Breast Lift FAQs
Is the recovery from a breast lift painful?
Not typically. Since the operation doesn’t involve any modification of the pectoral muscle, the recovery is usually quite quick. Patients are back to work after approximately one week. You will have to limit your activities until the incisions are well healed, especially for the first few weeks.
I’d like my breasts to be about a cup size smaller, and also need a lift. Is this possible?
Yes. Dr. Fiala can remove a little bit of the breast tissue at the same time as performing the breast lift surgery. In some cases, liposuction of the breast can also be used for this purpose. Or, if you currently have breast implants, they can be removed or switched to a smaller size.
I’d like my breasts to be about a cup size larger, and also need a lift. Is this possible? What about fat grafting?
Yes. Fat grafting to the breasts can be performed, using the fat that has been liposuctioned from another area. This can be used to give a one-cup size increase. Alternatively, a small implant can be used. Implants tend to give more projection and upper pole fullness than fat grafts do. If you are looking for more fullness in the upper portion of the breast, you may wish to consider a small breast implant at the same time as your lift.
How long will the lift last?
Unfortunately, time and gravity march on for all of us. Women who have stretchy tissue that allowed breast droop to develop in the first place will tend to have some recurrence of this over time. However, their breast shape is always better than if they had never had the operation, and better than their unoperated friends. Most women will have a significant improvement for between 5-10 years. A second surgery can be performed, if needed. Recently, Galaflex mesh has been shown to help prevent the skin in the lower portion of the breast from re-stretching. This can be placed when a full lift is performed.
I want a breast lift, but I don’t want any scars. What should I do?
Currently, there’s no skin-tightening method that works to tighten up the skin significantly without surgery. The breast lift, with or without implants or fat grafting, is the only available method for significant breast skin laxity. It’s definitely a trade-off: incisions for a perkier, uplifted shape. If you are very scar adverse, it may be better to not have surgery at this time.
I am a smoker. Can I have a breast lift?
Unfortunately, smoking of any sort – vaping, e-cigs, marijuana – significantly increases the risk of major complications. These can affect how the skin of the breast heals and can lead to necrosis of tissue, wound infection, and incision breakdown. It’s best to quit totally, for about 8 weeks prior to surgery.
I’d like to have a full breast lift along with my tummy tuck and flank liposuction? Is this possible?
Our general rule of thumb, for safety’s sake, is to try to keep the total length of anesthesia under 6 hours for body contouring cases. If the tummy tuck and liposuction would take about 4 hours, and the full breast lift might take 3-4 hours, for a total of 7 – 8 hours, then that’s really too much to do safely at one time. We would recommend dividing it up into two procedures.
For More Information on the Treatments and Procedures Offered, contact award winning Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Dr. Thomas Fiala at Fiala Aesthetics in Greater Orlando to Schedule Your Consultation:
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