How Do I Fix Saggy Breasts: Breast Lift, Implants or Both?

How Do I Fix Saggy Breasts: Breast Lift, Implants or Both?

No matter how much you do at the gym, you can’t build your pectoral muscles enough to firm and lift your breasts. Even if you’ve lost weight and got into shape, saggy boobs often are an unfortunate side effect. When your goal is a younger, firmer appearance that includes perky breasts that sit where they’re intended, then your best bet is a breast lift with breast implants.

As you debate your options, take time to talk to a professional who deals with these issues every day. The team at Rowe Plastic Surgery in Manhattan, Long Island, New Jersey, and the Hamptons are experts in giving you proportions that align with your personal goals. Only a skilled cosmetic breast surgeon can create the ideal silhouette to suit your frame and your self-image.

What Causes Sagging Breasts?

Many factors lead to sagging breasts, some of which you have control over and some that you don’t. Droopiness in your breasts may be caused by:

• Loose ligaments, poor breast development, the fat tissue in your breasts and collagen production are linked to your genes. When you know early on that sagging breasts run in your family, you can take more effective preventive steps when you’re younger to prevent severe sagging.
• Age. With age, the tissues in your breasts naturally shrink. And after years of fighting gravity, the tug of the earth eventually wins out. Couple decades of gravity with a lack of collagen production, weakened muscles and ligaments and poor lifestyle habits — and you shouldn’t be surprised that your bosom starts to sag lower on your chest.
• Weight loss. Your skin expands to support extra fat. When you lose that fat, your skin doesn’t necessarily bounce back into a tight formation, unless you’re a teenager. Some say that your breasts after a significant weight loss look like they were drained of the excess fat.
• Sports. While exercise and playing sports is certainly healthy and enjoyable, after years of engaging in your favorite aerobic activity, your breasts may suffer some damage that causes them to sag. Sports like running and tennis cause ligaments to stretch and even tear. That soft tissue doesn’t repair itself either.
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding. After giving birth, you undergo the same issues caused by a successful diet or bariatric surgery. You lose weight and are left with sagging breasts hanging on your chest. Breastfeeding adds more stress and pulling so that by the time your baby is on the bottle, you may be looking at a very different profile of your body.

Poor lifestyle choices over many decades also contribute to saggy breasts, causing you to seek a breast lift and breast implants. Things that you can change to improve the size and lift of your breasts before they start to sag too much include:

• Don’t smoke, or quit if you do
• Maintain a steady weight
• Wear a supportive bra, especially when working out or playing sports
• Eat an antioxidant-rich diet
• Sleep on your back if you can
• Use sunscreen on the exposed parts of your breasts

What’s the Most Popular Breast Surgery?

Breast enhancement, whether through breast implants or fat transfer  was one of the most popular plastic surgery procedures in the United States in 2020, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. But if your breasts are sagging too much, augmentation alone isn’t going to be enough to restore your youthful figure. The implants add weight to your breasts so that they may sag even more. You may need a breast lift with implants if:

• Your breasts have a significant droopiness.
• Your current breasts don’t lift up when you raise your hand over your head.
• Your nipples are pointing straight down.

If you get an augmentation without a lift, the outcome may be less than you hoped for and leave you with:

• Awkward nipple positions
• An unnatural breast shape
• Numerous incision scars

What About a Breast Lift Without Implants?

A breast lift alone certainly can give you a perkier profile. A breast lift without implants is called a mastopexy. As long as you don’t expect to gain a cup size or create new décolletage, a mastopexy may be a good choice for you, as long as you’ve retained sufficient volume.

A breast lift results in repositioning your breasts higher on your chest and removing excess skin. Your nipples may be repositioned at the same time. This may be all you need if you’re still young and just had a baby. Some things that a breast lift by itself can’t do include:

• Change your cup size
• Make your boobs firmer
• Replace the need to wear a sports bra when working out

What’s the Best Solution to Get the Bust I Want?

Get the best of both worlds and solve your quandary about what’s more important — high, perky breasts or full, firm ones — with a procedure called masto-aug or mastopexy with augmentation. It’s a complicated surgery for which you must rely on the expertise of an experienced plastic surgeon who’s performed the operation successfully over many years. Your cosmetic breast surgeon at Rowe Plastic Surgery advises you on the best options for your age, body type and health.

The aesthetics are outstanding when the surgery’s performed with the eye of an artist and the hands of trained surgeon. Prior to the surgery, you discuss the variety of choices with your doctor, who also prepares you for a smooth recovery. Full recovery from breast augmentation with a breast lift averages about six weeks. Tips to ensure that time is well spent so that you can enjoy your new body include:

• Wearing special recovery bras for about the first four weeks
• Taking pain medication as prescribed
• Preparing your wardrobe ahead of time so that you have clothes ready that are easy to get on and off
• Avoiding rigorous workouts for at least a month after your surgery
• Receiving help with heavy lifting, including children, for the entire six weeks
• Keeping all your follow-up appointments
• Hydrating sufficiently and getting plenty of rest

After you’ve been released by your surgeon to partake in your regular activities, the only thing left to do is enjoy your new figure and maybe go on a shopping spree to build a wardrobe that shows it off. Contact Rowe Plastic Surgery today to get started. Visit the closest facility, in Manhattan, Plainview or Water Mill, NY or in Red Bank or Montclair, NJ.