Breast Lift after Pregnancy to Restore and Enhance Your Bust
Pregnancy is a wonderful and exciting time, but unfortunately, it can change your body in less than ideal ways. Many women notice that their breasts droop after pregnancy. To correct this and other cosmetic concerns, Dr. Ken Smart can perform mastopexy, or breast lift surgery. During this procedure, he will remove excess skin, reshape your breasts as needed, and reposition your nipple and areola for a naturally perky appearance. Many women feel more youthful, confident, and sexy after this procedure. If you are interested in pursuing this procedure at our Dallas area practice, read on to learn more about breast lift after pregnancy.
How Can Pregnancy Change Your Breasts?
There are many ways having a baby can change your breast tissue and structure. These include:
- Weight gain. Most women gain between 20 and 60 pounds during pregnancy. While this is typically healthy for you and your baby, the added fat in your breasts can stretch your tissue, leaving excess, drooping skin after you lose your baby weight. This process can also leave you with stretch marks, thin red or purple lines that span across your breast. The effect weight gain has on your breasts partially depends on how quickly you gain weight. Your tissue can more easily adapt to gradual changes than sudden increases.
- Hormonal fluctuations. Completely independent of weight gain, your breasts will also increase in size during and after pregnancy due to hormonal fluctuations, since your breasts are preparing to produce milk for your baby. This swelling can also expand your breast skin.
- Breastfeeding. Lactation can temporarily change the size and structure of your breasts, causing them to swell and stretch. In addition, your breasts may not be evenly filled with milk, or your baby may prefer to feed from one side rather than the other, potentially leaving you with asymmetrical breast tissue.
How a Breast Lift Can Help
Breast lift surgery can help any woman who suffers from breast ptosis (drooping) and excess tissue. Many of our breast lift patients are new mothers who want to repair the stretching and surplus skin left behind by pregnancy. During a breast lift, Dr. Ken Smart will begin by making an incision into your breast. Depending on the amount of skin you want to remove, he may make a simple donut shape around your areolas, a keyhole shape around the areolas extending down the lower breasts, or an anchor shape around the areolas, down the breasts, and across the breast creases. Then, Dr. Smart will adjust your breast shape as needed, remove excess skin, and move your nipple and areola for a lifted look. Mastopexy can tighten and lift your breasts after pregnancy by removing the excess, stretched skin you developed and correcting any resulting ptosis. Dr. Smart can also combine this procedure with a breast augmentation for a fuller, more voluptuous look.
Who Is A Candidate?
If you’re interested in pursuing a breast lift after pregnancy, you will need to meet certain basic criteria to qualify for this procedure. You may be a good breast lift candidate if:
- Your breasts sag or have surplus skin
- Your nipples and areolas hang downward or have been enlarged by pregnancy
- Your breasts are asymmetrical in size, shape, or placement
- You are a non-smoker
- You are in good general health, able to undergo anesthesia and recover properly from surgery
- Your weight is stable (weight fluctuations after breast lift surgery can cause the same issues to recur)
- You are finished breastfeeding your baby
- You do not plan to become pregnant again, since this process could change your breast tissue again and interfere with the results of your breast lift
Dr. Smart can determine if you are a good candidate for breast lift surgery by examining your breasts, discussing your concerns, and reviewing your medical record.
Restore Your Perkier Figure
If you’re unhappy with the appearance of your bust after pregnancy, Dr. Smart can perform breast lift surgery to lift and tighten your breasts. To learn more about this treatment or find out if you may qualify for it, please contact our office today.