The breasts may naturally sag over time due to factors such as weight changes, pregnancies, skin elasticity changes and gravity. Breast ptosis is a medical term to describe nipples which have descended to, or lower than the inframammary crease. A surgical solution for this issue is a Mastopexy or, breast lift procedure, which allows for repositioning of areolas and removal of excess breast skin to create a perky, new shape. In New York, the Gartner Plastic Surgery and Laser Center is an excellent choice for body rejuvenation procedures, including breast lift.
Many people ask, how long do the results of a breast lift last?
Some plastic surgeons would suggest that the benefits of a breast lift never fade, however some theories suggest that tissue quality issues which initially caused the breast ptosis can further contribute to sagging of the breast over time. The truth is, the longevity of the breast lift results depends on both patient’s anatomy and surgical factors.
Key patient factors that contribute to a shorter duration of breast lift results include:
Women with poor skin tone due to age, genetics, sun exposure etc. have an increased risk of breast sagging at some point after a breast lift procedure compared to those with good skin tone. Patients who experience fluctuations in weight, as well as future pregnancies, are also likely to see a recurrence of breast ptosis.
- Individuals with medical conditions that affect skin quality and tone such as diabetes, or those who smoke and have suffered sun-damaged skin, will likely have poor skin tone and reduced elasticity. Therefore, breasts may show signs of drooping.
- Weight gain and loss can significantly impact the results of any cosmetic procedure because it can cause stretching and shrinking of tissues. Therefore, to maintain the long-lasting results of a breast lift surgery, it is advised to carefully control and monitor calorie intake both post-op and for the long term.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding requires dramatic hormonal changes in a woman’s body, so it can significantly impact the appearance of breast tissue, even after a breast lift surgery. Medical professionals will typically recommend mothers to wait until they are finished expanding their families before undergoing a breast lift procedure in order to maintain the long-lasting results.
Women with larger breast sizes either naturally or due to implants, will also have an increased risk of breast ptosis occurring sooner after a successful breast lift surgery compared to another patient with small breasts. This is due to the natural phenomenon of gravity and lack of proper support.
- For those who frequently engage in exercise or have ill-fitting bras, a lack of support can cause descent and sagging of breast tissue. Be sure to acquire professional bra-fitting and wear supportive bras to help preserve the appearance of the breast lift.
Aside from patient factors, there are also contributing factors from the surgical procedure itself that affect how long the results from a breast lift will last. These include the breast lift technique used and whether the breasts were reduced in size or enlarged with implants at the time.
- If the breast lift technique is only reliant on lifting the areolas alone, the results are less likely to last for a long time. Typically, a breast lift surgery that includes reshaping and repositioning of tissue produces much more permanent results.
- The longevity of a breast lift can also be reduced if a breast implant was placed at the same time because the additional weight leads to increased effects from gravity. If a patient reduced the size of breasts during the surgery, the opposite applies, and the results may be longer-lasting.
In general, the results from a breast lift should last for many years, however, individual results may vary and it should be expected that the breasts will experience the effects of aging and gravity, over long periods of time.