How do I determine if a breast lift is needed?

Determining whether you’re a candidate for breast lift surgery depends on your goals and the current condition of your breasts. Many women seeking to reshape sagging breasts often wonder if they need a breast lift, breast augmentation, or a combination of both.

In an oversimplified way, breast lift surgery is needed when a woman desires a more lifted or perkier appearance of the breast tissue. Breast lift candidacy can be determined based on your concerns and goals; consulting with a board-certified plastic surgeon is essential to create a customized treatment plan tailored to your needs.

Ptosis, or droopiness, occurs when there is a mismatch between the outer covering of the breasts, that is, the skin and nipple areolar complex with respect to the inner breast, which is the gland and fat. Too much skin, insufficient glands, and fat under the skin result in sagging breasts falling below the breast crease or excess skin. A candidate for a breast lift typically experiences moderate to severe sagging and desires a perkier, more youthful breast contour. In cases of minimal ptosis, a small breast implant may correct the appearance by adding volume if the patient also desires breast augmentation.

Ladies with a relatively large volume of breasts and who are happy with their size when not in a padded bra benefit most from pure breast lift techniques, as this technique focuses on removing excess skin and reshaping the breast profile without altering the volume.

Many breast lift patients will fall in between and desire slightly larger breasts, which can be accomplished with breast augmentation. However, their chosen implant will not fill the skin and nipple-areolar complex envelope or remedy the breast sag. So, they will still also need a breast lift procedure. The intersection of breast augmentation, breast lift surgery, and breast lift augmentation as a combined surgical procedure is a topic best addressed in a one-on-one consultation with a plastic surgeon.