Fighting Gravity With Modern
Day Breast Lift Techniques
By David A. Newman, M.D.
Some women develop drooping,
or ptosis, of the breast most
commonly during or after childbirth
and breast feeding but loosening
of the breast can occur any
time during a patient’s life.
But drooping is only a part
of the puzzle when talking
about the effects of aging
of the female breast. The
other major change which occurs,
especially after childbirth
and breast feeding, is loss
of volume. Patients will
frequently report to their
plastic surgeon that “my breasts
have just deflated”.
Prior to drooping, the upper
part, or upper pole of
the breast, is full, projecting
and round and gives the breast
the appearance of youth.
The breast descends downward
as drooping progresses
and the skin of the lower
portion of the breast stretches
which has the effect of
decreasing fullness in
the upper part of the breast.
This leads to an aged appearance
of the breast. Patients
frequently connect this
shape to the shape of a
banana because of the reinforcing
curves and loss of fullness
of the upper pole of the
breast. Loss of upper
pole fullness is therefore
caused both by drooping
and loss of volume and
each work together to cause
the breast to lose its
youthful appearance.
Patients seek consultation with a plastic surgeon for both loss of volume and
drooping. During this meeting, patient goals and expectations are identified
and the patient’s breasts are evaluated to determine how much volume is required
to get the patient to their expected goals and how much is required to achieve
the optimal breast shape as well. Generally, there is a lower limit of volume
necessary to create beauty and fullness, and as discussed above, the achievement
of upper pole fullness is a very important factor in the choice of both volume
and the type of lift.
There are different types of lifts employed to raise breast position
but all lifts have one thing in common: removal of skin. Skin removal is
necessary because excess skin accumulates with drooping of the breast. This
extra skin exists mostly in the lower pole of the breast and its removal is
important to regain a youthful breast shape. In general, the more the excess
skin and the more damaged the skin is, the large the lift pattern of skin
removal that is required.
When speaking about lift patterns, it’s important to have some terms defined.
The “areola” is the flat, pigmented disc which sits around the nipple, and the
“nipple”, as is commonly known, is the small projecting tissue at the center
of the areola. The “fold” refers to the crease beneath the breast where the
breast attaches to the upper chest.
One must remember that all
patients present with differing
amounts of skin looseness,
drooping, skin damage, and
volume loss and patients
have different wishes and
goals for treatment. There
may be other issues which
relate directly to which
alternatives are best in a
specific patient. A patient
may have breasts which
are differently shaped
and each breast may require
a different procedure to
achieve symmetry (sameness). Read
more...
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"I researched
several surgeons before selection
Dr. Newman, I had many questions
and concerns leading up to
my surgery and Dr. Newman
and his staff always took
the time to answer every questions
truthfully. It was very personal
and intimate experience and
Dr. Newman and staff always
made me feel like a friend
as opposed to a patient. Most
importantly I could not be
more pleased with my new look….I
has breast enlargement."
Lisa Shapiro
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