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Breast

Enlargement With Lift

A shapely and perky bust line can give women a great boost in confidence and help them feel comfortable in clothing and bathing suits. But with pregnancy, the aging process, and other factors, the breasts may decrease in size and the breast skin envelope may begin to sag. To address these issues, Bay Area plastic surgeon John R. Griffin can place breast implants, tighten the skin envelope, and reposition the nipples to restore a beautiful and youthful breast appearance for patients. Read on to find out if you are a good candidate for a breast augmentation with lift.

Vectra 3D Imaging for Breast Enlargement with Lift

Vectra 3D imaging technology helps women visualize their potential individual outcomes. During the breast enlargement with lift consultation, Dr. Griffin will take a 3D image of the patient. Once the image is displayed on his computer screen, Dr. Griffin can adjust the breast implant volume and profile to help patients pinpoint, with greater accuracy, the implant size that they desire. He can then model their result of with or without lifting the breast which helps in deciding if both procedures will result in best outcome.

Candidates

Good candidates for a breast augmentation with lift include women who:

Wish to add volume to the breasts
Have breast deflation due to pregnancy, breastfeeding, or age
Have experienced a stretching of the skin envelope
Have nipples that have migrated down the fold of the breast
Have realistic expectations

Women who undergo this procedure may want to wait until they are finished having children and breastfeeding. An additional pregnancy could result in changes to the breast tissue and skin, resulting in the need for re-treatment.

In order to safely undergo elective surgery, patients should be in good health and not smoke.

We now have breast lift function on Vectra, an imaging system that allows patients to preview potential surgical plans prior to surgery.

Techniques

The breast implant and lift surgical techniques that are performed are completely tailored to the patient’s needs. The options include:

Implant incision technique: The breast implants can be placed through and incision made in the inframammary crease, around the areola, or armpit. When the patient undergoes a lift in addition to the placement of implants, the incision is usually made in the inframammary crease or around the areola, depending on the type of lift that is performed.
Implant placement technique: The implants can be placed above or below the chest muscle.
Lift technique: For patients with a small degree of sagging, an incision will be made around the areola, and for a moderate degree of sagging, an incision will be made around the areola and down the center of the breast (the lollipop incision approach); in these cases, the implant can be placed through the areolar incision to limit scarring. Patients with higher degrees of breast ptosis will require the anchor approach. This involves the incision around the areola, down the center of the breast, and along the inframammary crease. In this case, the implants can be placed through the inframammary incision.

Procedure Steps

The breast implant with lift procedure involves the following steps:

The incision outline is marked with a surgical pen
Antibacterial solution is applied to the breasts
The patient is put under general anesthesia
The incision is made
A pocket is created for the breast implant
The implant is inserted and positioned in the pocket
The skin envelope is smoothed so that it drapes against the underlying tissue and implant; excess skin is removed
The nipple is repositioned higher on the breast mound
The process is repeated on the other breast
The breasts are checked for symmetry
The incisions are closed
Bandages are applied

Recovery

Patients can return home to rest after the procedure is over. Patients should take time off of work and rest for the first week after surgery. About a week to 10 days after surgery, patients will return to Dr. Griffin’s office so stitches can be removed during a follow-up appointment.

The full recovery from surgery takes about six weeks. During this time, patients should avoid strenuous exercise and wear a surgical bra.

Side Effects

The side effects of the breast implant with lift procedure include:

Swelling
Bruising
Discomfort
Itching at the incision site
Numbness of the incision site

Risks

The risks of the procedure include:

Allergic reaction
Infection
Changes in nipple sensation
Implant rippling
Implant leaks or deflation
Implant displacement
Capsular contracture
Symmastia
Bottoming out

Results

The results of the procedure take about six weeks to take full effect. Once the swelling has gone down and the implants have settled into place, patients can enjoy the results of the procedure.