Actual Patient
Breast Lift in Orlando, FL
For some women, changes in breast shape result from pregnancy, weight changes, or simply time and gravity. For others, the breast shape has always been droopy. Whatever the reason, sagging, drooping breasts can present significant self-esteem and confidence concerns.
Breast lift surgery is designed to improve the shape of sagging breasts, helping to restore a more youthful, perkier breast shape.
Dr. Thomas Fiala and his team at Fiala Aesthetics perform breast lift surgery for women in Orlando, Florida, and the greater Orlando area.
What Is Breast Lift Surgery?
By tightening the skin of the breast and repositioning the nipple-areola complex to a higher location, a breast lift (mastopexy) can create a more attractive breast shape.
It’s important to realize the difference between breast augmentation and breast lift. They are not the same. Breast augmentation uses an implant to increase the size and fullness of the breast, but doesn’t lift a droopy breast. A breast lift does not have to use a breast implant. With a lift, the breast size stays approximately the same, but the droopy breast gland is repositioned back above the level of the breast crease. Since some skin is removed in the process of tightening the breast, the bra size typically decreases by about one-half a cup size.
Breast augmentation and breast lift surgery can also be combined, which is particularly beneficial for women who have lost significant volume after pregnancy or weight loss, or if the rounder, fuller “implant look” is desired, in addition to correcting the breast shape and nipple position.
Alternatively, if the breast size is a little on the large side, a size reduction can be performed at the time of the breast lift. There are plenty of options, and Dr. Fiala will individualize the plan based on the goals and desires of each patient.
What Are the Benefits of a Breast Lift?
Women can experience the following benefits after their breast lift:
- Lifted, firmer, perkier breasts
- Reduction in areola size
- Repositioning of the nipple-areola complex
- More symmetrical breasts
Am I a Candidate for a Breast Lift?
Candidates for breast lift surgery are adult women looking for the above benefits.
Women should be in good health, not smoke, and have no immediate plans for pregnancy (as this can impact the quality of the results. Women should understand that breast lift surgery will not significantly change the size of their breasts. An additional procedure is required to increase or decrease breast fullness.
How Is a Breast Lift Performed?
Breast lift surgery is performed through one of three incision patterns, depending on the extent of correction needed.
“Donut” Lift
Also known as a Benelli or circumareolar lift, this option involves the smallest incision, and therefore, the shortest scar.
This design works for women who only need a minor degree of lift — about an inch to an inch and a half — or wish to reduce an overly large areola. With this technique, there is no scar down the front of the breast or along the crease.
This lift is commonly combined with a breast augmentation for women that would like a small degree of elevation of the nipple-areola complex at the time of their augmentation. Since it has the smallest incision, it is the mildest of the lifting operations.
Vertical Mastopexy
For intermediate cases, a “vertical mastopexy” is performed. This permits a greater degree of elevation and tightening of the breast than the donut lift. With this technique, the incision still goes around the nipple-areolar complex but also extends down the front of the breast. There is no horizontal incision in the crease. The nipple area can be moved a greater distance than with the “donut” design, and the skin of the breast can be tightened from side to side.
Anchor Lift
For cases where there is a lot of stretched-out breast skin or large amounts of breast ptosis (droop), the traditional “inverted-T” mastopexy is used. It can also be used after breast implant removal, if the lower half of the breast skin has significantly stretched out.
This design includes the horizontal incision in the crease as well.
For patients with recurrent skin stretch after a prior lift or thin, stretchy skin after a large amount of weight loss, Dr. Fiala may recommend the addition of GalaFLEX® mesh to your lift to help the lifting effect last longer. Additionally, if liposuction in the lateral chest area near the armpit is needed for a slimmer contour, this can usually be performed at the same time.
Is a Breast Lift Painful?
Breast lift surgery is performed under general anesthesia, under the watchful care of an MD Anesthesiologist, and is not typically painful. Additionally, Dr. Fiala has been a pioneer in using ultrasound-guided nerve blocks to help patients with an improved recovery. These are done after the patient is already asleep, but before the beginning of surgery.
He finds ultrasound-guided “PECS blocks” to be very helpful for patients who are having a breast lift. As a result of these modern techniques, most of our patients tell us that their breast lift recovery was easy.
How Long Is My Breast Lift Recovery?
Since the operation only affects the skin and breast tissue, and doesn’t involve any modification of the pectoral muscle, the recovery is usually relatively quick.
Patients are back to work after seven to 10 days. You will have to limit your activities until the incisions are healed, especially for the first few weeks.
You will be given more detailed information regarding your recovery during your consultation, including compression garment instructions and which types of bras should be worn during your recovery.
Are My Breast Lift Results Permanent?
Unfortunately, time and gravity march on for all of us.
Women with stretchy tissue will tend to have some recurrence over time; however, their breast shape is always better than if they had never had the operation. Large heavy breasts, or those with large implants are also more likely to stretch out.
Most women will have a significant improvement for five to 10 years. A second surgery can be performed if needed. GalaFLEX® mesh can be placed during a lift and has been shown to help prevent the skin in the lower portion of the breast from re-stretching, much like an “internal bra”.
Breast Lift Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a breast lift in Orlando, FL?
Breast lift cost varies from patient to patient depending on the techniques used and whether another procedure is being performed simultaneously. Longer procedures are more expensive.
You will be given an accurate cost estimate during your consultation, but you can view our price list to gain a better understanding of what you can expect.
I’d like my breasts to be about a cup size smaller and also need a lift. Is this possible?
Dr. Fiala can remove some breast tissue at the same time as performing the breast lift surgery, and can make you about a cup size smaller, if desired. In some cases, liposuction of the breast can also be used for this purpose. Or, if you currently have breast implants, they can be removed or switched to a smaller size.
I’d like my breasts to be about a cup size larger and also need a lift. Is this possible with fat grafting?
Yes. Fat grafting to the breasts can be performed using fat that has been liposuctioned from another area. This can be used to give a one-cup size increase. It may, however, take more than one round of fat grafting to get you to the size that you would like, as a portion of the injected fat is reabsorbed.
Alternatively, a small implant can be used. Implants tend to give more projection and upper pole fullness than fat grafts do. If you are looking for more fullness in the upper portion of the breast, you may wish to consider a small breast implant.
I want a breast lift, but I don’t want any scars. What should I do?
Currently, there’s no skin-tightening method that works to tighten up the skin significantly without surgery. The breast lift is the only available method for significant breast skin laxity. It’s a trade-off: scars for a perkier, uplifted shape.
If you are very scar adverse, it may be better not to have surgery at this time.
I am a smoker. Can I have a breast lift?
Unfortunately, smoking of any sort — vaping, e-cigs, marijuana — significantly increases the risk of major complications. These can affect how the skin of the breast heals and can lead to necrosis of tissue, wound infection, and incision breakdown. It’s best to quit for about eight weeks before surgery.
I’d like a full breast lift along with my tummy tuck and flank liposuction. Is this possible?
Our general rule of thumb is to try to keep the total length of anesthesia under six hours for body contouring cases. This is a safe limit. If the tummy tuck and liposuction are expected to take four hours, and the breast lift is expected to take three to four hours, that would be a potential total of seven to eight hours under anesthesia. We would recommend dividing it up into two smaller, safer procedures.
Interested in Breast Lift Surgery in Orlando, FL?
If you are interested in learning more about breast lift surgery in Altamonte Springs and the greater Orlando, Florida, area, contact Dr. Fiala and the award-winning team at Fiala Aesthetics by calling (407) 339-3222 or filling out our online contact form.
Be sure to download our free e-book on breast augmentation. It’s filled with answers to frequently asked questions. We recommend you read through this book before your breast surgery.