Mastopexy typically is performed:
1. To lift sagging, loose breasts or
2. Breasts that have lost volume and elasticity after childbearing.
3. It also can reduce the size of the areola, the dark pink skin surrounding the nipple.
The extent of the procedure depends on what changes are desired and what we deem appropriate.
Mastopexy usually is performed under general anesthesia, although local anesthesia may be used in particular cases.
In the operation a keyhole-shaped incision is made above the areola to define the new location for the nipple. Working through incisions, excess is removed skin from the the breast. The nipple, areola and underlying breast tissue are moved up to a new higher position, after the nipple is relocated, flaps of skin formerly above and to the sides of the nipple are brought down, around and together to reshape the breast. Sutures close the wounds under the breast and around the nipple area. The final suture lines looks like a ‘lolipop’ that is why this breast lifting procedure called as ‘lolipop lifting’. There is another version which there is an extra line of suture under the breast where breast meets with chest. This type of lifting called inverted T technique. Inverted T could be full or half.
In patients with only minimal sagging, a modified procedure may be used to excise only skin from the large areola and the area immediately surrounding it. When breast augmentation is performed in conjunction with the lift, a breast implant, is placed, in a pocket created either directly under the breast tissue or underneath the chest wall muscle. The prosthesis is a flexible plastic envelope that contains a silicone gel. Following surgery, a bulky gauze dressing is wrapped around the breasts, or the patient may be placed in a surgical bra.
Depending on the extent of the surgery, the procedure usually lasts about two hours.
After surgery, pain that is controlled easily by medication will subside in a day or two. If you have been operated in a hospital, you will be released in the same day. Within the first week, the dressing will be replaced by a soft bra which you will be advised to wear for several weeks.
Swelling and discoloration around the incisions generally will subside in a few days. After surgery, there may be temporary loss of sensation in the nipples and breast skin. If it occurs, this condition will improve with time. Sutures will be removed within two weeks of surgery.
Beautiful large female breasts in a white swimsuit.The objective of mastopexy is higher, well-contoured breasts. Although we make every effort to keep scars as inconspicuous as possible, mastopexy scars are permanent. They often remain highly visible for a year following surgery, then fade to some degree. However, since incisions are made around and below the nipples, scars should not be noticeable even in low-cut clothing.