Can I Get a Breast Augmentation Without a Lift?

Women considering cosmetic breast surgery, especially if they’ve had children or lost weight, often ask if they need a breast lift or if a breast augmentation alone can produce the results they want. At my San Jose area practice, I often advise women that, even though each person is different, getting a breast augmentation without a lift may not create the attractive results they’re looking for. In fact, it may make any existing sagging worse over time. In these cases, adding a breast lift to the procedure typically creates the most satisfying results.

In this blog post, I’ll discuss the benefits of a combined approach and explain how you can customize your procedure so you get exactly the look you have in mind.

What Are the Benefits of Combining Breast Augmentation With a Breast Lift?

Women who have drooping or sagging are typically looking to restore a fuller, rounder, and more youthful shape. A combined breast augmentation and lift, also called a breast lift with implants, addresses both shape and fullness goals while also tightening the skin and repositioning the breasts to a more youthful position.

If you’re not experiencing sagging and are concerned only with size and volume, a breast augmentation alone is fine. However, breast implants won’t help if sagging is present. They may worsen the effects of gravity over time unless combined with a lifting procedure that rejuvenates and restructures the existing skin and tissue. You can see 2 of my patients who chose to combine breast implants with a lift in the photos below (each is pictured from the front and side).

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Learn more about who may benefit from each approach in this blog post from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

How Are Breast Lifts Performed?

I perform breast lifts using one of 3 incision types, depending on your existing breast tissue and your desired result:

• Donut lift: This incision is made around the areola, leaving a single, minimal scar.
• Lollipop lift: This incision runs around the areola and vertically down the underside of the breast.
• Anchor, or standard, lift: This is similar to the lollipop lift with the addition of a horizontal incision running along the crease beneath the breast.

Through these incisions, I lift and tighten the skin and breast tissue to create a more lifted, rounded appearance. When appropriate, I include fat transfer or another form of breast augmentation to round out the shape and volume of the breasts.

Is Recovery Longer When Combining a Breast Augmentation With a Breast Lift?

Recovery time is not much longer than following a standalone breast augmentation procedure.  If you suspect you may be interested in a lift in the near future, it will be more convenient for you to include it with your breast augmentation so you can recover from both procedures at the same, saving you weeks of additional downtime.

To see examples of breast procedure results and better visualize which approach may be right for you, please visit our photo galleries for breast augmentation before and after photos and breast lift before and after pictures.

If you would like to discuss your options for a breast lift with implants here in San Jose, please contact us online or call (650) 325-1118 (Palo Alto) or (408) 371-1118 (Campbell). I look forward to hearing from you.