Breast Lift | Mastopexy
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‘I like the volume I have when I wear a bra, but without support my breasts appear deflated and sit lower’.
Your breast appearance will change with time. Life events such as pregnancy or weight change, overall breast weight, age-related tissue changes or prior surgery all play a factor in how the breast is positioned on the chest wall. With time, breast supporting ligaments elongate, the skin and areola stretch and the breast tissues sit lower on the chest with down-rotation of the nipple. You may experience a ‘deflated’ appearance. Women looking to restore the breast to a more youthful, ‘perky’ shape and position may wish to discuss our Surrey Breast Lift with Dr. Imran Ratanshi. Mastopexy surgery aims to remove excess skin and re-arrange breast tissue that is stretched with time. Incisions are designed to help create a smaller, tighter skin envelop that ‘lifts’ your breast, making the overall breast sit higher on the chest with more balanced and youthful proportions.
Breast appearance varies from person to person. During your consultation for your breast lift Surrey plastic surgeon, Dr. Imran Ratanshi, will review your specific concerns and tailor a treatment plan that works best for you. Breast lift surgery takes 1 to 2 hours. Prior to your surgery, incisions are planned while upright to account for the natural position of the breast when standing. The incisions enable Dr. Ratanshi to remove the excess skin and rearrange your breast tissue where needed to achieve improved contour and lift the breast. Other techniques may need to be performed in combination with your breast lift procedure to help achieve your desired goals. These may include ‘auto’ augmentation with your own breast tissue for minor projection improvement, implant augmentation for added volume, or dermal resuspension (for lax tissues from significant weight loss).
This technique mobilizes your own breast tissue and repositions it centrally for further projection. Not all patients require this, but it is a useful ‘extra’ where needed. It does require additional operating time and costs (estimated 30 minutes).
Patients who desire more volume (i.e. a larger cup size) and a breast lift may wish to combine their breast lift with breast augmentation surgery. The implant itself helps to ‘fill’ some of the extra loose skin, reducing the required amount of skin excision while adding volume and projection. Skin excision is often still required to help lift your natural tissues and the newly placed implant. However, in some cases, the degree of skin excision and how the breast will settle can be difficult to predict (such as in patients with smaller breasts experiencing descent and deflation). As a result, patients may require a staged procedure, dividing their procedure into two stages for a more predictable result.
Patients who have very loose skin from significant weight loss may require additional support of their skin and tissues. Dermal re-suspension helps create a stronger, more supportive ‘hammock’ for tissues in patients who are more prone to breast tissue descent owing to extreme loss of tissue elasticity.
Incisions will reduce the diameter of your areola and remove excess skin and breast tissue in the lower part of your breast. To accomplish a typical lift, your scar will rest at the outer border the areola, extend downward to the lower breast fold, and potentially horizontally across the crease at the bottom of the breast. These incisions enable Dr. Ratanshi to remove the excess breast skin and rearrange breast tissue as needed to achieve a lifted, natural appearance.
All incisions are closed in layers using dissolving stitches. Patients may have surgical tapes on the incisions, along with gauze and a supportive garment to support healing. You can expect early bruising, which takes one to two weeks to settle. Swelling takes 6-12 weeks to resolve for a final result. Most incisions will heal with a fine line scar. Some with larger breasts may experience scar widening from the pull of the breast tissue on the scar with time. Aftercare instructions and follow-up appointments will be provided by Dr. Ratanshi and his nurse the day of surgery.
Frequently Combined with Breast Lift | Mastopexy Surgery
If Breast Augmentation is required with your surgery, additional risks you should be aware of include, but are not limited to:
You may have to wear a supportive, non-underwire bra for 6-8 weeks after surgery. Patients should avoid heavy lifting (> 10 lbs) for 4-6 weeks. You can get the area wet in the shower after 5 days. If drains are placed, you can shower 48 hours after drain removal.
Starting at $10,500 + GST
A Breast Lift is a cosmetic surgery to improve the appearance of the breast. It is often not a benefit of the British Columbia Medical Services Plan (MSP) or Private Insurance. The only exception is to help improve symmetry in the setting of prior breast cancer reconstruction. This requires prior authorization from MSP.
If requested to remove a cosmetically placed breast implant, associated capsule, or replace an existing cosmetically placed implant, additional fees would apply. Dr. Ratanshi will provide you with a detailed quotation during your consultation process.
Dr. Ratanshi has also partnered with Beautifi and iFinance Canada to provide alternative options for you if needed. You can review rates and terms at the links below. You may also wish to discuss financing with your private lender.
No. Drains are not routinely placed as part of this operation.
While Plastic Surgeons strive for perfect symmetry, it is impossible to make both breasts exactly the same. Prior surgery makes this more difficult. This is because the natural breast footprint and the chest wall in most women can vary slightly from right to left. The degree of deformity prior to surgery also influences longevity of the result. Pre-operative measurements and markings help surgeons get as close as possible. For this reason, you may hear your surgeon say that a reasonable goal is to create ‘sisters, but not twins’.
In patients with smaller breast volume, prior surgery or significant breast descent with excess skin, surgery may need to be staged for better outcome predictability and to maximize healing. Every patient is unique. Solutions to address a patient’s individual goals should also be tailored for an optimal outcome. The decision to divide the process to achieve your surgical goals into separate procedures will be a shared decision between Dr. Ratanshi and yourself.
No. This procedure is to address the cosmetic appearance of the breast. It is a NOT benefit of the British Columbia Medical Services Plan.
The only exception is for patients who require breast reconstruction for breast cancer. A breast lift may be required for balancing in the setting of a prior mastectomy with reconstruction. In these cases, prior authorization is required. Concerns are evaluated by adjustors with the Medical Services Plan and, in some circumstances, may not be deemed a benefit of MSP.
In cases of a prior non-cancer breast surgery, concerns related to breast descent (other than those for very large breasts requiring a breast reduction) are cosmetic in nature and are not a benefit of MSP.
For women of child-bearing age who undergo breast surgery, your capacity to produce milk after childbearing can be affected. Breast lift surgery may also interfere with the ducts in the gland that carry milk, affecting overall production. You may need to supplement with formula. Some women may experience numbness or loss of erectile function to the nipple which can affect infant latch.
Dr. Ratanshi typically requests that a mammogram be completed on any patient undergoing breast surgery above the age of 40 (if not otherwise completed within the past 2 years). This may be organized for patients below the age of 40 with a strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer who wish to pursue mastopexy surgery.
Dr. Ratanshi prioritizes patient safety and satisfaction above all. He is a double subspecialty-trained Plastic Surgeon and regularly performs aesthetic and reconstructive breast and body surgery as part of his practice. Dr. Ratanshi aims to utilize the latest evidence-based techniques and technology to deliver exceptional results. Dr. Ratanshi is committed to making your journey to enhanced beauty as comfortable and rewarding as possible.
