Mastopexy
Involves raising and reshaping sagging breasts, improving the breast contour and restoring a more youthful appearance.
Gravity, ageing, pregnancy and breastfeeding all have a negative impact on the aesthetic appearance of our breasts, adversely affecting skin quality as well as breast position, size and shape. A mastopexy or breast lift involves raising and reshaping sagging breasts, improving the breast contour and restoring a more youthful appearance.
A mastopexy is performed under general anaesthetic. During the surgery, the excess skin is removed and your nipple and areola (the pigmented skin around your nipple) are elevated to a higher, more aesthetically-pleasing position on your breasts. Sometimes, a small volume of breast tissue needs to be removed to facilitate the lifting process or to deal with any asymmetry that may be present.
Although ageing and gravity will continue to affect your breasts, the procedure rarely needs to be repeated. A mastopexy can be performed as a standalone procedure or it can combined with other procedures including a breast augmentation (augmentation mastopexy), fat grafting, abdominoplasty (tummy tuck/mommy makeover) and/or liposuction.
FAQs
A mastopexy can be done as a day case. At most, you may require a one night stay in hospital.
You are more likely to experience discomfort rather than sharp pain following a mastopexy. Dr Collins will ensure you have adequate pain relief to deal with this.
No. Dr Collins uses dissolvable sutures are used to close the wounds.
After your surgery you will asked to wear a supportive, non-underwired bra day and night for the first three weeks, then during the day only for a further three weeks. It is important to keep the wounds clean and dry for 48 hours post-operatively and tape the scars with surgical tape for six weeks. The latter ensures the best possible cosmetic result.
Your return to work will be determined by what type of job you do. In general, most patients require a week off post-operatively, though heavy lifting should be avoided for six weeks.
Dr Collins encourages her patients to resume walking early in the post-operative period. Gentle sporting activities can be resumed after 1-2 months, with good bra support. It is important that you ease back into it, however, to avoid injury as a result of deconditioning.
Yes. Fat grafting involves harvesting fat from one part of your body via liposuction and transferring it to another. When transferred to the breasts, fat offers an alternative to implants to improve shape and contour, restore lost volume and a more youthful appearance and correct any asymmetry that may be present.
After your consultation, Dr Collins will provide you with a personal estimate which will include hospital and anaesthetic costs in addition to her surgical fee. A standalone mastopexy will cost in the region of $12,000 to $15,000. Additional, simultaneous procedures will incur additional costs.