Mastopexy is the elevation or lifting of the breast. The breast, with age, weight and gravity is falling, especially after situations of breast volume changes, such as pregnancy and breastfeeding. The mammary gland is attached to the skin by a series of ligaments that are weakening, making the entire breast, including the areola and nipple, are lower.
The skin type of each woman must also be taken into account. In patients with thin skin or in which stretch marks have appeared the skin elasticity is very poor, so that the fall of the breast is more acute and giving a feeling of “empty breast”.
What types of mastopexy are there, with or without prosthesis?
To lift the breast, the specialist in Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery will have to move the areola and the nipple, as well as remove excess skin and remodel, especially the lower pole that, with the fall, acquires a more quadrangular shape. If what we have is a breast that, at the same time that has fallen has been left without shape volume, which almost does not fill the bra, it will be necessary to add a breast prosthesis to fill the neckline, give firmness and keep the breast in position.
If the breasts are large but what bothers is the fall and the shape, the breast can be lifted and take advantage of the gland itself to mold and give better appearance to the chest.
Will there always be scars with a mastopexy?
It is not possible to lift the breast without scars. The amount of scarring will depend on the degree of sagging of each breast. There are cases in which a breast augmentation with a scar around the areola is sufficient, while in others it is necessary to add a vertical scar and even a horizontal one, the inverted “T”. The important thing is to obtain a good result, as long lasting as possible and to take good care of the scars that, with time, can become imperceptible.
How to know which is the most advisable technique for mastopexy?
It is necessary to make a good assessment in consultation to decide whether more volume is needed or not, what type of prosthesis may be the most advisable, if an areolar scar is necessary or to add others, among other aspects to be studied.
Possible risks of mastopexy
The main risk of mastopexy is recurrence, that is, that the breast may fall again. That is why it is important to avoid very large volumes, especially in skins with little elasticity, those that are thin and have stretch marks. Like any other intervention, there are complications derived from breast surgery, such as infection, poor healing, problems with the prosthesis… which, in any case, are controlled in the consultation room afterwards and are not frequent.