Many women will experience some degree of breast sagging during their lifetimes, thanks to hormonal fluctuations, pregnancy, breastfeeding, weight changes, and a loss of skin laxity due to the natural aging process. If stretched skin and excess fat have given you elongated, pendulous breasts and downward-pointing nipples, you may be considering breast lift surgery.
However, in some cases, a breast lift alone isn’t necessarily enough to provide the results you need. Here’s how you can tell if you might be a better candidate for a breast reduction to enhance your feminine figure.
How Does a Breast Lift Work?
Due to the aging process, your body will produce less collagen and elastin over time. Without a sufficient supply of these components, your skin will lose its elasticity and begin to sag. Factors such as weight gain, genetics, and lifestyle choices can also take a toll and cause this cosmetic concern. When performing a breast lift, Dr. Mussat will reinforce the breast wall and reposition the nipple-areola complex to deliver perky, youthful breasts with that sensual upward curve.
What Happens During a Breast Reduction?
Women who have large, heavy, sagging breasts may experience significant discomfort, including:
- Chronic back, neck, and shoulder pain
- Chafing
- Marks from bra straps digging into your shoulders
- Embarrassment
- Difficulty finding comfortable, well-fitting clothes
- Postural problems
Dr. Mussat performs breast reduction surgery on an outpatient basis while you are under general anesthesia, using one of three incision patterns that she believes will best satisfy your needs and cosmetic goals.
Making the Right Choice
Deciding between a breast lift or reduction can be challenging. Dr. Mussat can help you decide during your in-person consultation. However, there are at-home ways to tell whether you need a reduction or a lift.
For example, after childbearing or weight loss, you may find the upper poles of your breasts lack volume. Depending on your nipple location and skin tone, you’ll have two options to enhance your breast appearance. First, you may choose a breast lift as a stand-alone procedure or a breast lift with implants. A breast lift with no implants will resolve breast sagging, but not increase size.
However, if you have heavy breast tissues that cause pain, embarrassment, and difficulty exercising, you may want to ask Dr. Mussat about breast reduction. Not only will the procedure reinforce the breast wall, but it will also reduce breast tissue, improve your posture, and ease your discomfort.
Benefits include reducing neck and back pain, no more chafing or rashes at the breast crease, and the ability to buy fashionable clothes off the rack.
Improve Your Quality of Life With Breast Procedures
Exciting new advancements are available in aesthetic breast surgery to help women realize their cosmetic goals. Contact Dr. Florence Mussat today to learn how she can reshape and reinforce your breast appearance and enhance your figure. Schedule a private consultation with Dr. Mussat or call (312) 751-9000.
Unfortunate though it is, all good things must come to an end. While some women enjoy their breast implants for a lifetime, most women will eventually either need or want a revision on their initial augmentation. In addition to issues like breakage or leakage, the natural effects of time (sagging due to age or pregnancy) may make implant replacement necessary. As such, if you’re considering breast augmentation, you should also plan to have at least one additional surgery, i.e., either an implant exchange or a removal.
Removal or Exchange: Which Option Is Right for Me?
Breast implant removal is generally preferred by women who have decided that having larger breasts is no longer right for them. Increased activity levels, changing tastes, or medical considerations may make removal the most logical choice for some women. There are, however, a few things you need to know before you go down this route.
Because implants stretch the skin somewhat, you will almost certainly have loose skin left over once your implants are removed. In younger women who have had small implants, the breasts will sometimes firm up naturally and no further surgery will be needed. In the vast majority of cases, however, implant removal must be accompanied by a breast lift. A breast lift will restore your breasts to a perky, round shape, as if you had never had implants at all. There is, however, a small risk of additional scarring that’s not present with implant exchange. You’ll therefore need to decide whether or not this risk is outweighed by the possible benefits of implant removal.
Implant exchange, on the other hand, is usually selected by women who are happy with their implants overall. These women may want new implants to correct leakage or placement issues, or they might want to upgrade to a larger size. Either way, implant replacement can typically be completed in a single surgery, making it no more complicated or inconvenient than initial augmentation. The only additional step taken during revision surgery is pocket adjustments: Your surgeon might inject a soft tissue support like Strattice or GalaFLEX into the pockets where your implants are inserted.
If you’re not sure whether implant removal or implant exchange is the better choice for you, feel free to come see us for a consultation. We can help you weigh up the benefits and risks of each option based on your overall health and lifestyle. To learn more about your options, contact the office of Dr. Mussat for a consultation with the surgeon herself.
At some point in your life, you’ll begin to see changes in your breasts. This could be due to gravity, weight loss, weight gain, pregnancy, or nursing. All these can take a toll on your breasts’ natural shape and fullness. Overtime, these can lead to breast asymmetry, sagginess, drooping nipples, loss of volume, oversized breasts, and many others. While these changes are normal as you age, these can affect your confidence and appearance.
The good news is these changes are easily addressed through a breast enhancement surgery. Depending on your case, you can request for a breast augmentation, a breast reduction or a breast lift
If you’re considering a breast reduction or breast lift procedure, here are some facts you need to know.
Breast Reduction
This is a surgical procedure that removes excess breast tissue to reduce breast size. This can correct poor posture, back pain or chest pain due to oversized breasts. You can also request this if you want to have smaller breasts, regardless of whether or not you’re suffering from a breast-size-related issue.
Here are some facts you need to know about breast reduction:
- The recovery period isn’t too rough. Unlike other breast surgeries, recovery from breast reduction is less harsh. You may experience pain post-operatively, but the pain level is lower.
- Results will not be in cup size. Cup sizes are different from one bra manufacturer to another. Dr. Mussat will use grams instead of cups size when talking about how much breast tissue will be removed.
- It’s not just for women. Gynecomastia is a condition that causes breasts in men to grow large, and breast reduction can address that.
- It is covered by most health insurance companies. Many breast reduction surgeries are covered by health insurance. Currently, we are in network with Blue Cross/Blue Shield PPO.
Breast Lift
Although it’s often confused with breast reduction, breast lift is actually a surgical procedure that will lift sagging breasts, correct drooping nipples, and resize enlarged nipples and areolas.
Here are some things you need to know about a breast lift:
- It doesn’t increase breast size. This procedure isn’t designed to resize breasts, but it can result in a fuller and rounder breast shape with a better contour.
- It works well with other breast surgeries. Breast lift can be performed concurrently with either breast augmentation or breast reduction to produce better aesthetic results. Due to its flexibility, this is commonly a part of a “mommy makeover”.
- It corrects breast asymmetry. Breastfeeding can alter the breast shape, which leads to breast asymmetry and imbalance of firmness.
These two procedures differ in so many aspects, but they can achieve one goal: improved breast appearance. If you’d like to know more about breast reduction and breast lift, and if you’re a good candidate for either of the two, consult with Dr. Mussat. Schedule a consultation today at her Chicago practice.
Mommies deserve more than just a salute. What you do is incredibly amazing. It’s hard to imagine a world without doting, caring, unconditionally loving moms. So, if you want to get a makeover to get your pre-baby back again, you don’t need to explain. Just go for it.
Getting pregnant, giving birth and breastfeeding changes your body in a way that make mothers feel less thrilled when they look at themselves in the mirror. If you want to look and feel young, vibrant and beautiful again, a mommy makeover can make a big difference.
A Mommy Makeover at a Glance
A mommy makeover is a combination of different cosmetic procedures, be it surgical or non-surgical, which can restore your body back to its pre-pregnancy state. More than that, it can enhance your appearance further.
The Benefits of a Mommy Makeover
Getting a mommy makeover is a choice moms can make freely. However, some wonder if it’s worth their time and effort. If you share the same sentiment, here are five good things that can happen if you decide to get a mommy makeover.
- Increased Self-Confidence
Bodily changes, like stretch marks, flabby skin, sagging breasts and bulging abdomen, can decrease a woman’s self-esteem. The same is true for moms. Through a tummy tuck or a breast lift, physical imperfections are corrected to make you look and feel amazing again.
You can use a mommy makeover to your benefit. For instance, if you’ve always wanted to have well-toned thighs, you can include a thigh lift to your surgery package. This way, you can wake up following your surgery to a completely whole new you.
If the stretch marks in your belly or thighs are keeping you from wearing a bikini every summer, then getting a tummy tuck can make the next summer something to look forward to.
You definitely can personalize your mommy makeover. This way, you can achieve the results you desire and deserve. Just keep an open line of communication with Dr. Mussat so she can tailor your treatment according to your needs.
Although this should not be a motivation to have the procedure, a mommy makeover can correct flaws that affect your confidence with regards to intimacy with your partner. As you gain more confidence about your body, getting intimate will no longer be an issue.
As you can see, getting a mommy makeover is beneficial to moms who want to change their appearance for the better. If you want to know if this is right for you, and if you’re a good candidate, consult with Dr. Mussat today.
