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Northern Virginia Breast Lift (Mastopexy) in Fairfax VA and Manassas VA

Introduction
Preparing for Surgery
The Breast Lift Procedure
Benefits of this Breast Lift Technique
How We Minimize Complications of Breast Lifts

Introduction

Over time, a woman’s breasts can sag, lose their youthful shape, or both. Several factors can affect the shape and firmness of a woman’s breast such as genes, as in “I inherited my mother’s breasts”, weight fluctuation, pregnancy, breastfeeding, aging, and gravity.

Breasts that have sagged can be lifted to recreate that "perky" look, by removing the excess skin and repositioning the breast volume higher on the chest wall. Reshaping and tightening of the breast occurs in the process creating a more youthful looking breast. If the areola (the pigmented skin around the nipple) has enlarged with time and you would like it to be reduced, that can easily be done with a lift.

The degree of breast sagging can be a factor in what type of breast lift you desire, or whether you would like to have a breast implant performed with the lift to give the breast a lift as well as added fullness that only can be achieved with an implant. Depending on the degree of lift desired, skin will have to be removed from the breast to achieve the lift. Although a lift will render the breast more perky and repositions the breast in a more elevated and youthful position; nevertheless, the breast may lose about 10%-15% of its volume because of the skin removed. In this situation, you have a choice to try on implants and see whether you would like an implant to be done at the same time as the lift, or have the procedures done separately. For breast augmentation information please refer to that section.

Very rarely are a woman’s breasts perfectly even, or symmetrical. Sometimes, the lack of symmetry can cause a woman to be distressed, adding prosthetic implants in her bra to achieve symmetry. This is a common situation that women do not like to discuss. The solution is straight-forward. If a woman with uneven breasts seeks a breast augmentation, it is simple to fill one breast implant more than the other to make the breasts as symmetrical as possible. Sometimes a breast augmentation is performed on one breast and a breast augmentation and lift, or a breast lift alone, or even a breast reduction is performed on the opposite breast simultaneously. The treatment plan is agreed upon during the consultation.

Preparing for Surgery

An initial consultation is set-up where we will discuss the breast lift procedure and to decide whether you are a good candidate for the surgery. Your medical history is reviewed and you will be asked to see your medical doctor for a physical check-up and a few labs to make sure you can undergo the surgery safely. You are given the opportunity to be seen by your own doctor to give the green light for surgery. You are given the opportunity to talk to patients who have had the same surgery you are considering. I will see you shortly after the surgery (in a day or two usually). You are given garments, and complimentary scar management tape and cream when appropriate, all free of charge, to enhance your recuperation. You are seen regularly after your surgery. You are always welcome to come back for follow-up, even years after your surgery, free of charge.

We get asked a lot of questions about scars. Usually, scars will heal. Scars can be revised in the future according to the patient's wishes, but I have a revision rate of about 2% and the rest of patients, with time, are happy with the trade-off of excess skin and breast tissue for breast lift scars. We also offer women a unique scar tape and cream system proven in a study on 800 patients to optimize scar healing. The vast majority of patients are very happy with their lift and are eventually very accepting of the scars are a good trade-off.

The Breast Lift Procedure

The breast lift scar undoubtedly causes a lot of women who seek this operation some anxiety, and that is understandable. The location of the scar will depend on the degree of breast sagging, and therefore how much skin needs to be excised.

1. Minor Lift: A periareolar, Benelli, or “donut” lift is performed where a “donut” shaped segment of skin is removed from around the areola and the scar is only around the areola.

2. Moderate Lift: A “lollipop” lift is performed where skin around the areola and from the lower aspect of the breast is removed with the resulting scar being around the areola and a vertical extension from the areola to the bottom of the breast at the midline, shaped like a lollipop.

3. Major lift: A “ wise pattern” lift is performed with an anchor incision. Skin is removed from around the areola and a significant portion of the lower half of the breast leaving a scar that is shaped like a lollipop plus horizontal scars extending part or the total lower crease of the breast forming a scar that looks like an anchor.

Benefits of the Breast Lift Procedure

Depending on the degree of lift desired, skin will have to be removed from the breast to achieve the lift. Although a lift will render the breast more perky and repositions the breast tissue in a more elevated and youthful position, nevertheless, the breast may lose about 10%-15% of its volume. In this situation, you have a choice to try on implants and see whether you would like an implant to be done at the same time as the lift, or have the procedures done separately. For breast augmentation information please refer to that section.

How We Minimize Complications of Breast Lifts:

At the Bitar Cosmetic Surgery Institute, our Northern Virginia breast lift specialists pride ourselves in making sure we provide for our patients the best surgical experience possible. This is a process that includes the pre-operative preparation, the actual surgery, and the after care.

Bleeding
Bleeding after breast lift is very rare. Before surgery, our patients are tested to make sure they don't have any common bleeding disorders by their own physicians, and by lab tests. In my practice the rate of hematomas is less than 1%.

Infection
The most important step in avoiding infections, in my opinion, is to perform the surgery at a first-rate surgical facility such as INOVA Fairfax Hospital. Patients are given the appropriate intravenous antibiotics coverage throughout the surgery. During the surgery, the skin surface of the patient is cleaned properly. After the procedure, my patients are prescribed a one-week course of antibiotics to minimize infection. As a result of these extra precautions, my rate of infection after a breast lift is extremely rare. It may occur at the superficial incision level where the tension is highest, and a small open wound may occur which will usually heal nicely with dressing changes and antibiotic ointment. The scar usually heals very well. Very rarely, I will do a scar revision to improve the appearance of that scar.

Ability to Breastfeed
Women are sometimes concerned that if they get a breast lift, they will not be able to breastfeed afterwards. The likelihood of losing the ability to breastfeed after a breastlift is very small. With the techniques that are described above, inability to breastfeed after breast lifts that I have performed has not occurred with any of our patients to my knowledge.

Loss of Nipple Sensation
Similar to what has been said about ability to breastfeed, loss of nipple sensation is a potential complication that due to the technique with which I perform this procedure is a minimal complication, with less than 1% occurrence. Temporary loss of sensation from a "stunned" nerve or a bruised nerve may occur in the time period after surgery, but sensation in the vast majority of cases returns within a few weeks.

Information on this web site is for information only. Do not use the information to diagnose or treat your plastic surgery or cosmetic surgery problems. Please contact your plastic surgeon with all questions and concerns.