Is It Better to Get a Breast Lift or Implants? Or Both?

Determining if a breast lift is needed during your breast augmentation surgery at my Austin, Texas, practice is an important step. And it’s something all plastic surgeons do almost automatically during your breast exam. If a lift is needed, it is really an essential component of performing a full and complete breast rejuvenation. For a patient, this can sometimes be confusing but a few simple determinants can help to guide this decision.

How do you know if you need a breast uplift?

As part of my routine breast consultation, I look closely at your breasts to determine if a breast lift is needed. In general, this involves evaluating first the position of the nipple. As the breast tissue drops over time, the nipple can sometimes drift below the breast fold. When this happens a breast lift is indicated to reposition the nipple higher on the breast mound to a more youthful position. This is the most common reason for needing a lift, and you can read more about how the procedure is performed in a related blog post.

If you look at your breasts in the mirror and don’t see normal breast skin positioned below the nipple then a breast lift is likely indicated.

The second factor is to look at the overall breast skin quality and laxity. More lax skin sometimes needs to be tightened so that the implant and breast tissue will be a cohesive fit. If you have many stretch marks or very loose breast skin, then a breast lift can help the appearance of both of these problems.

The third factor is the breast fold position. If the breast tissue is mostly above the fold, then we usually don’t need a lift. However, some patients can have a condition called pseudo ptosis where the fold needs to be adjusted as most of the breast tissue has fallen below the nipple, making it seem too high.

Breast lift surgery has increased by 70% from 2000 to 2013, and more than 113,000 patients had the procedure done in 2019, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. You can see why so many women have chosen breast lift surgery by looking at our patients’ before-and-after photos.

The best way to learn more about how a breast lift could improve your appearance is to schedule a consultation with one of your community’s respected board-certified plastic surgeons. For our Austin, TX, patients, we offer complimentary consultations so we can sit down and discuss your options and perform an examination. For more information call us at (512) 244-1444 or request a consultation using our online contact form.