Breast Lift Surgery

John Park MD Plastic Surgery | Newport Beach, Irvine, Orange County, California

Breast Lift Surgery in Newport Beach, California

Dr. John Park performs breast lift surgery, also known as mastopexy, to elevate and reshape breasts and reposition the nipples to a more desirable location. Many women want a breast lift because their breasts have lost their youthful shape, firmness, and skin elasticity, resulting in sagging (also known as ptosis of the breast). These changes can result from factors including pregnancy, breastfeeding, weight fluctuations, and simply aging. If your breasts have lost fullness and the breast tissue and nipple position is lower than desired, you may be a great candidate for breast lift surgery. There are several options for breast lift surgery and various factors to consider in choosing the right operation for you. At your consultation, Dr. John Park will review all those options in detail with you and based on your goals and physical features of your breasts, provide personalized recommendations on what options may be best suited for you.

 

In breast lift surgery, there are two main things to consider in determining the best type of breast lift surgery for you: the degree of breast ptosis or droopiness and the desired change in breast volume.

Breast Lift | John Park MD Plastic Surgery

Breast Lift Ptosis

Breast ptosis is measured by the position of the nipple in relation to the inframammary crease, which is the fold at the bottom of the breast. With mild breast ptosis, the center of the nipple rests at the level of the inframammary crease. With progressive breast ptosis, the position of the nipple drops below the crease and may even start to point downward.

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Breast Lift Volume

Because in many cases breast ptosis is the result of deflation in breast volume and lack of skin contraction after breast feeding, pregnancy, or weight loss, breast lift surgery is often combined with implant breast augmentation. If mild breast ptosis is present, this may be improved with breast augmentation alone. In fact, placement of breast implants at the time of breast lift surgery makes it such that a smaller lift can be done. Conversely, patients who have had implant augmentation but desire to have the implants removed would benefit from mastopexy.

“I have had so many compliments from friends and coworkers. Dr. Park is a very professional, knowledgeable and excellent surgeon. His positive attitude and friendly demeanor were a great help in the decision to have my surgery. I highly recommend Dr. Park.”

– M.W., Actual Patient*

Types of Breast Lift Incisions

Dr. John Park believes in minimizing the appearance of scars, and this is an important concern for most patients seeking a breast lift. The main types of incision patterns for breast lift surgery (mastopexy) that Dr. Park prefers are: the Peri-Areolar lift, Short Scar breast lift, Wise Pattern lift, the Modified Wise pattern lift, and the Scarless breast lift.

Crescent Breast Lift Incision | John Park MD Plastic Surgery
The Peri-Areolar lift

The Peri-Areolar lift (Crescent lift) is a suitable option when there is only minimal breast ptosis. A small crescent shaped segment of skin is removed just above the areola resulting in a faint scar that hides at the upper edge of the areola. This is the least invasive breast lift procedure and works best for those with minimal ptosis. The peri-areolar lift allows the nipple and areola to just be repositioned slightly higher.

Short Scar Breast Lift Incision | John Park MD Plastic Surgery
Short Scar Lift

The Short Scar breast lift works well for women with moderate breast ptosis and results in an incision pattern that camouflages around the areola and a vertical line from the bottom of the areola to the crease at the bottom of the breast. By removing loose skin in the lower half of the breast and around the areola, the short scar breast lift allows for reduction in the areola size and allows for a greater opportunity to reshape the breasts. This creates a more perky breast than a circumareolar or donut mastopexy, in which skin is removed from just around the areola.

Wise Pattern Breast Lift Incision | John Park MD Plastic Surgery
Wise Pattern Lift

The Wise Pattern breast lift surgery is reserved for women with severe breast ptosis or as part of breast reduction surgery, when there is a lot of loose skin that needs to be removed. The Wise pattern breast lift results in an anchor shaped scar consisting of a faint scar that hides around the areola, a vertical extension the runs down to the breast crease at the bottom of the breast as well as a curved scar that hides in the breast crease itself.

Modified Wise Breast Lift Incision | John Park MD Plastic Surgery
Modified Wise Pattern Breast Lift

The Modified Wise Pattern breast lift surgery has the advantage of the Wise-pattern breast lift but with a smaller scar pattern that is closer to that of the short scar breast lift. Ideal for women with moderate or severe breast ptosis, the modified Wise-pattern breast lift elevates, reshapes and firms loose, sagging breasts with a much shorter horizontal scar along the lower breast crease. For this reason, Dr. John Park prefers this modification to the full Wise pattern breast lift, except for women with very severe breast ptosis or those undergoing large volume breast reduction.

Scarless Breast Lift Incision | John Park MD Plastic Surgery
Scarless Breast Lift

The Scarless breast lift refers to the breast lift effect that can be achieved with a dual plane breast augmentation. Because breast ptosis results from deficient breast volume relative to excessive loose skin, breast augmentation can restore that balance, achieve more firmness and sufficiently lift the breast tissue when there is modest breast ptosis. With dual plane breast augmentation, by lifting the breast tissue from the muscle in a separate second plane, placement of the breast implant under the muscle allows for a greater degree of breast lift by an upward movement or rotation of the nipple and breast mound over the breast implant.

Breast Lift Consultation

If you feel that your breasts are too droopy but adequate in size, lack firmness, or if your nipples point downward and hang low, breast lift surgery may be right for you. At your consultation with Dr. John Park, you will learn more about what options are best for you and with Dr. Park’s advice, you can make the best informed decision, based on your goals and taking into consideration the unique aspects of your breasts and figure that make you special. Call (949) 777-6883 or send an email to arrange an appointment.

Contact John Park MD Plastic Surgery

Please call (949) 777-6883 or use the contact form below to send us an email.