The procedure is performed under general anesthesia and takes approximately 1.5 to 2 hours. Before the surgery, both the current and intended positions of the nipple and areola are carefully measured, as well as the diameter of the areola, which is often enlarged.
In a pure breast lift without volume change, a new shape is created using the existing breast tissue, repositioning the volume higher up in the breast. The main challenge here is achieving “upper pole fullness.” Some surgeons may quickly opt for placing a small breast implant to accomplish this, but we avoid this whenever it’s not deemed necessary. Instead, the breast tissue from the lower pole is tunneled upward to fill the upper pole — a technique sometimes referred to as an "auto-implant" or an implant made from the patient’s own tissue.
The breast shape is intentionally “overcorrected,” meaning the upper part of the breast may appear overly full and the lower part somewhat tight during the first few weeks. Over time, the breast will settle into a more natural shape. Without this overcorrection, there’s often a relapse into sagging, which would be disappointing.
The overstretched skin is tightened over the new shape, and the excess is removed. After closing the incisions, the scars typically run around the areola and vertically from the areola down to the fold beneath the breast. In some cases, there may also be a short horizontal scar in the inframammary fold. A drain (redon) is often placed and removed just before you leave the clinic. There is no need to stay overnight after the procedure.
If there is insufficient breast volume, augmentation is performed simultaneously using either fat transfer (lipofilling) or a breast implant. While lipofilling has gained popularity in recent years, it still does not replace an implant. One of the main challenges of breast lipofilling (as opposed to facial lipofilling) is that up to 50% of the transferred fat may be reabsorbed, meaning two or more sessions may be required to achieve a noticeable increase in volume (around half a cup size).
Another limitation of fat grafting to the breast is that fat tissue, unlike an implant, is highly compressible. This makes it difficult to achieve breast projection (the distance from the chest wall to the nipple), often resulting in a broad, flatter shape rather than the youthful, conical form that is typically achievable with implants.
