Combined Breast Lift-Augmentation Technique is Safe, Effective

Most women are aware that they can get a breast lift for sagging breasts and breast augmentation to increase breast-size, but what should they do if they have both?

A combination breast lift-augmentation (augmentation mastopexy) was somewhat controversial in the past, but improved techniques have made it a safe and effective way to solve both problems in a single operation.

Unwanted changes in the breasts can occur after pregnancy, breastfeeding, menopause, and weight fluctuations. Some women with smaller breasts may experience ptosis (sagging breasts) and want to get the entire package when they consult their surgeon. Larger or medium-sized breasts can begin to droop over time, often accompanied by drooping of the nipples.

There are several clear benefits of combining a breast augmentation and lift during a single operation:

• final results in a single session
• less time spent in the operating room and hospital
• no need to operate on scarred tissues

Some physicians have argued that combining breast augmentation and mastopexy creates added risks, such as scarring, death of breast tissue, and poor positioning of the implants. Surgeons have argued that the operation is complicated and unnecessarily risky.

A recent study challenges these claims.  In the journal of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Dr. Ariel Tessone and her colleagues were able to employ a safe, simple mastopexy-augmentation technique that involves resectioning the breast after the implant has been inserted. The study examines 60 patients who underwent this procedure and reveals a high satisfaction rate and a relatively low (10 percent) reoperation rate.

Although there are several considerations discussed in the study that would limit the use of augmentation-mastopexy, it appears that the combined procedure may be a viable option for women who want to correct both breast sagging and loss of breast volume.