How to Tell Whether Breast Enhancement is Right For You
- By Dr. Juris Bunkis
- Published 10/2/2011
- Womens Interest
- Unrated
Q: “I would very much like to enhance my breasts before the bikini season is over! A few doctors I’ve seen have recommended an uplift along with implants, but I was not happy with the pictures of the scars that they showed me. What should I do?” — Sara, Coto de Caza, CA
A: Breast enhancement surgery is as elective as it comes and each procedure should be designed to meet the patient’s expectations. The first question you should answer is: what are your expectations?
Many options must be considered when planning breast enhancement. But the planning has to take into consideration each patient’s anatomy and expectations! Breast enhancement can be accomplished via a breast reduction or a breast augmentation (with or without an uplift) or with an isolated uplift. It all depends on the desires of the patient!
An enlarged breast almost always has some drooping of the nipple, and the nipple is raised in most breast reduction procedures. Breast reduction is a separate subject. This article will focus on breast enlargement, with or without an uplift, and isolated breast uplifts without the use of an implant.
Breast Augmentation vs. Breast Uplift
A breast augmentation by itself rarely leaves visible scars. The tiny incisions can be placed in the fold under the breast, around the areolus or in the armpit area.
Breast uplifts, on the other hand, can never be done without leaving a scar that will be visible forever. The surgeon must make sure that the degree of improvement warrants the resultant scaring. If an uplift is attempted for a very minor degree of breast ptosis (drooping), it is unlikely that the patient will be thrilled with the trade off.
On the other hand, if the nipples are hanging halfway down to the navel, the minor scaring visible with uplifts will not be much concern to the patient. The trick is to make the right decision for the patient who falls in the grey zone in between these two extremes.
You are correct in t
hinking that the traditional uplift procedures do leave visible (when naked) inverted “T” scars. But newer techniques today allow a surgeon to obtain similar results with minimal incisions, sometimes limited to a circle around the areolus. Incision patterns chosen by the surgeon will be dictated by the surgeon’s experience, the patient’s anatomy and each patient’s expectations. Basically, the droopier a patient is to begin with, the more skin will be resected and the more scaring can be expected.
When Is A Breast Uplift Recommended?
A key anatomical factor in deciding whether or not an uplift is recommended is based on the position of the nipple in relation to the inframammary fold (the fold that runs under the breast). With the patient standing, if the nipple sits above the level of the inframammary fold, a breast uplift is not indicated. If the nipple is an inch or more below the fold, an uplift will be necessary to achieve normal breast shape.
The difficult decisions come when the nipple is within an inch or so of the fold, the so-called grey area. In these situations, the patient (note that I said “patient”, not surgeon) will have to decide if a breast uplift is desirable. In such borderline cases, we help the patient make an informed decision by showing examples of various breast configurations, with or without uplifts, and showing each patient examples of expected scars. Each patient then has to decide whether the improvement in breast shape is desirable enough to warrant the scars associated with a breast uplift.
Breast Lift vs. Lift Plus Implant
To help a patient decide between a lift alone versus a lift plus a breast implant, I explain that an implant makes the breast volume increase but does not significantly change breast shape. Conversely, a bra will lift a droopy breast in a manner similar to a breast uplift but, by itself, does not change breast volume. So if a patient is happy with their volume and only wants to be uplifted, an uplift by itself should be recommended. Whereas, if a patient puts on her bra and still feels that a fuller breast would be desirable, she would be better off having an uplift with implants.
A: Breast enhancement surgery is as elective as it comes and each procedure should be designed to meet the patient’s expectations. The first question you should answer is: what are your expectations?
Many options must be considered when planning breast enhancement. But the planning has to take into consideration each patient’s anatomy and expectations! Breast enhancement can be accomplished via a breast reduction or a breast augmentation (with or without an uplift) or with an isolated uplift. It all depends on the desires of the patient!
An enlarged breast almost always has some drooping of the nipple, and the nipple is raised in most breast reduction procedures. Breast reduction is a separate subject. This article will focus on breast enlargement, with or without an uplift, and isolated breast uplifts without the use of an implant.
Breast Augmentation vs. Breast Uplift
A breast augmentation by itself rarely leaves visible scars. The tiny incisions can be placed in the fold under the breast, around the areolus or in the armpit area.
Breast uplifts, on the other hand, can never be done without leaving a scar that will be visible forever. The surgeon must make sure that the degree of improvement warrants the resultant scaring. If an uplift is attempted for a very minor degree of breast ptosis (drooping), it is unlikely that the patient will be thrilled with the trade off.
On the other hand, if the nipples are hanging halfway down to the navel, the minor scaring visible with uplifts will not be much concern to the patient. The trick is to make the right decision for the patient who falls in the grey zone in between these two extremes.
You are correct in t
When Is A Breast Uplift Recommended?
A key anatomical factor in deciding whether or not an uplift is recommended is based on the position of the nipple in relation to the inframammary fold (the fold that runs under the breast). With the patient standing, if the nipple sits above the level of the inframammary fold, a breast uplift is not indicated. If the nipple is an inch or more below the fold, an uplift will be necessary to achieve normal breast shape.
The difficult decisions come when the nipple is within an inch or so of the fold, the so-called grey area. In these situations, the patient (note that I said “patient”, not surgeon) will have to decide if a breast uplift is desirable. In such borderline cases, we help the patient make an informed decision by showing examples of various breast configurations, with or without uplifts, and showing each patient examples of expected scars. Each patient then has to decide whether the improvement in breast shape is desirable enough to warrant the scars associated with a breast uplift.
Breast Lift vs. Lift Plus Implant
To help a patient decide between a lift alone versus a lift plus a breast implant, I explain that an implant makes the breast volume increase but does not significantly change breast shape. Conversely, a bra will lift a droopy breast in a manner similar to a breast uplift but, by itself, does not change breast volume. So if a patient is happy with their volume and only wants to be uplifted, an uplift by itself should be recommended. Whereas, if a patient puts on her bra and still feels that a fuller breast would be desirable, she would be better off having an uplift with implants.
Dr. Juris Bunkis
Dr. Bunkis MD, FACS of Orange County Plastic Surgery is a Harvard-trained, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon with 30 years of surgical expertise. Call Orange County Plastic Surgery at 949-888-9700, email your questions to info@ocps.com or visit ocps.com for more information. Serving Irvine, Newport Beach, Mission Viejo, Laguna Beach, Rancho Santa Margarita and surrounding Orange County cities.
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