Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat It IsPurposeHow to PrepareWhat to ExpectRecovery
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What It Is
Purpose
How to Prepare
What to Expect
Recovery
Piotr Marcinski / EyeEm/Getty Images
As with any surgery, there are risks involved with undergoing a breast lift. The recovery process, while relatively short, also requires a commitment to post-surgical care for optimal results.
If you are considering a breast lift, learning about what the surgery entails from start to finish is a good first step.
What Is a Mastopexy?
Mastopexy is an elective procedure that may be performed undergeneral anesthesiaor in select patients,local anesthesiawith intravenous sedation.
During the operation, the surgeon removes excess breast skin and then tightens, lifts, and reshapes the surrounding breast tissue. The nipple and areola are also repositioned higher up.
Various Surgical Techniques
There are many different surgical techniques used to perform a mastopexy. The chosen technique depends on factors like your breast size and shape, areola size and position, degree of breast sagging, and how much extra skin needs to be removed.
Scarless Breast LiftSome plastic surgeons are able to perform a scarless breast lift in select patients with mild sagging. Instead of a scalpel and surgical incisions, the surgeon uses radiofrequency energy to tighten the breast tissue.
Scarless Breast Lift
Some plastic surgeons are able to perform a scarless breast lift in select patients with mild sagging. Instead of a scalpel and surgical incisions, the surgeon uses radiofrequency energy to tighten the breast tissue.
Contraindications
Relative contraindications to a mastopexy include:
While not necessarily a contraindication, be sure to talk with your healthcare provider if you are planning on becoming pregnant in the future. Pregnancy can unpredictably change your breast size and shape, so the results of your surgery may be affected.
Potential Risks
Besides the knownrisks of anesthesiaand surgery (e.g.,blood clots, bleeding, and infection), specific risks associated with a mastopexy include:
Purpose of Breast Lift Surgery
Breasts consist of both fatty and glandular tissue. In younger women, glandular tissue dominates, which gives breasts their firm appearance. Over time, breasts become softer and saggier, as fatty tissue becomes more prominent and the skin covering the breast loses its elasticity.
Besides age, other factors that contribute to breast sagging include:
Breast lift surgery can help restore the position of the breasts, which some women desire for aesthetic reasons. It can also decrease the size of the areolas if they have enlarged over time.
With firmer and uplifted breasts, you may:
Breast lift surgery does not significantly change the size of your breasts. If you desire larger breasts, talk with your surgeon about combining a breast lift with a breast augmentation surgery. If you desire smaller breasts, you may be a candidate for breast lift and breast reduction surgery.
During your consultation visit for a mastopexy, your surgeon will review your goals, candidacy, and the possible risks of the surgery. You will also undergo various breast measurements to assess factors like your degree of sagging, skin and tissue quality, areolar size, and presence of breast asymmetry.
This involves pre-operative testing, such as:
You may also be asked to have amammogramif you are over the age of 40 or have a high risk of developing breast cancer.
Prior to your breast lift surgery, your surgeon will give you instructions on how to prepare.
Location
What to Wear
Since you will change into a hospital gown upon arriving at the hospital or surgical center, it’s best to wear clothes that are easy to remove on the day of your surgery.
Do not wear makeup, hairspray, cream, lotion, or perfume, nail polish, or artificial nails. Leave all jewelry (including body piercings) and valuables at home.
Food and Drink
If you are undergoing general anesthesia, you will be asked to avoid eating or drinking anything after midnight on the eve of your surgery.
Medications
You will be advised to stop taking certain medications, likenon-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and certain vitamins/herbal products that may cause increased bleeding. If you have diabetes, you will be given instructions regarding if and when to stop your medications.
It’s important to inform your surgical team of everything you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medications, herbal products, dietary supplements, vitamins, and recreational drugs.
What to Bring
On the day of your surgery, be sure to bring:
If you are staying overnight in the hospital, you will need to pack a bag with the following items:
Whenever you are discharged, you will need to arrange for someone to drive you home. It will also likely be recommended that you have someone stay with you for at least the first night after surgery.
Pre-Op Lifestyle Changes
Your surgeon will ask you to stop smoking at least six weeks prior to surgery—this includes marijuana, hookah, and vaping.
You may also be advised to limit alcohol consumption to less than two to three drinks a week prior to surgery.
What to Expect on the Day of Surgery
On the day of your breast lift surgery, you will arrive at the hospital or surgical center and check-in. You may be asked to show your driver’s license and insurance card.
Before the Surgery
After checking in, you will be taken to a surgical holding area. Here, you will change into a hospital gown and grip socks.
A nurse will review your medication list, record yourvitals, and place an intravenous (IV) line into a vein in your arm. You may receive an antibiotic through the IV at this time to help prevent postoperative infection.This IV will be also used for administering fluids and other medications during and after surgery.
Your surgeon will then come to greet you and review the specifics of the operation. If you are undergoing general anesthesia, youranesthesiologistwill also come to say hello and discuss medication administration. You may need to sign additional consent forms at this time.
Besides mentioning the potential risks of surgery and anesthesia, the required consent forms will review the possibility of unsatisfactory results after surgery (e.g., unanticipated breast asymmetry/shape/size and unattractive scar appearance).
From there, you will walk on your own into the operating room or be wheeled on a gurney.
During the Surgery
In the operating room, the anesthesiologist will give you inhaled or intravenous medications.
If you are undergoing general anesthesia, this will render you temporarily unconscious. Once you are asleep, abreathing (endotracheal) tubeor a laryngeal mask connected to aventilatorwill be inserted into your windpipe (trachea).
If you are undergoing local anesthesia, the area around your breast will be injected with a numbing medication. You will also likely be given a sedative to help you relax and sleep.
Your surgery will take around one to two hours to complete and will generally proceed with the following steps:
After the Surgery
In the recovery area, you will wake up from the anesthesia or IV sedation. At this time, you may feel drowsy and experience breast pain and nausea. Your nurse will administer medication to ease these symptoms.
Once you are awake and alert, and the staff deems you are ready, you will be discharged home. Alternatively, if you are staying overnight, you will be wheeled from the recovery area to a hospital room.
Once you are home, expect to have breast soreness, bruising, and swelling. Itching around the incision sites and increased firmness or fullness in the breast tissue is also common. These symptoms generally persist for around two to four weeks.
To ease your breast discomfort, take your pain medication exactly as prescribed. To reduce swelling, you will need to sleep in a recliner or on your back for at least the first two days after surgery. This helps minimize any pressure on your breasts.
Keep in mind that numbness in your nipples and breasts after a mastopexy is also common. Sensation usually slowly returns over the weeks and months after surgery; although, in some instances, the numbness may last up to two years. Occasionally, the loss of sensation is permanent.
Wound Care
When caring for your incision sites, you will need to check them daily for signs of infection.
In terms of showering, double-check with your surgeon, but most patients can shower 24 to 48 hours after surgery. An exception to this may be if you have drains. In that case, your surgeon may ask that you not shower until 48 hours after the drains have been removed.
When you do shower, you will need to remove your surgical or support bra carefully, wash your incision sites gently with warm water, and pat the skin dry with a clean towel. After you shower, you will need to put your surgical/support bra back on.
Avoid bathing or submerging your incision sites in water until approximately two weeks after surgery (and when your surgeon gives you the go-ahead).
Activity
While you will be advised to rest after surgery, you will want to get out of bed for short periods of time starting the day after surgery. Over the next several days, you can then gradually increase your activity level.
That said, you will need help with household chores (e.g., cleaning and laundry) and caring for young children and pets for at least a week or two after surgery.
Your surgeon will also provide you with specific instructions regarding your activity after surgery, such as:
Expect to see your surgeon a few days after surgery, especially if you had drain(s) placed. At this appointment, your surgeon will remove any drains, check your incision sites, and monitor for complications.
Ten to 14 days after surgery, you will have non-absorbable sutures removed from your incision sites.
When to Call the Healthcare ProviderCall your healthcare provider right away if you experience:Fever or chillsWorsening or persistent swelling or bruisingSevere or worsening pain that is not relieved with medicationSwelling, redness, warmth, bleeding, or foul-smelling drainage from the incision site(s)Reaction to any medication (e.g., rash, headache, nausea/vomiting, or constipation)Calf pain, trouble breathing, or chest pain
When to Call the Healthcare Provider
Call your healthcare provider right away if you experience:Fever or chillsWorsening or persistent swelling or bruisingSevere or worsening pain that is not relieved with medicationSwelling, redness, warmth, bleeding, or foul-smelling drainage from the incision site(s)Reaction to any medication (e.g., rash, headache, nausea/vomiting, or constipation)Calf pain, trouble breathing, or chest pain
Call your healthcare provider right away if you experience:
Long-Term Care
The results of a mastopexy are seen immediately; although, the full results will be seen in three to six months. Incision sites will continue to heal and fade within a year.
While your post-surgical scars will improve over time, it’s important to avoid exposing them to the sun for at least 12 months after surgery.This will help minimize their appearance as much as possible.
If avoiding sunlight is not possible, you should wear sunblock with an SPF of 30.
For additional scar reduction, your surgeon may recommend massaging petroleum jelly or a lubricating moisturizer over the scar twice daily for 10 minutes.
That said, be sure to talk to your surgeon before performing any scar massages. Massage needs to be performed carefully and only started once the wound has closed completely (around two to three weeks after surgery).
Possible Future Surgeries
While it isn’t usually needed, a revision mastopexy could be needed for undesirable surgical outcomes, like scar appearance, or complications, like recurrent breast sagging.
In addition, sometimes a revision surgery is desired to touch-up a prior breast lift, as the overall lifespan of a mastopexy depends on factors like age, genetics, and weight fluctuations.
A Word From Verywell
Undergoing any surgery, including a breast lift, is a major decision and requires careful thought and research. If you are considering a breast lift, it’s a good idea to seek out more than one opinion.
Also, be sure to talk to your plastic surgeon about their experience and credentials, and ask to see prior patients' before and after photos. Reviewing the potential risks of the surgery and what you can realistically expect as an outcome is also important.
18 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Society of Plastic Surgeons.Breast Lift: Mastopexy.The Aesthetic Society.Breast Lift.Chia CT, Marte JA, Ulvila DD, Theodorou SJ.Second Generation Radiofrequency Body Contouring Device: Safety and Efficacy in 300 Local Anesthesia Liposuction Cases.Plast Recons tr Surg Glob Open.2020 Sep; 8(9): e3113. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000003113Ramanadham SR, Johnson AR.Breast Lift with and without Implant: A Synopsis and Primer for the Plastic Surgeon.Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open.2020 Oct; 8(10): e3057. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000003057Ramanadham SR, Johnson AR.Breast Lift with and without Implant: A Synopsis and Primer for the Plastic Surgeon.Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open.2020 Oct; 8(10): e3057. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000003057Terrasse A. (February 2020). American Society of Plastic Surgeons.What is a breast lift and what are the benefits of this procedure?American Society of Plastic Surgeons.Who is a good candidate for breast lift surgery?Sears ED, Lu Y-T, Swiatek PR, Chung T-T, Chung KC.Abstract 47: Utilization of Mammogrphy Prior to Elective Breast Surgery: A National Claims-Based Analysis.Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open.2018 Apr; 6(4 Suppl): 37-38. doi:10.1097/01.GOX.0000533912.96936.2eCleveland Clinic.The Day of Surgery. The Dos and Dont’s.American Society of Anesthesiologists.Preparing for Surgery: Checklist.Prantl L, Momeni A, Brebant V et al.Recommendation for the Use of Antibiotics in Primary and Secondary Esthetic Breast Surgery.Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open.2020 Jan; 8(1): e2590. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000002590American Society of Plastic Surgeons.Informed Consent - Breast Lift (Mastopexy). 2009.American Board of Cosmetic Surgery.Breast Lift Guide.University of Michigan Health System.Mastopexy (Breast Lift) Post-operative Instructions. Revised May 2016.The Aesthetic Society.Ask a Surgeon: Breast Lift.Commander SJ, Chamata E, Cox J, Dickey RM, Lee EI.Update on Postsurgical Scar Management.Semin Plast Surg.2016 Aug; 30(3): 122–128. doi:10.1055/s-0036-1584824Spear SL, Low M, Ducic I.Revision augmentation mastopexy: indications, operations, and outcomeAnn Plast Surg.2003 Dec;51(6):540-6. doi:10.1097/01.sap.0000096450.04443.beNein A. American Society of Plastic Surgeons.How long do breast lift results last?September 2018.
18 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Society of Plastic Surgeons.Breast Lift: Mastopexy.The Aesthetic Society.Breast Lift.Chia CT, Marte JA, Ulvila DD, Theodorou SJ.Second Generation Radiofrequency Body Contouring Device: Safety and Efficacy in 300 Local Anesthesia Liposuction Cases.Plast Recons tr Surg Glob Open.2020 Sep; 8(9): e3113. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000003113Ramanadham SR, Johnson AR.Breast Lift with and without Implant: A Synopsis and Primer for the Plastic Surgeon.Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open.2020 Oct; 8(10): e3057. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000003057Ramanadham SR, Johnson AR.Breast Lift with and without Implant: A Synopsis and Primer for the Plastic Surgeon.Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open.2020 Oct; 8(10): e3057. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000003057Terrasse A. (February 2020). American Society of Plastic Surgeons.What is a breast lift and what are the benefits of this procedure?American Society of Plastic Surgeons.Who is a good candidate for breast lift surgery?Sears ED, Lu Y-T, Swiatek PR, Chung T-T, Chung KC.Abstract 47: Utilization of Mammogrphy Prior to Elective Breast Surgery: A National Claims-Based Analysis.Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open.2018 Apr; 6(4 Suppl): 37-38. doi:10.1097/01.GOX.0000533912.96936.2eCleveland Clinic.The Day of Surgery. The Dos and Dont’s.American Society of Anesthesiologists.Preparing for Surgery: Checklist.Prantl L, Momeni A, Brebant V et al.Recommendation for the Use of Antibiotics in Primary and Secondary Esthetic Breast Surgery.Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open.2020 Jan; 8(1): e2590. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000002590American Society of Plastic Surgeons.Informed Consent - Breast Lift (Mastopexy). 2009.American Board of Cosmetic Surgery.Breast Lift Guide.University of Michigan Health System.Mastopexy (Breast Lift) Post-operative Instructions. Revised May 2016.The Aesthetic Society.Ask a Surgeon: Breast Lift.Commander SJ, Chamata E, Cox J, Dickey RM, Lee EI.Update on Postsurgical Scar Management.Semin Plast Surg.2016 Aug; 30(3): 122–128. doi:10.1055/s-0036-1584824Spear SL, Low M, Ducic I.Revision augmentation mastopexy: indications, operations, and outcomeAnn Plast Surg.2003 Dec;51(6):540-6. doi:10.1097/01.sap.0000096450.04443.beNein A. American Society of Plastic Surgeons.How long do breast lift results last?September 2018.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Society of Plastic Surgeons.Breast Lift: Mastopexy.The Aesthetic Society.Breast Lift.Chia CT, Marte JA, Ulvila DD, Theodorou SJ.Second Generation Radiofrequency Body Contouring Device: Safety and Efficacy in 300 Local Anesthesia Liposuction Cases.Plast Recons tr Surg Glob Open.2020 Sep; 8(9): e3113. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000003113Ramanadham SR, Johnson AR.Breast Lift with and without Implant: A Synopsis and Primer for the Plastic Surgeon.Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open.2020 Oct; 8(10): e3057. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000003057Ramanadham SR, Johnson AR.Breast Lift with and without Implant: A Synopsis and Primer for the Plastic Surgeon.Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open.2020 Oct; 8(10): e3057. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000003057Terrasse A. (February 2020). American Society of Plastic Surgeons.What is a breast lift and what are the benefits of this procedure?American Society of Plastic Surgeons.Who is a good candidate for breast lift surgery?Sears ED, Lu Y-T, Swiatek PR, Chung T-T, Chung KC.Abstract 47: Utilization of Mammogrphy Prior to Elective Breast Surgery: A National Claims-Based Analysis.Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open.2018 Apr; 6(4 Suppl): 37-38. doi:10.1097/01.GOX.0000533912.96936.2eCleveland Clinic.The Day of Surgery. The Dos and Dont’s.American Society of Anesthesiologists.Preparing for Surgery: Checklist.Prantl L, Momeni A, Brebant V et al.Recommendation for the Use of Antibiotics in Primary and Secondary Esthetic Breast Surgery.Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open.2020 Jan; 8(1): e2590. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000002590American Society of Plastic Surgeons.Informed Consent - Breast Lift (Mastopexy). 2009.American Board of Cosmetic Surgery.Breast Lift Guide.University of Michigan Health System.Mastopexy (Breast Lift) Post-operative Instructions. Revised May 2016.The Aesthetic Society.Ask a Surgeon: Breast Lift.Commander SJ, Chamata E, Cox J, Dickey RM, Lee EI.Update on Postsurgical Scar Management.Semin Plast Surg.2016 Aug; 30(3): 122–128. doi:10.1055/s-0036-1584824Spear SL, Low M, Ducic I.Revision augmentation mastopexy: indications, operations, and outcomeAnn Plast Surg.2003 Dec;51(6):540-6. doi:10.1097/01.sap.0000096450.04443.beNein A. American Society of Plastic Surgeons.How long do breast lift results last?September 2018.
American Society of Plastic Surgeons.Breast Lift: Mastopexy.
The Aesthetic Society.Breast Lift.
Chia CT, Marte JA, Ulvila DD, Theodorou SJ.Second Generation Radiofrequency Body Contouring Device: Safety and Efficacy in 300 Local Anesthesia Liposuction Cases.Plast Recons tr Surg Glob Open.2020 Sep; 8(9): e3113. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000003113
Ramanadham SR, Johnson AR.Breast Lift with and without Implant: A Synopsis and Primer for the Plastic Surgeon.Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open.2020 Oct; 8(10): e3057. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000003057
Terrasse A. (February 2020). American Society of Plastic Surgeons.What is a breast lift and what are the benefits of this procedure?
American Society of Plastic Surgeons.Who is a good candidate for breast lift surgery?
Sears ED, Lu Y-T, Swiatek PR, Chung T-T, Chung KC.Abstract 47: Utilization of Mammogrphy Prior to Elective Breast Surgery: A National Claims-Based Analysis.Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open.2018 Apr; 6(4 Suppl): 37-38. doi:10.1097/01.GOX.0000533912.96936.2e
Cleveland Clinic.The Day of Surgery. The Dos and Dont’s.
American Society of Anesthesiologists.Preparing for Surgery: Checklist.
Prantl L, Momeni A, Brebant V et al.Recommendation for the Use of Antibiotics in Primary and Secondary Esthetic Breast Surgery.Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open.2020 Jan; 8(1): e2590. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000002590
American Society of Plastic Surgeons.Informed Consent - Breast Lift (Mastopexy). 2009.
American Board of Cosmetic Surgery.Breast Lift Guide.
University of Michigan Health System.Mastopexy (Breast Lift) Post-operative Instructions. Revised May 2016.
The Aesthetic Society.Ask a Surgeon: Breast Lift.
Commander SJ, Chamata E, Cox J, Dickey RM, Lee EI.Update on Postsurgical Scar Management.Semin Plast Surg.2016 Aug; 30(3): 122–128. doi:10.1055/s-0036-1584824
Spear SL, Low M, Ducic I.Revision augmentation mastopexy: indications, operations, and outcomeAnn Plast Surg.2003 Dec;51(6):540-6. doi:10.1097/01.sap.0000096450.04443.be
Nein A. American Society of Plastic Surgeons.How long do breast lift results last?September 2018.
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