Home|Blog | Is a Breast Lift Always Included With Breast Reduction Surgery?
Is a Breast Lift Always Included With Breast Reduction Surgery?
Breast reduction surgery, also known as a reduction mammoplasty, is a transformative procedure for women seeking to reduce the size of their breasts. This desire can be due to a variety of reasons including the relief of physical pain and irritation caused by overly large breasts, personal preferences, career goals or purely cosmetic concerns.Â
Whether it is back pain, shoulder grooving from bra straps, unwanted attention or the difficulty of finding clothes that fit properly, living with disproportionately large breasts can be challenging. This blog explains the common practice of combining breast reduction surgery with a breast lift, why that is, how the two procedures work together and what you can expect from a reduction with or without a lift.
3 Min Read:
What’s the Difference Between a Breast Lift and a Breast Reduction?
Breast reductions and breast lifts are similar surgeries with some significant differences:
Breast Reduction
- Goal: To reduce the size and weight of the breasts
- How: By removing excess glandular tissue, fat and skin
- Typical Candidates: Women with chronic discomfort due to large, heavy breasts and those who feel their breast size is out of proportion with the rest of their body or have social and self-image concerns
Breast Lift (Mastopexy)
- Goal: To raise, reshape and firm sagging breasts
- How: By removing excess skin, tightening surrounding glandular tissue and fat while repositioning the nipple-areolar complex higher on the chest
- Typical Candidates: Women experiencing breast sagging due to age, weight loss, pregnancy, breast implant removal or gravity
While a lift and a reduction have different primary purposes, they often overlap in technique, incision design, breast tissue removal and outcome, particularly when it comes to repositioning and reshaping the breast.
Why a Breast Lift Is Usually Part of Breast Reduction Surgery
Even though a breast lift and a reduction are technically separate procedures, in real-world practice, a lift is performed in virtually all breast reduction procedures. It is really an intrinsic component of the procedure. Here’s why:
Breasts Need Reshaping and Lifting After Reduction Surgery
In the overwhelming majority of breast reduction procedures, there is associated drooping of the skin and breast tissue as well as a descended position of the nipple-areola complexes. In order to restore a more natural, rejuvenated breast these tissues not only need to be reshaped and supported but also lifted. Without doing this, the breasts could appear deflated, flat or droopy.
Nipple and Areola Repositioning Is Essential
One of the key components of a breast lift is repositioning the nipple and areola to sit higher on the breast mound, typically pointing forward rather than downward. Since a breast reduction removes tissue from the lower portion of the breast, repositioning the nipple is almost always required. This action is fundamentally part of a breast lift.
Better Aesthetic Results
Even if your primary goal is pain relief or functional improvement, most women understandably want their breasts to look good after surgery. Proceeding with the lifting component during a reduction ensures that your new, smaller breasts are not only lighter and more manageable but also firm, more round and youthful and normal in appearance.
Can a Breast Reduction Be Done Without a Lift?
Technically, yes. However, it is rare and not often recommended. There are a few specific instances where a minimal breast reduction without much skin excision or nipple repositioning may be performed. These might include:
- Minor breast reductions where only a small amount of volume is removed and the nipple remains in a normal position
- Patients with excellent skin elasticity and minimal to no sagging including the nipple-areola complexes
- Fat-only breast reductions, which use liposuction to remove fat without lifting tissue
However, these are the exception, not the rule. For most women seeking a reduction in size due to discomfort or disproportion, the skin has already stretched and some degree of sagging is present. Skipping the lift portion would leave the breasts looking smaller but still saggy, truly limiting the also important aesthetic component of the results.
Considering Breast Reduction Surgery in Scottsdale?
If you’re thinking about pursuing a breast reduction for whatever reason, you may want to consider scheduling a consultation with Arizona’s cosmetic breast surgery specialist, Dr. Steven Turkeltaub. You can do so either by calling us at (480) 451-3000 or by completing our online contact form today.
Dr. Turkeltaub is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. He has been a leader in cosmetic breast surgery in Arizona for over 35 years.