Will a Breast Lift Shrink My Cup Size?
During breast lift surgery, unnecessary skin is removed and both tissue and skin are lifted to restore ideal shape, contours, and perkiness to the breasts. Using the latest in surgical techniques, our Los Altos plastic surgeons can use breast lift surgery to bring your breasts into line with surrounding features, helping enhance the entire upper body in the process.
There are three incision options our plastic surgeons offer for breast lift surgery:
- Circumareolar - Following the outline of your areola, the circumareolar breast lift incision is used when only minor lift is needed
- Lollipop - The lollipop breast lift incision follows the outline of the areola, but continues in a vertical line from the base of the areola to the breast crease. This incision is ideal for mild to moderate lift and can make the placement of breast implants easier in patients who are combining augmentation with lift
- Anchor - When ptosis is more pronounced, an anchor incision may be the best solution. This incision follows the lollipop pattern, but adds an incision along the breast crease as well, allowing for greater manipulation of underlying tissue
The breast lift incision that works best for you is dependent on factors including how much natural breast tissue is present, your level of ptosis, and whether or not you are combining a breast lift with breast augmentation. We will cover all of your options during your initial consultation to help you choose which one will work best for you.
Breast Lift and Cup Size
Breast lift typically reduces bra size by one full cup. However, in a study featured in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, it was suggested that this has less to do with a loss of volume than with a restoration of comfort.
According to the author of study, Dr. Katie Elizabeth Weichman of New York University, and coauthors, most women find that losing excess skin allows for a better fitting bra.
From the article:
“It is well known that most women do not wear the correct bra size. It is our contention that ptotic breast fills out a larger (than actual) brassiere cup size.”
In other words, excess skin and sagging breast tissue require a larger cup for support. Once these things have been removed or repositioned, cup size will be naturally reduced. This is, for many women, not a bad thing. In fact, it can even help reduce reliance on uncomfortable underwire. If you have smaller breasts, however, and a loss of any volume seems like an unattractive proposition, our board-certified breast surgeons would be happy to discuss the option of adding breast implants to your procedure.
We are committed to helping women choose the breast enhancement procedures that are ideally suited to their individual needs. Please call Altos Oaks Plastic SUrgery at 650-603-5277 to schedule a consultation and learn how we can help you reach your goals.