Breast Lift | Cleveland Clinic

Overview

What is a breast lift (mastopexy)?

A breast lift is a surgical procedure to reshape sagging and deflated breasts. Breasts often change with age, weight fluctuations, pregnancy and breastfeeding. Breast lift surgery addresses these changes by removing excess skin and tightening the underlying breast tissue. This procedure lifts the nipple position and achieves perkier, more-firm breasts. Breast lifts are often combined with breast augmentation to add volume to the upper portion of the breast.

Why choose us?

Experts at Cleveland Clinic Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery Center have advanced training in breast lift. When considering breast lift, always look for a surgeon with significant experience. A good rule of thumb is to see a surgeon recommended by your primary care doctor, family members or friends who have had a positive experience.

You should feel comfortable with the surgeon. You should ask how many such procedures the surgeon has done, and you should review before and after photographs of their past procedures. Make sure to ask your cosmetic surgeon about their credentials, training and how many procedures they have performed.

Learn more about Cleveland Clinic Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery Center.

Before & After Photos

This is a woman in her late thirties who desired to lift and fill out her breasts after childbirth. She is shown before breastlift and augmentation (left) and 3 months after (right)
This is a woman in her late thirties who desired to lift and fill out her breasts after childbirth. She is shown before breastlift and augmentation (left) and 3 months after (right)
This is a woman in her late forties who lost a significant amount of weight and complained of drooping and deflated breasts. She is shown before mastopexy and augmentation (left) and 5 months after surgery (right).
This is a woman in her late forties who lost a significant amount of weight and complained of drooping and deflated breasts. She is shown before mastopexy and augmentation (left) and 5 months after surgery (right).

How to Prepare

Am I a candidate for breast lift surgery (mastopexy)?

Breast lift surgery (also known as a mastopexy) is a highly individualized procedure achieved through a variety of incision patterns and techniques. Regardless of specific incision patterns, breast lift surgery involves removing excess skin and raising the nipple and areola (the pigmented skin surrounding the nipple). The size of the areolar is often reduced during the procedure. Patients with smaller breasts and minimal sagging may be candidates for a mastopexy procedure that involves smaller incisions than a standard breast lift requires. While there are many variations to the procedure, a consultation with a Cleveland Clinic physician is an excellent way to establish your individualized treatment plan.

How do I prepare for breast lift surgery (mastopexy)?

To help prepare for a mastopexy, cosmetic surgeons at Cleveland Clinic Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery Center may recommend a baseline mammogram before surgery and another mammographic examination some months after surgery to help detect post-operative changes in your breast tissue.

If you are a smoker, you will be asked to stop smoking well in advance of breast lift surgery. You should avoid aspirin and certain anti-inflammatory drugs prior to surgery that can cause increased bleeding. Your plastic surgeon will provide you with additional preoperative instructions.

What to Expect

How is breast lift surgery (mastopexy) performed?

Breast lift surgery is performed in an outpatient setting, usually under general anesthesia and typically takes two-and-a-half to three hours. The procedure can be achieved through a variety of incision patterns and techniques.

Experts from Cleveland Clinic Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery Center will determine the appropriate technique for you based on:

Breast size and shape.
The size and position of your areolas (small, darkened area around the nipples).
The degree of breast sagging.
Skin quality and elasticity (as well as the amount of extra skin).

All types of breast lifts require an incision to remove excess skin so that the remaining skin can be repositioned. There are several types of surgery techniques available that differ in the incision made and the procedure used to lift the skin.

Standard Breast Lift Surgery: This procedure uses an anchor or keyhole incision, with final scars around the areola straight down and hidden in the fold of the breast. This technique creates an anchor shape and is the most common incision pattern used.

“Doughnut Mastopexy”: This procedure is also called a Benelli lift or periareolar lift. It is much less invasive than the anchor breast lift procedure because the incision is limited to a circle around the areola. A piece of skin around the areola is removed and the surrounding skin is reattached to create a lifted look with minimal scarring. This procedure is useful in patients who require a small lift of the areola without reshaping the breast.

Vertical Mastopexy: For this procedure, an incision is made around the areola and then vertically down to the breast. This procedure avoids the horizontal incision under the breast that results from a standard breast lift.

For best results, experts at Cleveland Clinic Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery Center often recommend combining breast augmentation with breast lift (mastopexy) surgery. The two procedures are generally performed at the same time (although in certain patients, they are mostly performed as two separate surgeries).

Results

What results can I expect?

Though results from your breast lift surgery are immediately visible, breast shape and position continue to settle over a few months. Incision lines are permanent but will fade over time.

While the results of your surgery will be long lasting, your breasts can continue to change over time due to aging and gravity. You will be able to retain the results of your mastopexy by maintaining your weight and keeping a healthy lifestyle. It is important to continue to follow-up with your Cleveland Clinic Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery Center surgeon to ensure the best, long-term results.

What is involved in recovery?

Breast lift surgery is usually performed in an outpatient setting. Be certain to plan for someone to drive you home after surgery and stay with you at least the first night following surgery.

Following your surgery, your breasts will be bruised, swollen and sore for one to two weeks. You’ll need to wear a surgical bra for the first week after surgery, followed by a support bra for several weeks after that.

Post-surgical swelling will resolve over time, and incision lines will fade. You may experience some loss of sensation in your nipples and breasts following mastopexy surgery, with sensation gradually returning over a few weeks or months. However, some patients experience numbness for up to a year. On rare occasions, loss of sensation can be permanent.

Is breast lift surgery safe?

All surgical procedures carry some risk. Although rare, risks associated with breast lift surgery include:

Bleeding.
Infection.
Unevenly positioned nipples.
Permanent loss of sensation in the nipples or breasts.
Difficulty with future breastfeeding.
Problems with wound healing.

Breast lift surgery incisions do leave scars, but they will fade with time (with maximum fading occurring in around one year). Scar locations include an incision around the nipples, vertically down the breast and sometimes horizontally in the breast fold.

Insurance & Financing

Insurance rarely covers the cost of elective cosmetic surgery and procedures. Please call 216.444.4004 and ask to speak with one of our financial representatives who can explain payment options, including CareCredit financing.