Breast Uplift (Mastopexy)

Transcript

A breast uplift or mastopexy is a very common procedure in my practice and is very useful in patients with droopy, empty breasts with very large areolae. It involves removal of breast skin and then reshaping and lifting the breast to produce a tighter, more youthful and projected fuller breast. The surgery is carried out under general anaesthetic and takes between two and three hours. Most patients stay in hospital overnight, but it can be carried out as a day case procedure if needed. Various different scar patterns are used depending upon the extent of the uplift, and these have different names when combined. However, all surgery will need a scar around the pigmented areola, which can then be repositioned higher on the breast and made smaller. If this is combined with a vertical scar running downwards, this is known as the lollipop incision. Occasionally there is also a need for a horizontal scar in the crease of the breast, and this combination is often called the anchor incision. Whilst an uplift operation is extremely effective, particularly after pregnancy or breastfeeding, or in a single breast to match a breast cancer reconstructed breast on the other side, the breast can descend again over time. For this reason, I sometimes recommend supporting an uplift operation with dissolving mesh. Finally, it's very important to understand that the uplift corrects the droop of the breast. This is known as ptosis. It does not reposition the breast higher on the chest wall or give long-term fullness in the highest part of the breast. For this, a combination of a silicone breast implant and an uplift is needed. This mastopexy augmentation operation is quite specialised and carries higher risks, but can produce a very good result in the right patient.