Breast Lift Puget Sound WA
No strenuous activity or heavy lifting is recommended for at least a month after the breast lift surgery. Most women are able to return to work after 1-2 weeks. Patients are seen at the office in the first 1-4 days after the operation, and then again for their 2 week and 6 week postoperative visits. There are no stitches or drain tubes to be removed. The surgical paper tapes placed at the end of the operation will be removed at the office during your 2-week visit, and further scar care will be discussed at that point. Right after the surgery, you will wake up in a surgical bra provided by the surgery center. You can shower after 2-3 days, at which point you can switch to a soft sports bra of your choice. Underwire bras should not be worn for 6 weeks if there is an incision present under the breast. You can start buying new bras after 2 months, which is when 90 percent of the postoperative swelling has resolved.
Lift with Augmentation
A fairly large proportion of women seeking a breast lift also desire more fullness or volume in their breasts, which cannot always be created with a mastopexy alone. For these women, the procedure of choice is an augmentation-mastopexy, which uses breast implants for volume enhancement. In some women, fat grafting can be used instead of implants. Depending on the degree of ptosis as well as the patient’s breast tissue quality, the mastopexy and the augmentation procedures may need to be separated into two surgeries. During your consultation, Dr. Cohen will perform a thorough examination with multiple measurements and will come up with the best individualized plan based on your examination findings.
Breast Lift VS Breast Reduction
A breast reduction is a procedure that is related to a breast lift, with a few major differences. While a breast reduction almost always includes a lift, it also removes up to a third or sometimes half of the breast volume. Breast reduction surgery can be covered by health insurance as a medically necessary operation in women whose breasts are large enough to cause neck, shoulder, and upper back pain. For insurance to pay for a breast reduction, extensive documentation of these symptoms is required from the primary care provider and physical therapist. In addition, a certain minimum amount of breast volume is required by insurance providers to be removed based on the patient’s height and weight. If these criteria are not met, insurance will not cover this surgery.
For a breast lift in the Puget Sound area contact board certified plastic surgeon Dr Michael Cohen of Bayview Plastic Surgery.