Many women experience changes to their breasts through weight fluctuations, pregnancy, or the natural process of aging. Some women are predisposed to have overly large breasts that are disproportionate to the size of their bodies and they often suffer emotional discomfort and pain.
Having exceptionally large breasts can create situations of social anxiety, draw unwanted attention and cause self-esteem issues. Women can become self-conscious and unhappy about the way they look if their breasts are deflated, drooping, or sagging.
The good news is that these issues can be corrected through breast reduction and/or breast lift surgery, but which procedure is the best fit for your circumstances? How do you know if you need a breast lift, a breast reduction, or a breast reduction with a lift?
Today we are going to provide an overview of each procedure and the issues each one can address.
What Is The Difference Between A Breast Reduction and A Breast Lift?
Both a breast reduction and lift entail removing excess skin through surgery to change the shape of the breast. The most substantial difference between the two is a breast reduction alters the size of the breast while a breast lift does not.
Breast Lift
A breast lift or mastopexy is done to correct saggy or drooping breasts that are flat and appear to have lost fullness. Many things can contribute to saggy breasts including pregnancy, breastfeeding, significant weight loss, or simply having large heavy breasts. A breast lift can restore a more youthful appearance and result in more proportional and naturally positioned breasts.
During a breast lift, the surgeon removes excess skin and tightens the remainder of the skin while repositioning the existing breast tissue into a firmer, rounder, more aesthetically pleasing look. The surgeon may also reduce the size of the areola if needed or reposition the nipple.
A breast lift normally results in breasts that appear fuller and bigger even though only the existing tissue was used. Some patients add breast implants if they desire larger breasts and some combine a breast lift and reduction into the same surgery for optimal results.
Breast Reduction
A breast reduction is also known as a reduction mammaplasty and is done to remove excess fat, glandular tissue, and skin from overly large breasts to reduce their size and weight. Sometimes, liposuction is used during a breast reduction to create a pleasing shape and natural-looking contours. During the procedure, the surgeon removes not only excess skin but also a portion of the breast tissue so the breasts are more proportional.
Many times, breast reduction surgery is often not considered an aesthetic or cosmetic surgery but medically necessary due to the back, neck, and shoulder pain often experienced by women with disproportionately large breasts. After a breast reduction, women can move around more freely and participate in activities that they were unable to do before the breast reduction.
Women with disproportionately large breasts often undergo a combined procedure called a breast reduction with a lift. In many cases, their large breasts have become deflated and are hanging down much further than where they are meant to be. The skin has been significantly stretched out due to the sheer weight of their breasts. They require both a breast lift and reduction to correct these issues and to restore their breasts to a more youthful appearance.
What Are The Benefits Of Combining A Breast Lift With A Reduction?
It may be beneficial to combine a breast reduction and a lift into the same surgery because the cost can be substantially less. The total price of a breast reduction or lift includes fees for not only the surgeon and the procedure itself but also fees to cover things like the hospital or surgical facility being used for the procedure, anesthesia, and the services of the anesthesiologist, etc.
Combining a breast reduction with a lift eliminates having to pay twice for some of these fees such as the surgical facility and fees associated with anesthesia. Another benefit of combining these procedures would be experiencing breast reduction and lift recovery only once.
How Much Does Combining A Breast Lift And Reduction Cost?
According to The American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the base price of breast reduction surgery is around $6,800 and the average cost of a breast lift is $5,012 These base prices only include the cost of surgery and do not include fees associated with anesthesia, necessary medical tests, surgical facility fees, surgeon’s fees, post-surgery supplies or care, medication, or prescriptions.
The total cost for your procedure will depend on the above factors as well as your geographic location, the extent of your procedure, and your overall health. The cost of a breast reduction and lift in Atlanta begins at around $9000 at Surgicare Arts & Aesthetics.
If you are contemplating a breast reduction, a breast lift, or a combination of breast reduction & lift, contact our offices today to set up a consultation to learn more about each procedure and how one, or the combination of both, could benefit you.
At Surgicare Arts & Aesthetics, a division of IBI Healthcare Institute, Dr. Angelina Postoev, a triple-board certified cosmetic surgeon has extensive experience with breast reduction and breast lift surgery. We invite you to view our breast reduction and lift before and after photo gallery to get an idea of what you can expect from a breast reduction and lift.
I have breast implants (saline) from 2001 and my breast are now sagging so I guess they need to be replaced, what type of surgery would that involve.