A decrease in elasticity and a deterioration in the shape of the mammary glands is a problem that does not depend on age and can affect any woman. Creams, sports, mesotherapy can temporarily improve the appearance of the breasts, but they will not eliminate psychological discomfort. The only way out is a lifting operation - mastopexy.
Photos before and after clearly confirm that even without implants it is possible to return the natural and beautiful shape of the breast.
What is mastopexy, what is it
Mastopexy is a plastic surgery, a set of surgical interventions to restore the natural shape and position of the mammary glands. The main indication for its implementation is breast prolapse (mastoptosis, ptosis), which arose as a result of the lactation period or age-related changes.
Restoring the position, shape and contour of the female breast includes:
- elimination of asymmetry;
- reduction in the size of the areola of the nipple;
- elimination of excess skin;
- redistribution of gland tissues to give a natural volume.
Reasons for prolapse of the mammary glands
There are two reasons for ptosis of the mammary glands: stretching of the breast skin and replacement of the volume of glandular tissue with adipose tissue.
This is facilitated by the following factors:
- a sharp change in body weight (weight loss or weight gain);
- hormonal changes associated with pregnancy;
- too active engagement in certain sports (running without sports underwear is especially dangerous);
- decrease in skin turgor and elasticity with age;
- gravity, under the influence of which naturally large breasts sag.
Types and degrees of ptosis
In medicine, there are 4 degrees of gravitational ptosis, depending on how much lower the nipple is than the breast fold:
- Pseudoptosis. The initial stage of prolapse, when the breast itself is already hanging over the fold, but the areola and nipple are located higher.
- First degree. The nipple is in line with the submamal fold or no more than 1 cm below.
- Second degree. The nipple drops below the main volume of breast tissue by 1–3 cm.
- Third degree... The position of the nipple is 3 cm lower than the crease under the breast.
There are the following types of ptosis of the mammary glands:
- post-lactation, caused by a woman's pregnancy and the process of natural breastfeeding;
- involutional, associated with age-related changes and loss of elasticity of the skin and ligaments.
Who needs mastopexy
Cosmetic plastic surgery is a voluntary surgery. The decision to resort to it is made only by the woman.However, there are a number of indications that a plastic surgeon can tell the patient about, advising her to undergo mastopexy and showing photos before and after, without and with implants.
Potential clients of plastic surgery clinics are women who:
- completed the period of breastfeeding, after which little tissue remained in the gland, but a lot of excess skin;
- have dramatically lost or gained weight, and the skin of the breast did not have time to restore elasticity;
- with age, noted a significant prolapse of the chest;
- want to get a symmetrical and taut breast shape without the use of implants.
Cons of the operation
Just like other plastic surgeries, mastopexy has its drawbacks. Photos before and after without implants are good examples of those women who were helped by the operation. The main disadvantage of breast lift is the inability to increase its size and the risks of surgical complications.
Contraindications
Mastopexy is a rather complicated surgical operation, so it should be taken with the utmost seriousness, taking into account all possible risks and prohibitions.
The absolute contraindications for an operating breast lift include:
- oncological and autoimmune diseases;
- pregnancy and the period of breastfeeding;
- diseases of the vascular system, heart, respiratory system;
- the presence of pronounced cystic fibrous neoplasms in the mammary glands;
- exacerbation of chronic diseases and acute form of ARVI, influenza;
- diabetes mellitus, active tuberculosis;
- bronchial asthma;
- renal failure, liver disease;
- disturbances in the work of the endocrine system;
- violation of blood clotting;
- the presence of scar tissue in the breast area.
It is advised to postpone the operation for those women who plan to give birth to a child in the near future, since hormonal changes in the body and the subsequent lactation period will negate the results of surgical reconstruction of the breast shape.
What is included in the preparation for the operation
Preparation for surgery to restore the shape of the breast takes a rather long period and includes:
- Consultation with a plastic surgeon, who will explain to the patient what mastopexy involves. Photos before and after without and with implants will complement the woman's idea of the operation.
- Refusal to use alcohol, drugs and smoking.
- Laboratory and hardware diagnostics.
The list of required tests includes:
- General, biochemical and specific blood tests.
- General urine analysis.
These tests will need to be passed again a maximum of 3 days immediately before the operation.
Also, the patient needs to do in 1 month:
- Fluorography (if not done within a year).
- Electrocardiogram.
- Ultrasound of veins (USDG).
Before the final decision to conduct a mastopexy, the patient should receive a mammologist's opinion on the absence of benign or malignant neoplasms in the breast. For this, in addition to the palpation procedure, it will be necessary to do mammography and ultrasound of the mammary glands.
Be sure to visit and consult doctors: gynecologist, phlebologist, therapist.
Stages of breast lift
Mastopexy includes the following stages:
- The breast skin is treated with a special antiseptic solution with cleansing and disinfecting properties.
- The scheme of future incisions and excisions of the dermis is marked directly on the mammary glands.
- Incisions are made, the areoles, gland tissues are moved, the necessary shape and contour of the breast are given.
- Implants are inserted under the pectoral muscle through incisions, if necessary.
- Drainage tubes are inserted to drain tissue fluid and residual blood.
- Cosmetic seams are applied.
- The sutures are fixed with a surgical plaster.
Anesthesia and duration
In the normal mode, without complications, a reconstructive operation to improve the shape and contour of the breast is carried out within 1.5-3.5 hours under anesthesia.
The following types of anesthesia can be used:
- intravenous;
- inhalation.
Plastic surgery of mammary glands without implant
Doctors call breast plastic surgery without the use of endoprostheses a lipomodeling procedure. Its essence lies in the fact that surgeons restore the volume and shape of the mammary glands not with the help of implants, but with the use of the patient's adipose tissue.
Lipofilling is performed without large incisions and eliminates the risk of rejection of foreign material.
This method is not suitable for very thin girls who do not have subcutaneous fat for breast modeling, as well as with a strong degree of ptosis.
Breast lift with mesothreads
Thread gland lift is indicated for patients with an initial degree of ptosis, when sagging appears and will be most effective only for small breasts. Such threads will not lift a large heavy gland.
Mesothreads consist of polydioxanone, a material biocompatible with human tissues, which does not cause allergies and is used for stitching tissues in surgery. Each mammary gland takes from 7 to 10 mesothreads up to 7 cm long.
They are injected into the gland by injection to a depth of 3-4 mm under the skin, where they form a kind of skeleton and eventually become overgrown with collagen and elastin. The maximum effect is noticeable after 3 months.
The procedure is performed using local anesthesia and the entire lift is completed in 60–90 minutes. The effect lasts for 2–2.5 years.
Execution technique: periareolar
Periareolar mastopexy (also called concentric or crescent) involves an incision along the upper semicircle of the areola. The nipple is not cut off, but is carried slightly higher than the current position, no more than 2 cm.
Excess skin around the areola is removed, small sutures are applied. The operation time is no more than 2 hours.
The main advantages of this method are that the scar after surgery is almost invisible, it can be used for lifting without and with implants.
However, it is suitable only for women with an initial or first degree of mastoptosis. Among the disadvantages of the method are the likelihood of stretching the seams and reducing the sensitivity of the nipples.
Technique: vertical
In case of vertical mastopexy according to the Benelli-Lollipop method, in addition to the incision around the nipple, a vertical incision is made along the line from the areola to the breast fold. The tightening takes 3 hours, during which the excess skin is removed, the areoles are reduced and transferred upward, followed by the installation of drainage.
The technique allows you to move the nipple much higher than the initial position, without losing their sensitivity, but after surgery, large and visible scars remain. The technique is shown for patients with the first and second degrees of ptosis.
Technique: reduction
Reduction mastopexy or anchoring breast lift is indicated for the reconstruction of breasts with a second and third degree of ptosis. The result, which gives reduction mastopexy, photos before and after without implants, confirm the high efficiency of this method.
During the operation, not only the nipple-areola apparatus is transferred above, but also part of the breast tissue. Not only the skin around the nipple is excised, but two incisions are made: a vertical one from the nipple to the submammary fold and a horizontal one, just under the breast. The technique is indicated for patients with the second and third degrees of ptosis.
Technique: dermal
A dermal lift is well suited for those patients who have a lot of excess skin around the areola due to rapid changes in body weight and sagging skin. The operation consists in removing excess epidermis and attaching the gland tissues directly to the chest. This leaves a “T” -shaped scar on the chest.
Mastopexy with endoprosthetics
A breast lift along with the installation of implants - endoprosthetics - is a complex surgical intervention aimed not only at restoring the position of the breast, but also its shape.
In a situation where neither the shape nor the volume of the breast has been preserved, it is mastopexy with endoprosthetics that can help restore beauty and a tightened contour to the female breast.
During the operation, the skin around the areola is excised, its location is changed, and prostheses are installed under the pectoral muscle.
Implants are silicone, saline, gel and are subdivided into:
- round;
- anatomical;
- asymmetrical;
- anatomical with a high profile.
The patient chooses an enedoprosthesis, but a qualified recommendation of which type of implant is better to use is given by a plastic surgeon, depending on the structure of the woman's body, properties and characteristics of the prosthesis.
Correct rehabilitation
The duration of the rehabilitation period after the operation is individual for each specific patient and depends on the complexity of the surgery, age, health status and psychological mood of the woman.
On average, patients fully recover and return to normal life within 50–65 days after mastopexy.
Correct rehabilitation can be divided into chronological stages:
- From the moment of the operation, the patient is under the supervision of doctors in inpatient treatment for several days.
- On the second day after the successful completion of the operation, the drainage is removed. The chest area should not be wetted for a week.
- In the first few weeks, there may be soreness in the chest area, complaints of swelling, hematomas and discomfort appear. By decision of the doctor, the woman may be prescribed pain medications.
- On the 12-15th day, the stitches are removed.
- The compression bra must not be removed for the next 4-6 weeks.
- The first visible results of the operation will be noticeable no earlier than in 60–90 days.
- The final new look and profile of the breast will be visible in six months or a year, when the scars become less noticeable, you can resort to laser resurfacing.
After the operation, the following restrictions should be adhered to within 120-150 days:
- Do not visit the sauna, swimming pool, solarium.
- Limit sun exposure.
- Limit physical activity and active sports.
- Refrain from using strong drugs and alcohol.
Possible complications after surgery
With a correctly performed mastopexy, the risk of complications is minimal. Photos before and after without implants or with the use of endoprosthetics confirms the fact that, as a rule, operations to lift and restore an attractive breast shape take place without negative consequences.
Possible complications include:
- Blood loss.
- Asymmetry of the mammary glands.
- Decreased sensitivity of the nipples or its complete loss.
- Violation of healing processes, seam divergence.
- Formation of ugly folds of excess skin.
Side effects
There are few side effects, among them the main ones:
- Aesthetic defects (scars, scars), which can later be removed by laser resurfacing.
- Internal bruising - hematomas that occur due to vascular damage.
- Swelling associated with impaired lymph flow.
- Cyanosis of the skin during the first few weeks.
- Risk of blood clots.
Operation cost
The average cost of mastopexy consists not only of the cost of surgical intervention, but also includes specialist consultations, laboratory and instrumental studies, postoperative rehabilitation, the purchase of special compression underwear and other expenses.
Costs can fluctuate depending on the city where the operation is performed, the authority of the clinic and the professionalism of the surgeon.
The following prices can be called averaged:
- Consultation - 1500 - 2000 rubles.
- Analyzes and examinations - 5-20 thousand rubles.
- Thread lift - from 95 thousand rubles.
- Periareolar mastopexy - 105 - 125 thousand rubles.
- Circular mastopexy - 150 - 160 thousand rubles.
- Vertical mastopexy - 140 - 150 thousand rubles.
- Mastopexy with endoprosthetics - 300 - 350 thousand rubles.
The possibilities of modern aesthetic surgery enable women to regain the beauty and attractiveness of their breasts at any age. It is important to remember that the decision on the choice of breast tightening technique and, in general, on the need for mastopexy should be made not on the basis of the before and after photos, without and with implants, but after consultation with a qualified specialist.
Useful videos about different types of breast mastopexy
Carrying out reduction mastopexy of large breasts:
Rehabilitation after a breast lift:
The results after surgery are impressive, of course. Probably I will also decide)
Good day! I removed the implants (suspicion of rupture) and did a breast lift. I wear compression underwear, it certainly facilitates the entire recovery period. Thanks to the doctor and the universe. Low bow !!!
Hello, can you tell me about your operation ,,, I have the same thing to do (((