Breast Lift or Implants or Both?

The answer to this question is dependent on the individual anatomy of a patient. So, what is right for you? A breast lift, implants or both?

Are you happy with your current breast size?

Do you like the way your breasts look in a bra? Do you like your breast size, but wish that your nipples were a bit higher and you had some more fullness in the upper part of the breasts? If so, a breast lift without implants may the right surgery for you.

A breast lift will not increase the cup size of the breasts. Instead, a lift will tighten the skin envelope or “external bra” in order to distribute the overall volume of the breast in an upward direction. This produces an increase in fullness in the upper part of the breast while providing a more pleasing rounded shape to the lower breast.

Are you looking to increase your breast size?

If you want more volume in both the upper one-third and lower two-thirds of your breasts, implants with a higher profile may help you achieve your goal. To create this effect, the round implant would ideally be centered below the nipple to “push out” your breast tissue in all dimensions.

With the use of a higher profile implant, more volume would be seen toward the top of the breast. This will create a more pronounced upper breast and central upper cleavage. This is one possible solution for patients with a tight skin envelope and a nipple position that is at or above the fold of the breast.

Are you hoping to be larger and perkier?

Patients who desire a larger overall cup size and have loose overlying breast skin and a low nipple position will benefit from both a breast lift and breast. In this scenario, using an implant without a lift to give the upper breast volume would likely result in a “snoopy” or “waterfall” appearance where the implant is seated properly on the chest, but the breast tissue hangs down over it.

When utilizing implants, the degree of fullness to the upper one-third of the breast can be fine-tuned by choosing different styles of implants. Using a higher profile/higher projecting implant will help to create more upper pole fullness. These will give the upper breast fullness to a much greater degree than a moderate profile implant or an anatomically shaped device.

When deciding whether you need a breast lift or implants or both, the most important factor is the desired outcome. To truly get a sense of this, the patient is best served by utilizing pre operative 3D imaging such as the VECTRA system, which we offer as part of our consultation.

This way, both patient and doctor can develop a true understanding of the patient’s desired outcome by trying out different styles of implants digitally before choosing just the right look. We can also use the Vectra to show you how different types of lifts can be used to improve your breast shape.