When you first meet your surgeon you should clearly set out how you would like to look after the treatment and whether this is possible for you.
Careful discussions regarding the reasons for wanting breast lift surgery are very important at this stage. The surgeon will then examine your breasts and measure them while you're sitting or standing. He or she should provide information about the procedure and discuss the factors that may affect the operation--such as your age, the size and shape of your breasts, and the condition of your skin--and whether an implant is advisable. You should also discuss where the nipple and areola will be positioned. You need as much information as is possible to enable you to make a fully informed choice about the type of breast lift surgery suitable for you. You may also need to think carefully about any suggestions from your surgeon about implants being inserted at the same time as your breast lift operation. The implants are used to increase breast firmness and size. (Please see our breast implants section for more details).
At this time, a medical history should be taken, to make sure that there are no reasons why you shouldn’t undertake this procedure. You would normally be asked to sign a consent form which means that you have understood both the benefits and risks associated with breast lift surgery.
Photographs may also be taken by the practitioner for a “before and after” comparison later.
The surgeon may wish to write to your G.P. giving details of the operation so that if there are any problems associated with surgery in the short- or long-term, the G.P. is aware of the procedure and can help you to recover.
Anaesthesia
Breast lift surgery is usually performed under a general anaesthetic. In some cases, your surgeon may advise the use of a local anaesthetic, combined with a sedative to make you drowsy, so that you remain awake but feel very little discomfort during the operation.
Remember that having a general anaesthetic has a small risk attached to it that your surgeon should discuss with you.
The operation
Your breast lift would usually be performed in a hospital, or a surgeon’s clinic, and usually doesn’t require an overnight stay. A breast lift takes between one and a half and three and a half hours. There are different techniques which can be used, but the surgery usually begins with the surgeon making a cut underneath your breast which follows the natural curve of the breast. He then makes another cut which runs from the nipple down towards the bottom of the breast. You might imagine the incisions which are made being like the shape of an anchor.
The cut marks the area from which breast skin will be removed. When the excess skin has been removed, the nipple and areola are moved to the higher position. The skin surrounding the areola is then pulled tightly down and together to reshape the breast. Stitches are usually put in around the areola, in a line running downwards from the nipple area, and along the lower crease of the breast.
Some patients, especially those with relatively small breasts and not much sagging, may be better suited to slightly different procedures requiring fewer incisions which would reduce the scarring. One such procedure is the "doughnut (or concentric) mastopexy," in which a circular cut is made around the areola, and a doughnut-shaped area of skin is removed.
Additionally there is the "crescent" technique that involves removing a crescent-shaped piece of tissue above the areola and then just having the skin pulled up towards the top of the breast. This creates a minor lift for patients who have only slight sagging.
Another technique which requires little cutting is called the "lollipop" because the incision is made around the nipple area with a line running down the breast. If you have the "lollipop”, a third incision along the crease underneath the breast, used in traditional operations, is not necessary. In this technique, the breast tissue is built up in the middle in a "cone," shape, bringing in breast tissue from the sides and middle of the breast. The result of this operation is that your breasts will stick out more!