Aging, pregnancy, and breastfeeding all take their toll on the breasts. The skin is stretched when the breasts grow larger for childbirth and milk production. In a younger woman it will usually shrink back again when milk production stops, and the breasts will have their previous youthful appearance.

But with age, skin gradually loses its elasticity. This is why tummy tucks are popular cosmetic surgery procedures – the abdominal skin does not shrink to fit a slimmer contour after pregnancy or weight loss. A tummy tuck will remove the excess skin and give a new smoothness to the abdominal area.

When the breasts grow smaller after breastfeeding and the skin does not shrink to fit, the breasts have less support and therefore sag. There are also connective tissue fibers which attach the breast tissue to the chest, and these are stretched during pregnancy and breastfeeding. They also may not shrink afterwards. A breast lift is designed to correct the sagging that results.

Sagging breasts look flatter and in some cases a woman wanting breast enlargement actually does better with a breast lift. When the sagging is corrected the nipple and areola are moved to a higher position on the breasts, which gives the breasts a more youthful position. They will often look larger without any implant.

In other cases a better outcome is obtained when the two procedures are combined. The breast lift incisions are used to insert the implant so there is no extra scarring. The implant may not need to be very large – it depends on what sort of appearance you want to have.

To learn more about breast surgeries for cosmetic enhancement, please call or email our cosmetic surgery office for a free consultation.