| Cost range | Recovery |
|---|---|
| Cost range $4,000 - $9,000 | Recovery 2 - 6 weeks |
Breast lift restores a perky, pleasing position to breasts affected by pregnancy, weight fluctuation or advancing age. When sculpting and reshaping the breasts, the plastic surgeon’s technical skill and artistic sensibilities are vitally important. That’s why women throughout Scottsdale, Mesa and the surrounding areas put their trust in Dr. Genaro Valladolid. By marrying principles of both art and science, Dr. Valladolid is admired for creating appealing results that look completely natural.
Through his extensive surgical training and his daily clinical practice, Dr. Valladolid has performed a large number of breast lift procedures and understands how to achieve great results that look totally natural. He is meticulous in his technique and has a finely honed sense of balance and proportion that allows him to consistently deliver stunning results. Dr. Valladolid is also very in tune with his patients’ goals and takes a thoughtful approach to planning every surgery.
Candidates for breast lift are women who are unhappy with their breast position. The breasts may sag or droop due to pregnancy, nursing, weight fluctuations or the effects of aging. Some women are simply prone to sagging breasts because of genetic factors.
Breast lift candidates should be in good health, not smoke and have realistic goals of surgery. For the most lasting results, they should postpone surgery until they are finished having children, as pregnancy and breastfeeding can “undo” the improvements of surgery.
Every breast lift procedure is tailored specifically to the patient’s individual anatomy and aesthetic goals. A breast lift procedure may involve tightening excess skin, elevating the nipples, reducing the size of the areolas or lifting breast tissue that droops and lays flat against the chest. Sometimes breast lift involves all of these components.
Depending on the degree of breast sag, Dr. Valladolid selects the incision pattern. In cases of significant sagging, an “anchor” or Wise pattern lift may be most suitable. The procedure is performed through incisions tracing the areola, running vertically down the front of the breast to the breast crease and horizontally along the crease.
In cases of moderate breast sag, Dr. Valladolid may employ the vertical or lollipop lift. The incision pattern is similar to that of the anchor lift, except it does not include the horizontal incision along the breast crease.
Although breast lift improves the position and the shape of flat, “deflated”-looking breasts, it does not significantly change the size of the breasts. Women that desire more breast volume can opt to have implants placed at the time of breast lift surgery.
Patients recovering from breast lift wear a compression garment to accelerate the healing process and minimize some of the surgical aftereffects like swelling. Other aftereffects include bruising, soreness and slight discomfort. Pain medication can be taken to alleviate discomfort.
Most women are able to resume work and their normal activities within one to two weeks of surgery. Vigorous exercise and heavy lifting must be avoided for at least four to six weeks after surgery. Patients are asked to refrain from wearing a bra with underwire for up to two months while the breasts heal.
With the breasts sag, nipples tend to fall lower on the breasts and project downward. For most patients, Dr. Valladolid repositions the nipples so that they sit higher on the breasts and point outward in a perky, youthful manner. When necessary, he can also resize the areolas so that they fit in better proportion to the size of the breasts. If you have a preference regarding the way you want your nipples to look, be sure to share that during your consultation so that Dr. Valladolid can incorporate it into the surgical plan.
While Dr. Valladolid does remove some excess skin to help counteract the drooping, his focus with breast lift is to reposition the existing breast tissue rather than changing its volume. If you are hoping for your breasts to look larger (rather than simply higher and perkier) after breast lift, then you should ask Dr. Valladolid about combining a lift with breast augmentation. Breast implants, even modest-sized ones, are the best way to achieve your ideal size and shape.
Conversely, patients who seek breast augmentation without breast lift when they already have sagging breasts are not likely to see the results they hoped for. It is better to combine these procedures to ensure the implants sit high on the chest rather than lower on the body.
While scarring is a consequence of any surgical procedure, Dr. Valladolid uses deliberate and delicate incisions to keep visible scarring to a minimum. Where possible, he makes these incisions around the areola and along the breast crease where they hide easily. Because scars are covered easily by a bra or bathing suit, most patients feel that some scarring is a worthwhile trade for having elevated, perky breasts.
Although breast lift results are long-lasting, inevitably they are undone by the aging process. Even lifted skin eventually starts to sag again. Most patients enjoy their results for 10 to 15 years. Patients who wish to maintain their results for longer can undergo a revision breast lift to elevate the tissue again, so long as they remain good candidates for the surgery.
The cost of breast lift typically ranges between $4,000 and $9,000. The price is determined largely by the extent of the sag and the technique used to elevate the breasts. If you choose to add implants to your breast lift, this increases the cost. To allow you to make an informed decision, Dr. Valladolid can quote the total price after examining your breasts during a consultation.
Because breast lift is an elective procedure, it is not covered by health insurance plans. You may obtain financing through CareCredit to make payments toward the total cost of the surgery.
Most women who have breast lift can still nurse children after their surgery, though a small percentage of women may see lower milk production. However, Dr. Valladolid does discourage women who intend to have children from having breast lift before completing their family. The breasts go through many changes during pregnancy, usually resulting in significant sagging which undoes the results achieved with breast lift.
For more information regarding breast lift, please contact one of Dr. Valladolid’s offices in Scottsdale or Mesa by calling (480) 770-5015 today.
