
Breast Lift Surgery
Best Breast Options for the Birmingham, Anniston, Tuscaloosa Areas.
If you find that your breast are sagging, either due to age, genetics, childbearing or weight loss, a breast lift may be just the thing to make your breasts a bit perkier. Depending upon the amount of breast tissue present, you may also wish to have breast implants inserted to obtain your desired volume. Conversely, some women who initially desire a breast implant find that a lift will also be necessary to get the best result.
At our Birmingham cosmetic plastic surgery suite, Dr. Eich will examine you thoroughly and discuss the best breast surgery options to create the look you desire. Although our office is located in Birmingham, we see patients for breast reduction and lifts from Anniston, Tuscaloosa and many surrounding areas, as we have become recognized as an experienced and caring choice for these procedures.
The Ideal Patients for Breast Reduction versus a Breast Lift
If you are otherwise healthy, but find that the weight of your breasts causes shoulder or neck pain, if your bra straps dig into your shoulders, or you feel that your breasts are too large for your body size, breast reduction might be right for you.
A healthy adult woman of any age with realistic goals for her breast appearance is an ideal candidate for a breast lift. Women who wish to have their breasts enlarged in addition to being lifted will need to have breast augmentation as well as a breast lift. If the amount of droop is small, then the two procedures can often be performed simultaneously. If there is a great deal of droop to the breasts, the final outcome is much better when the breasts are lifted first and allowed to settle before placing the implants several months later. If you are actively trying to get pregnant, we suggest that you delay breast lift surgery because the benefits of the breast lift may be lost with pregnancy and breastfeeding.
When you meet with Dr. Eich at your breast consultation in our Birmingham cosmetic plastic surgery center, he will help you create a clear picture of your desired result and determine the procedure that works best for you.
The Breast Lift Procedure
The Breast Lift procedure will take approximately 2 hours, and is performed under general anesthesia in Dr. Eich’s accredited on-site surgical suite in Birmingham. Breast lift surgery is an outpatient procedure, and even our patients from the Anniston and Tuscaloosa areas usually return home the same day.
Breast lift procedures involve a circular incision around the areola. Depending on the amount of droop, he may also make a vertical incision between the areola and the fold of the breast and in some cases in the fold as well. When the breast has been lifted to its final position, the areola is replaced at a higher position. Excess skin is removed and incisions are closed to minimize scarring as much as possible.
If you and Dr. Eich have decided to perform a breast augmentation at the same time as your breast lift, the implant will be placed under the muscle.
What to Expect when Recovering from Breast Cosmetic Surgery
After either breast reduction or lift surgery, you will wake up in a supportive bra that you will wear 24 hours a day except for showering, for approximately six weeks. The discomfort from a breast surgery is most noticeable for about three days after the procedure; by two weeks, most people feel much better although they may still be sore. Swelling after breast surgery is mostly gone at six weeks, but it can take up to six months for all of the swelling to resolve and for the new breasts to settle into position.
You may shower as usual after surgery, but you must avoid getting into standing water such as a bath or pool. Recovery from any breast surgery requires that you wear a special bra at all times for six weeks and avoid heavy lifting or exercise for approximately the same time frame. While some patients experience a decrease in sensation in the nipple area following breast reduction, it’s usually temporary and tends to return as the area heals. There will be noticeable scars from the breast procedure though they do fade with time.
Breast surgery has a huge effect on the lives of our patients. Many of our breast reduction patients have suffered, some of them for years, with oversize breasts that have made their lives so uncomfortable and a breast lift can help improve self esteem and help you feel good about the way you look. After your breast surgery, you may find that you have a renewed interest in shopping for clothing, too!