‘Anchor’ or ‘inverted-T’ mastopexy and vertical breast lift are popular techniques for lifting the breasts, and the incision pattern chosen would depend on the nature of correction needed. The benefits of the combination procedure are as follows:
- Enhanced projection and contour
- Larger, firmer and lifted breasts
- An elevated position for the nipple-areolar complex
- A reduction in the overall size of the areola
- Reduced skin irritation under the breast folds
Experts confirm that the combination procedure is safe. A study published in 2013 in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), noted “With appropriate patient selection and a carefully planned operative approach, our data demonstrates a one-stage procedure can be safely performed with acceptable complication and reoperation rates.”