Do I need a breast lift if I am getting a breast reduction?

If you are considering a breast reduction procedure, the top 6 criteria in deciding what type of operation to perform are as follows:

• Position of the nipple relative to the bra crease
• Amount of skin redundancy
• Amount of volume excess
• Size of the areola
• Amount of lateral breast fullness
• Previous incisions on the breast

The position of the nipple and areola is important in answering your question.  If the nipple is below the breast crease, then you will need a breast lift at the same time.  This is usually performed during the same procedure.

The question is, do you want your breasts to be smaller? If so, then the reduction procedure will provide a lift as well. If you prefer to keep the volume of your breasts the same, then you may do a lift without removal of breast tissue. Good luck!

Many women are confused about what a breast reduction will do in terms of lifting the breast. Simply put, a breast reduction will reduce the size of the breast, consolidate and improve the shape of the breast, and lift the breast. On the other hand, a breast lift (or mastopexy) will lift the breast, improve the shape of the breast, and not really change the size of the breast.
So, if you have more breast tissue than you desire, a reduction is what you need. If you are happy with the size of your breasts, but are concerned about the sagging, then a breast lift would be your best bet.
If you are not sure, look at yourself when you are wearing a bra. If you feel you are too big, then go for the reduction. If, on the other hand, you like your size then you may only need a breast lift.
The best way to know what you options are for sure, are to have a consultation with a board cerified plastic surgeon who is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Most women who require a breast lift, have hanging or low breast tissue. In the process of removing the excess tissue, the nipple is lifted and the extra skin is removed. This lifts the breasts into a better, more natural position. In very rare cases, the removal of extra breast tissue may be done with liposuction to reduce the size. In these cases, a lift is not necessary. With a normal reduction, you are getting two procedures for the price of one.

I have done at least 3000 breast reduction operations and only 3 times have I met a patient who needed a reduction but didn't need a lift. The lift is to move the nipple back above the crease and in virtually all patients with large breasts, the weight stretches the skin and causes the nipple to drift down to where a lift is required.

The procedure to lift a breast and to reduce a breast are very similar. The difference is that with a reduction, tissue is removed at the same time as the lift.
In my experience, in an effort to make each breast look as good as possible, I usually lift all breasts. The two exceptions are very young patients who have large but non- sagging breasts and those patients that desire only to have reduction through liposuction.

A Breast Reduction always includes a component of lifting the breast.

Generally, large breasts stretch the skin of the breasts due to the effect of gravity, causing the breasts to elongate in a downward direction. Also, the areola usually enlarges proportionately to the enlargement of the breast. As a result, the nipple tends to be below the actual fold beneath the breast, and the areola is too large.

A Breast Reduction elevates the nipple to the proper position on the reduced, smaller breast mound, and makes the areola proportionately smaller as well, no matter which technique is used.

Breast Reduction makes breasts smaller, higher, and better.

In a breast reduction, the excess breast tissue is removed. Then the remaining breast tissue is positioned upward INTERNALLY and the nipple is made a little smaller and lifted. So you should end up with a nice, lifted shape. The typical scar looks like a lollypop.

Breast reduction involves reducing the size of the breast. A breast lift involves lifting the nipple-areolar complex and reducing the excess skin of the breast. Breast reductions can involve just liposuction in patients who have more fatty tissue than glandular breast tissue. Liposuction alone indeed does reduce the volume of the breasts. However, sagging of the breast can result and liposuction alone is therefore performed usually in highly selected patients.

Many different types of breast lifts are now available in conjunction with a breast reduction, including lifts just around the areola (periareolar), vertical/lollipop mastopexies (incision around the areola and down to the breast fold, and full breast lifts with an anchor incision. For patients who have very loose skin in the armpit or back, axillary or bra lifts are also often combined with breast reductions.

Most of the time they are essentially the same thing, though the specific type of lift may be determined in part by how much of a reduction is done, and vice-versa. The minimal scar techniques often work better with smaller reductions and where there is less sagging. Occasionally, there is no sagging and only a small amount of reduction is desired, so doing only liposuction may be an option, though that is not very common.

This is a frequently asked question. The principles of a breast reduction and a breast lift are similar. Each procedure repositions the nipple to a higher level. With a breast reduction breast tissue is removed. If a woman is satisfied wtih the size of her breasts but not the sagging then a lift is all that is needed. If the breasts are large and heavy then a breast reduction is indicated.