Breast Lift (Mastopexy) Gig Harbor WA

A mastopexy is most commonly done for women who are finished having children and are concerned about having breast deflation and ptosis (excessive sagging or loose skin), along with displacement of the nipples below their ideal location. This is a highly satisfying procedure for the right candidate who has realistic expectations about the outcome. The biggest concern for some women is the anchor-shaped scar (a scar around the areola, a vertical scar from the areola down, and a horizontal scar in the crease under the breast). Each of these three scars is a result of a surgical maneuver aimed to alter the breast in an effort to restore its original anatomy. A breast is a 3-dimensional surface, and a deflated, ptotic breast has excess skin in both the vertical and horizontal dimensions. The vertical scar from the areola down is a result of excising the excess skin in one dimension; the horizontal scar hidden in the crease under the breast results from excising the excess skin in the other dimension; the scar around the areola results from the surgical raising of the nipple-areola to a new, higher location on the breast, which means that a new skin opening for the nipple-areola has to be created. In a patient who accepts this scar, the results are a dramatic improvement in the shape of the breasts.

Dr. Cohen has extensive experience with this procedure resulting in extremely high rates of patient satisfaction. The excess skin is the only portion of the breast that is removed during this procedure; no other part of the breast is removed. The bottom third of the breast, which is typically the ptotic portion of the breast, is used for auto-augmentation of the breast by relocating it internally to the central portion of the breast, giving the breast more fullness in the location where it makes the most sense aesthetically.

Depending on the individual anatomy of the breast, it may be necessary to combine a mastopexy with breast augmentation, although in some patients Dr. Cohen will recommend that the two procedures are separated into two surgeries. This recommendation will be largely based on his thorough evaluation of each patient. In a properly selected patient, a simultaneous augmentation with her own fat can be performed using fat from liposuction, and Dr. Cohen considers this procedure safe and effective in the right candidate.