The goal of mastopexy surgery is to lift sagging breast tissue, properly orient the nipple-areola complex, and improve breast symmetry to achieve the most natural aesthetic result.
Various surgeries and modifications have been proposed to improve the appearance of sagging or drooping breasts.
Breast ptosis is caused by gravity and causes drooping of the breast tissue and nipple-areolar complex. Various factors can also contribute to this.
- Patients with heavy breasts are more prone to ptosis due to excessive breast weight.
- Changes in the postpartum period lead to the fact that after the end of the lactation period and subsequent atrophy of the parenchyma, the skin remains stretched.
- Postmenopausal patients experience atrophy of breast tissue, thinning of the skin, and loss of skin elasticity.
- Patients who have undergone massive weight loss often lose breast volume and are left with excess, loose breast tissue and skin, leading to breast ptosis.
- Removing breast implants can also leave the breasts feeling empty and loose.
Changing the shape of the breast using a gel based on stabilized hyaluronic acid
Many people are familiar with contour plastic surgery - nasolabial folds and wrinkles are filled using injections with a gel based on stabilized hyaluronic acid of non-animal origin.
In the same way, you can improve the shape of your breasts and correct asymmetry. True, the volume of the injected gel, of course, will be much greater than in the case of wrinkle correction. Similar gels from different manufacturers to change the shape of the breast are successfully used in Japan and European countries. It has a minimal number of contraindications - autoimmune diseases, allergies to hyaluronic acid, skin infections, pregnancy and lactation - and does not affect the body's life support systems. Despite the apparent ease of this procedure, it is preceded by tests and examination, just like before a surgical operation. The minimally invasive procedure is usually performed under local anesthesia and lasts about an hour. The gel is injected through several punctures with a thin needle, traces of which disappear after a few days. You can go home almost immediately after the procedure, and the final result of changing the shape of the breast is visible after the swelling subsides. At first you will have to wear compression garments, which you need to purchase in advance. Many people call changing the shape of the breast using gel an alternative to endoprosthetics. But this is only true regarding the price - the cost of 300 ml of gel ranges from 4 to 6 thousand euros. While the gel does not remain for a long time - its resorption period ranges from 6 months to 2 years, then the procedure can be repeated. Such a long-lasting effect compared to gels used for facial contouring is due to the different density of the gel and resorption time. If obvious asymmetry has formed after a breast lift, the gel can be dissolved within 24 hours with a drug called hyaluronidase.
But it is worth mentioning possible side effects - chest pain, gel migration, uneven or premature resorption. In addition, there is insufficient data on the long-term effects of injecting this amount of gel into this area. The drug may also interfere with breast examination, which prevents the recognition of tumors in the early stages. In this regard, it is very important to take seriously the choice of a clinic and a doctor for the procedure. A high-level specialist will do everything possible to minimize possible risks during the operation.
How lipofilling helps change breast shape
You can achieve the desired breast shape using your own resources, more precisely fat, which is usually taken from the hips. This technique is constantly an arena for controversy - some doctors are categorically against the use of their own fat, citing the fact that it is impossible to predict how much fat will eventually take root, but the arithmetic average does not exceed 25% of the input, and fibrosis and inflammatory processes are not uncommon fat encapsulation. But other specialists, adherents of this breast lift technique, who are constantly working to improve it, are not so categorical and claim that lipofilling has wonderful prospects. It has been established that the maximum size of a fat graft for breast lift should be no more than 2 mm in size, in which case it has a high chance of growing blood vessels. If we are not talking about enlargement, but about correcting the shape of the breast, then a small amount of fat is needed - less than 100 ml, in this case the chances of a positive outcome increase significantly. Of course, the role of the specialist, his experience and his compliance with the necessary protocol for the collection, processing and injection of fat cells are extremely important.
An American surgeon recently proposed an interesting technique for changing the shape of the breast. In his opinion, the use of external expanders - cups for creating a vacuum - before and after surgery significantly helps to carry out high-quality breast lipofilling. Cups with soft silicone edges create space for subsequent fat filling, and subsequently help the formation of new blood vessels, resulting in fat engraftment to the maximum extent. You need to wear expanders for about 10 hours a day for a month.
Breast lift surgery is performed under general anesthesia and has a short recovery period, but again you cannot do without compression garments. It is worth saying that the cannulas through which fat is injected have a very small diameter - 2 mm, so traces of cuts or punctures will very quickly become invisible.
The cost of breast lipofilling is from 150 thousand rubles.
Comparison of results AFTER surgery
Result of the operation after 2 months/1 year/4 years.
Before surgery
2 months after surgery
One year after surgery
4 years after surgery
What does the incision in the armpit through which the implant was installed look like?
Surgical breast lift
This is one of the most common operations to change the shape of the breast and its height. Excess skin is excised, and tissue including the nipple and areola is moved higher. Often the nipple and areola are also reduced during surgery. In a circular breast lift, which allows you to significantly lift the breast, an incision is made on the back wall of the breast. The operation lasts up to 3 hours and occurs under general anesthesia. Complications after it are rare, but it is important to choose the right doctor who specializes in such operations. You will have to stay in the hospital for a day, and physical activity will be limited for a month. The sutures are removed on the 7-10th day. It is important to wear compression garments for a month without removing them. As with any other operations, the final shape of the breast can be seen only after several months, and sometimes up to six months.
In some clinics, the cost of a breast lift of the 1st degree of complexity starts from 35 thousand rubles. But to this amount we must add the cost of a hospital stay, preliminary examinations and, of course, high-quality compression garments, the price of which does not fall below 2500 rubles. Speaking about the examination before the operation, it must be said that it is very serious and includes not only a general set of tests, but also consultations with a mammologist. The plastic surgeon makes a decision about the possibility of surgery based on the condition of the mammary glands, skin, general breast map, and health status.
Contraindications to such a breast lift are diabetes, hypertension, cancer, any tumors in the mammary glands, including benign ones. Although again it depends on the location of the benign formation in the breast, sometimes there are cases when the surgeon, together with the mammologist, decides to excise the formation and enlarge the breast at the same time. This is not a common practice and is discussed on a case-by-case basis.
A week before the planned operation, the patient should avoid taking medications containing aspirin, vitamin E and lethicin.
Tair Rafikovich Aliyev, plastic surgeon, head of the “Clinic of the Century”:
There are several ways to perform a breast lift with threads. They can be laid in the subcutaneous fat and attached to the collarbones. There is also an internal thread lift. Although it was officially proposed by a doctor from Romania, Constantin Stan, and presented last year at a training seminar in Italy, my colleagues and I performed similar operations 5 years ago. This operation does not yet have a specific name, because it cannot be called a regular breast lift. I would call this operation “endolifting”. The fact is that the breast must first be prepared in the same way as before installing an implant in the retromammary space. To suspend each mammary gland, it is necessary to place 3-4 sutures between the posterior wall of the gland and the fascia of the pectoralis major muscle, which takes about an hour. Usually after this we install the implant under the muscle. But if we are talking only about breast lift, then after deep threads it makes sense to add an external thread lift, which I mentioned at the beginning. This variation would be the most sensible way to achieve the desired breast shape without the use of implants.
The most commonly used classification is:
- Grade 1: mild ptosis - nipple just below the inframammary fold, but still above the lower pole of the breast
- Grade 2: moderate ptosis - nipple below the inframammary fold, but still slightly above the lower pole of the breast
- Grade 3: severe ptosis - the nipple is significantly below the inframammary fold and the tissue of the lower pole of the gland;
- Pseudoptosis is ptosis of the lower pole of the gland, with the nipple located above the inframammary fold; usually observed with postpartum breast atrophy.
Breast lift with threads
A more gentle method is to return the breasts to a beautiful shape using special threads made of biodegradable material (for example, polydiaxanone), which, having done their job, are completely removed from the body. There are also many breast lift techniques using threads that do not dissolve over time (for example, polylactic acid). According to the testimony of those who have experienced the possibilities of a breast lift with threads, it makes sense to resort to them if you have small breasts; the threads will not hold a large breast, but the effect on a small breast will be visible from one to five years.
A hospital stay and general anesthesia are not required for this procedure - it takes place on an outpatient basis and lasts up to 2 hours. The duration of the procedure depends on the number of threads inserted. Usually this is from 4 to 8 threads for each breast, the average price of one thread is 7 thousand rubles. Local anesthesia is used. You can immediately see how the shape of the breast has changed. After the procedure, you need to refrain from sudden movements for a week, from sports for two weeks and from thermal treatments for a month. You should also not use anti-bruise products.
Of course, the procedure also has contraindications: autoimmune diseases, pregnancy and lactation, a tendency to form keloid scars, infectious diseases in the acute stage, skin diseases of any nature. Anticoagulants and systemic enzymes should be discontinued one week before breast lift.
Plasters for breast reshaping
For those who absolutely do not want to get involved with aesthetic medicine and have small breasts, it makes sense to try out the possibilities of support patches. You should not buy Chinese-made products. But American patches for changing the shape of the breast have received many positive reviews. They are translucent body stickers that can be used to give your breasts a higher position without wearing a bra. They are produced in several sizes, including the fourth, but practice shows that the maximum size in this case is the second. Then the patch simply won’t support the weight of the breast. There are usually 5 disposable pairs in a package and it costs about 1000 rubles.
Ekaterina Glagoleva, scientific consultant of the portal:
When deciding on intervention in the mammary gland using all methods of aesthetic medicine, one must first of all remember that the mammary gland is an immune and hormonally dependent organ, therefore any exposure to foreign particles and substances (in this case I’m talking about biodegradable drugs) should be coordinated not only by a dermatologist, a plastic surgeon, but also a mammologist. It is best to precede these procedures with a breast ultrasound or mammography, depending on age and previous life situation. In medicine, I really like the expression: “the treatment should not be more serious than the disease.” This is one of the main postulates, so before looking for alternatives to classical augmentation with silicone implants or reduction mammoplasty, you need to carefully weigh the pros and cons. Of course, all methods are associated with some risks, but then it makes sense to take several criteria as the basis for the choice: safety, long-term and predictable results.
Prices for mammoplasty
The prices of mammoplasty are determined by the complexity of the surgical intervention and the level of professionalism of the doctor. We work with implants from Sebbin, Polytech, etc.
Preliminary computer modeling, modern safe materials, and masterful techniques for performing breast correction at our Institute of Plastic Surgery allow us to achieve excellent results: after mammoplasty, the breasts are not only healthy and harmonious in appearance, but also natural to the touch.
Do you want to have beautiful breasts, but don’t have the funds? We invite you to apply for an interest-free installment plan directly at our Institute with our partner banks.
Attention! All aesthetic plastic surgeries and most cosmetic procedures are strictly contraindicated for pregnant and lactating women. We also do not perform surgical interventions on people whose weight exceeds 110 kg.
