Guide:
- Are Breast Lift Results Permanent?
- How Long Do Breast Lift Results Last?
- How To Maximize The Longevity Of Your Breast Lift
- Considering A Breast Lift?
A breast lift involves elevating sagging breasts back to their natural, youthful placement on the chest, which can be a massive confidence booster for women whose breasts have sagged out of their youthful position due to aging, pregnancy, and breastfeeding.
Various factors over time can stretch and weaken breast tissue and cause breast ptosis. Breast lift, or mastopexy, is sought by many women worldwide who want to achieve a more youthful and aesthetically pleasing breast shape, placement, and contour. With a 93% “Worth It” rating based on hundreds of reviews from patients on RealSelf, breast lift results clearly bring happiness and relief to the majority of patients.
Many women also lose volume in their breasts over time. Some women share that their breasts appear “deflated” or “pancake-like” after having children and breastfeeding. Combining a breast lift with implants is a great way to get the most out of your breast surgery and achieve more dramatic improvements.
Are Breast Lift Results Permanent?
Although breast lifts are highly effective at helping women feel confident in their figures again by restoring their youthful breasts and helping them feel comfortable enough to wear certain types of clothes, the results of this procedure do not last forever. No matter how effectively a doctor removes and tightens excess skin, once the breast skin weakens, it will eventually begin to sag again.
How Long Do Breast Lift Results Last?
On average, breast lift results last for 10 to 15 years but can vary outside this range. The longevity of your results depends on several factors. Some patients may be happy with their results for several years, while others may return for minor revisions after just a few years.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the longevity of breast lift results typically depends on:
- Age
- Genetics
- Overall health
- Medical conditions that affect skin quality, like diabetes
- Whether you’re a smoker (smoking weakens elasticity and worsens skin tone)
- Sun damage
- Dietary habits and physical activity
- Breast size (either naturally or with implants)
- Breast lift technique
- The expertise of your surgeon
The longevity of breast lift results can depend on whether your plastic surgeon chooses the best surgical technique for your body type and skin quality. Dr. Liland will choose from several technique options when recommending one that will give you the best quality and the longest-lasting results, including:
Crescent Lift – Often done in combination with breast augmentation surgery, a crescent lift leaves minimal scarring and is most effective when there is minimal breast sagging.
Donut Lift – Also leaving minimal scarring and often done alongside augmentation, a donut lift reduces the size of the areola while lifting the breasts.
Vertical/Lollipop Lift – If you have significant sagging, a vertical or lollipop lift may be best for effectively addressing your concerns. This procedure reshapes the entire breast while removing excess skin, so the incisions are more extensive, in the shape of a lollipop, with a circle around the areola and a line down to the bottom of the breast.
Anchor Lift – If the excess skin and sagging in your breasts are extreme, an anchor lift may be best for you. An anchor lift, often done with a breast reduction, addresses severe sagging and excess skin, resulting in more significant scarring as it requires incision lines in the shape of an anchor. A circular incision is made around the areola, followed by a straight line down the breast, then a horizontal line at the bottom of each breast.
How To Maximize The Longevity Of Your Breast Lift
Breast lift results may not last forever, but there are plenty of ways to get the most out of your mastopexy.
Avoid weight fluctuations
The number one cause of excess skin is gaining and losing weight rapidly. To maintain the best and longest-lasting breast lift results, we recommend that before your surgery, you’re at a weight that can be easily maintained and controlled afterward.
We recommend you achieve your goal weight before your mastopexy and ensure you can safely maintain it without extreme restriction or over-exercise. Continue to live a healthy lifestyle after your breast lift to keep your newly elevated and contoured breasts in the best shape possible. Try to maintain a healthy diet full of proper nutrients, drink plenty of water, and find an exercise routine that works for you and your schedule.
Ensure You Are Finished Having Children
As mentioned above, pregnancy and breastfeeding are leading causes of skin laxity and excess skin in the breasts as the breast tissue undergoes many changes during this time. Pregnancy and breastfeeding also cause substantial weight fluctuations that can further weaken tissue and leave behind excess, sagging skin.
Although bringing children into this world is beautiful, to avoid losing the results of the breast lift you previously invested in throughout this experience, we recommend waiting until after you have finished having children, stopped breastfeeding, and reached your ideal weight again before seeking breast lift.
Don’t Neglect Your Skincare Routine
After your breast lift, you should take as much care of the skin on your body, especially your breasts, as you do your facial skin. Although decreasing skin elasticity is affected by your genetics and at what rate your skin ages, there are ways to slow it down and prevent it from worsening.
Avoid being out in the sun too long. UV damage is one of the number one causes of skin texture changes that cause it to appear more mature, such as laxity, wrinkles, and sagging. Wear your sunscreen and be sure to reapply throughout the day.
Supplements also stimulate elastin, the natural protein in your body that promotes skin elasticity. Try using natural supplements like vitamins C and E to improve skin elasticity in your breasts.
Wear Supportive Bras
Regularly wearing a supportive bra after your surgery is one of the most effective methods of prolonging your breast lift results. If you wear bras without support, such as bralettes, or simply avoid wearing them altogether, your breasts may start to sag faster. Dr. Liland typically recommends specific bras that are best for supporting the new placement of your breasts after mastopexy, and these aren’t only for surgery recovery. Wear supportive bras indefinitely after your breast lift to maintain your perky and youthful-looking contour.
If you’re very physically active, it’s essential to have proper support. Moving around and doing high-impact activities increases the effects of gravity. Getting professional bra-fitting and regularly wearing supportive bras can allow you to continue doing the activities you love without losing the results you love.
Wearing supportive bras is also very important if you combine your breast lift with implants, as the weight of the implants can speed up the effects of gravity and accelerate breast ptosis.
Investing in the right bra to preserve your breast lift results is worth the prolonged happiness and confidence you’ve achieved with your breasts.
Avoid Smoking
As mentioned earlier, smoking reduces elasticity and worsens overall skin quality at a rapid rate. Just as smoking can cause discoloration and skin laxity in your face, it can cause the skin tone, texture, and laxity in your breasts to deteriorate quickly. Do your breasts a favor and make the most of the breast surgery you invested in by avoiding smoking.
Considering A Breast Lift?
If you believe a breast lift will help you achieve your goals but have concerns over the longevity of your results, the first step is to find a plastic surgeon with a proven skillset. Plastic surgeons should provide evidence of their training and experience, supported by before & after photos and plenty of testimonials from happy mastopexy patients. If you’re in the right hands, your plastic surgeon will give you detailed guidelines on best practices for maintaining the quality of your results.
If you’re in Dallas and considering a breast lift to address breast ptosis caused by aging, pregnancy, breastfeeding, or any of the factors mentioned above, schedule a consultation with board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. David Liland, renowned for a wide range of cosmetic breast surgeries. He will listen to your concerns and goals and use his experience helping hundreds of women restore their youthful breasts to help you develop a personal breast lift plan.