Breast Lift
Mastopexy at Chicago’s Iteld Plastic Surgery
Women who choose a mastopexy, also known as a breast lift, at Chicago’s Iteld Plastic Surgery may be wondering what happened to get them to the point where their once-perky breasts are now sagging. In a word, it’s gravity. In several words, it’s a constant downward pull combined with skin changes, weight gain or loss, and often a pregnancy or two. Given the multiple forces working together to make breasts point straight down to the ground, it’s no surprise that a significant number of women not only notice the change but become unhappy with the way their breasts look like the years pass.
Before deciding on breast lift surgery, it’s important that you discuss the overall look you’re trying to achieve with Dr. Iteld and his team. Remember that a lift raises the breasts but does not change their size. No matter your ultimate aesthetic goal, our aim is to guide you to the best procedure for you and give you natural-looking results that are in proportion to your body.
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Meet the real patients and see their results after working with Dr. Iteld and his team at Iteld Plastic Surgery.
Breast Lift 101: What Causes Sagging
A woman’s breasts will change in various ways throughout her lifetime. Many women enjoy the way they grow throughout their youth. Many of those same women often then watch with dismay as sagging begins later in life, when structures that support a high, perky breast are no longer able to fulfill that role.
This problem is more common for women with larger, heavier breasts. The breasts themselves may become flattened, elongated, or misshapen as they droop. In addition, the nipples can grow enlarged over time, dropping to a position at or below the breast creases.
Aside from any number of factors that contribute to sagging—including genetics, significant weight, sun damage, excessive exercise, hormones, and pregnancy—older skin is weaker and thinner, making it less able to hold breasts up. Skin quality diminishes due to depleted levels of moisture, essential oils, collagen, and elastin, as well as changes in volume below the surface. Excess fat, growing milk ducts and mammary glands, and other factors can stretch out breast skin to make room for the bulk—then leave that skin stretched out if the bulk goes away.
Regular exercise and good posture can help, but there’s really no reliable way to significantly improve breast sagging via clean living and an active lifestyle. A surgical breast lift, however, does the job quite well.
How a Breast Lift Works
A breast lift is the only way to reposition the breasts. Because each patient’s exact degree of sagging is unique, as is her desired result, Dr. Iteld has a range of techniques and variations to suit individual cases. Some breast lift patients may have only mild stretching, while others may be concerned about more severe distortion of the shape of their breasts.
While the placement and size of incisions varies, they all have the same goals: to elevate the nipple and areola higher on the breast mound and to tighten any loose skin, giving the breasts a fuller and more youthful appearance.
Incisions may run partially or all the way around the areola. They may also run down in a straight line from the areola to the breast crease (creating a lollipop shape) or include a horizontal incision in the breast crease (creating an anchor shape). The more ptosis (a nice doctor word for “droop”), the more incisions may be needed to achieve a good, lifted shape.
Once these incisions are made, Dr. Iteld can reposition the nipple and areola as necessary, so they point forward. He can also remove excess or stretched-out skin, whether a small or more significant amount. The volume and density of the breasts in relation to the sagging must also be taken into account for a breast lift. If additional volume is desired (or needed), breast augmentation with implants or fat transfers to the breast are performed at the same time as the breast lift surgery. Women who want to reduce volume can choose reduction.
MeetLawrence Iteld, MD
Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon
RealSelf VERIFIED doctor
Lawrence Iteld, MD, is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, and a highly regarded Chicago based plastic surgeon, receiving awards from Chicago Magazine’s Top Docs, and Castle Connolly Top Doctors®.
Meet Lawrence Iteld, MD
Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon
RealSelf VERIFIED doctor
Lawrence Iteld, MD, is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, and a highly regarded Chicago based plastic surgeon, receiving awards from Chicago Magazine’s Top Docs, and Castle Connolly Top Doctors®.
Breast Lift FAQs
During your breast lift consultation, Dr. Iteld will go over your full medical history, talk about your overall expectations from breast lift surgery, and ensure that you are fully aware of any potential risks. He may require a physical exam to assess the position of your breasts and your skin condition. Lab testing or a medical evaluation may be necessary.
As with most plastic surgery procedures, smoking and blood thinners or anti-inflammatory drugs are to be avoided as they increase the risk of complications from breast lift surgery.
In some cases, Dr. Iteld suggests that breast lift patients have a mammogram several months in advance of the big day.
After breast lift surgery, you can expect to experience initial swelling, which will resolve in the following weeks. While some improvement is noticeable right away (skin is removed, after all), the full effects of the surgery will be visible as the incisions heal and tissues “settle.”
Scars are easily concealed and fade with time. While breast lift results aren’t guaranteed to last forever, given how skin continues to age and gravity continues to pull, women can take steps to extend their results’ lifespan. Protect skin by avoiding excessive sun exposure, refrain from smoking, try to avoid rapid weight fluctuations, and invest in bras that fit and properly support the breasts.
Dr. Iteld will provide detailed instructions for aftercare and maintenance.
Dr. Iteld believes that preventing pain in his patients is far superior to simply telling his patients to expect pain and then managing it later. Who would disagree with that? This philosophy definitely extends to breast lift surgery, which means patients can enjoy a perkier profile without worrying about the need for opioids to get through the recovery period. In fact, the narcotics-free strategy works for other breast procedures—including breast augmentation and breast reduction—as well as body contouring procedures, such as tummy tuck and liposuction.
If you have sagging breasts and want to address that sagging, and if you are in a good state of physical health, you are a good candidate for a breast lift. Since weight changes can, in some cases, impact your result, it’s important that you’re at a stable, healthy weight before having any procedure.
If you have questions specific to your own situation, schedule a personalized breast lift consultation with Dr. Iteld to discuss them.
If you have lost volume in the breasts, we might recommend a breast augmentation in conjunction with a breast lift. Breast lift surgery might also be part of a Mommy Makeover, which is an umbrella term for multiple procedures designed to restore a woman’s body to a look more like it did before pregnancy and childbirth.
Contact Us Today
Discover more about a breast lift from Chicago board-certified plastic surgeon Lawrence Iteld, MD. Send a message online or call 312.757.4505.
