Descending Breasts? If You Need a Breast Reduction, Breast Lift, Breast Augmentation, or Breast Reduction with a Lift
When it comes to surgery for descending breasts, the variety of breast surgery procedures can be quite confusing. How do you know if breast lift surgery is right for you? When do you need breast reduction surgery? Do you need implants? Or, do you need breast reduction surgery and a breast lift at the same time?
In this blog, we’ll explain which breast surgery might be the right choice for you! All breasts are different, and as a result, a customised individual approach from a specialist plastic surgeon is the best way to ensure that you get the right result.
Are Breast Lift and Breast Reduction Surgery the same procedure?
A lot of patients have a misconception about breast lift and breast reduction. This can cause confusion when patients are told that the procedure they thought was right for them is not really the one they need. This is why it’s important to understand the difference between the two procedures. If you understand what each procedure entails, you will be able to get a better idea of which procedure is right for you.
Breast Lift
A breast lift is a procedure that gives the breasts a new look, firmness, and position. Patients who get a breast lift generally have lowered or ptotic breasts due to the loss of skin elasticity. If you want to relocate your breasts higher but are happy with the volume you have. A breast lift may be suitable.
Breast Lift With Implants
A breast lift can also be combined with the insertion of breast implants in order to increase volume as well as lift the breasts. This would be called a breast lift with implants. You’ll get a lift with extra upper pole volume.
Breast Reduction
On the other hand, breast reduction surgery removes excess tissue and fat in the breast. Such breasts are characterized by a nipple in a lowered position, a larger areola, and generally a larger mass. You’ll have a breast reduction to reduce your breast volume and cup size.
Thus, it is clear that different procedures are intended for breasts that have similar characteristics but are distinguished by obvious essential differences – Volume!
Who should get a Breast Lift or Breast Reduction?
Breast lift surgery can help address breast descent due to ageing, pregnancy, breastfeeding, changes in body weight, or genetics. On the other hand, breast reduction is a procedure that can reduce the size of the breasts by removing excess tissue, fat, or skin.
Is it possible to undergo Breast Lift and Breast Reduction at the same time?
A breast lift is lifting the current breasts whilst keeping the size. So a lift does NOT include a reduction. Whilst a breast reduction removes volume and mass, it does include aspects of a lift as part of the surgery.
If you’re not sure what you want or need, a consultation with a Specialist Plastic Surgeon can help.
What happens to my nipples during a Breast Lift or Breast Reduction?
The appearance, size, and position of the nipples can largely define the appearance of your breasts. Uneven nipples, a large areola (the area around the nipples), and an unusual position can affect the overall breast appearance.
Both a breast lift and a reduction can alter the shape and location of your nipples. Furthermore, the size of your nipples can also be further reduced during the procedure to achieve a more proportional appearance.
Do you lose weight after a Breast Reduction and Breast Lift?
People with large breasts often suffer from neck and back pain. They often also have difficulty moving and playing sports, on top of all this, some people also experience skin inflammation and irritation under the breasts as well. Due to the large breast size, the cervical and thoracic spine can suffer. You can do irreversible damage to your health. Increased breast size represents not only an aesthetic problem but also a functional one.
By removing large portions of excess breast tissue, excess fat, and skin, there will be weight loss but usually only in grams. You can lose over a kilogram per breast in very large breast reduction surgeries.
Breast lift surgery is often performed in patients who have massive weight loss. However, the surgery itself has no significant effect on body weight. It only involves relocating and tightening the skin.
How painful is Breast Reduction and Breast Lift Surgery?
During these procedures, you will be given the appropriate anaesthesia. This means any pain or discomfort during surgery will be minimised. During recovery, and especially in the first week of healing, pain is to be expected. However, your Specialist Plastic Surgeon will give you a prescription to manage any post-surgery discomfort.
How long does it take to recover from a Breast Reduction and Breast Lift for descending Breasts?
Like any surgery, breast lift and breast reduction require a serious approach to recovery as well as patience to avoid unwanted risks and complications.
The length of recovery depends on several factors, such as the extent of recovery and adherence to the post-surgical instructions you receive from a Specialist Plastic Surgeon.
You may need to rest for 2 weeks after the surgery. During this time, you will have additional consultations so that your specialist surgeon and/or nurse can monitor the progress of your recovery and healing.
The length of complete recovery varies due to the factors previously mentioned. However, generally, recovery takes between 8 and 12 weeks.
Should you lose weight before a Breast Reduction and lift?
It is generally recommended that patients with descending breasts who opt for breast reduction and breast lift have a stable body weight that is not at a level that could compromise their health or the procedure itself.
How Much is Breast Lift and Breast Reduction Surgery?
Plastic surgery procedures are very individualised, and each patient requires a different approach.
To get a defined price, you will need to have a consultation. The consultation allows our plastic surgeon to check your health, listen to your needs, and expectations, and give you a quote of the cost.
If you have questions about payment methods, financing, and whether your medical insurance covers the costs of the procedure, please contact us.
Who is the Best Breast Reduction Surgeon in Melbourne?
A Top Breast Lift and Breast Reduction Specialist Surgeon will answer all the questions you might have about descending breasts and help throughout your journey. In addition, he or she will conduct a detailed assessment of your overall health and expectations to come up with a customised treatment plan specific to your needs.
Look for a plastic surgeon with experience – lots of before and after photos and good online reviews.
Learn more about the Breast Lift and Breast Reduction procedures for descending Breasts.
If you want to know more about surgeries for descending breasts, we have prepared complete guides for you in which you can learn more about the risks, complications, benefits, and characteristics of a good candidate for this type of surgery.
Visit our page and Breast Reduction or Breast Lift and find out more about the procedure!