You’re not alone if saggy breasts are the one physical feature you’d really like to fix after breastfeeding. Marketing gurus know this, which is why “miracle” skin-tightening creams and exercises that promise to create perky breasts pop up relentlessly in magazines and online. But is it really possible to lift breasts without surgery?
The answer is no. And that is only one of the myths surrounding breast lift surgery. Westchester County moms who want to feel more confident by restoring the shape of their pre-pregnancy breasts with breast lift surgery can learn the truth about those myths in this article.
What Is a Breast Lift?
Most people understand what a breast augmentation procedure involves—inserting implants to increase the size of the breasts—but the techniques used for breast lift surgery are less understood by the general public. That’s true even though one study found that sagging breasts is one of the most common concerns treated by plastic surgeons.
Breast lift surgery, also called a mastopexy, removes and tightens excess tissue and repositions the nipple and areola to raise sagging breasts. The incisions used during the procedure vary based on the severity of the sagging. Moms understand the toll pregnancy and breastfeeding take on the breasts, which can include both deflation and sagging.
Breast Lift Myths
Myth 1: Pushups can do the job of push-up bras.
There is nothing wrong with pushups or chest fly exercises to keep your chest muscles strong, but they won’t tighten breast skin or lift sagging tissue. On the other hand, you’ll probably rock tank-tops and sundresses because you’ll have the most toned arms in the city. It’s the same for excess abdominal skin after having children. Situps and other exercises keep you healthy but won’t shrink the skin.
Myth 2: Sagging is caused by bouncing boobs.
Besides pregnancy, age is the primary reason breasts start to give way to gravity. As women age, Cooper’s ligaments—the connective tissue that helps breasts keep their shape—stretch out. Aging is also associated with increased fat, which leads breasts to appear less perky. One way to at least postpone these developments is to maintain a steady weight and, if you’re a smoker, quit.
Myth 3: Breast implants create a lifted appearance.
Many women cross their fingers that they can avoid the incisions associated with a breast lift and just get a breast augmentation to restore both volume and lift to their breasts. That’s rarely the case. Implants can actually worsen the sagging because the breast skin and tissue can’t support the weight of the implants. A lift alone, on the other hand, won’t increase the size of the breasts. Plastic surgeons in Westchester County at the Cosmetic Surgery Associates of New York say they often recommend combining breast augmentation with a lift for women seeking to address concerns about the size and sagginess of their breasts.
Myth 4: You can get perky breasts with creams and supplements.
No cream or supplement can provide a lifting effect equal to that of a surgical breast lift. While some creams or supplements may help improve skin elasticity by stimulating collagen growth or providing a very mild degree of skin tightening, it is not enough to physically lift the breast or create substantial, lasting effects.
If you’re considering a breast lift and have questions about the procedure, the place to start is scheduling consultations with board-certified plastic surgeons near you. (Make sure the surgeon’s certification is from the American Board of Plastic Surgery; other boards exist but don’t have the same training and experience requirements as the ABPS.) Surgeons provide information about the safety of breast lift surgery and details about recovery and pricing.
