Breast Lift

Time, gravity and changes to your body can be unkind to your breasts. Once perky and full, your breasts may begin to sag and look deflated and your nipples may droop or look stretched out as you age or after pregnancy, breastfeeding or weight loss. A breast lift reshapes your breasts for added fullness, resizes your nipples and restores your breasts to a higher, more youthful position. A breast lift can also be combined with breast augmentation.

A Texas native, Dr. David Dellinger has attained board certifications in plastic/reconstructive and general surgery, and has extensive experience in performing breast plastic surgery procedures over his more than 20 years in practice. At Elysian Plastic Surgery, Dr. Dellinger works with women in the Austin area and beyond who are interested in improving their figures with breast enhancement surgery.

Contact us online or call our Austin office at 512-229-1978 to learn more your options for breast lift surgery.

• During your initial consultation, Dr. Dellinger and his staff strive to put you at ease, understand your concerns and recommend the best treatment or combination of treatments for you.
• We strictly follow standards to ensure your breast lift surgery goes smoothly and never compromise your safety or results for speed or ease.
• You won’t be just another face at Elysian Plastic Surgery. We put you first because we believe that good plastic surgery results come from a combination of education, experience and engaged care.

A breast lift may be right for you if you have saggy, deflated breasts and have completed your family and finished breastfeeding, or are not planning more children in the immediate future. The changes to your breasts during pregnancy and breastfeeding may alter your breast lift results if you have a baby afterward. A breast lift can also correct differences in breast size and position, enhance the shape of your breasts and improve nipples that point downward or fall below the breast crease and fix enlarged or stretched out areolas.*

A breast lift takes about 2 hours under general anesthesia or a local anesthesia with IV sedation. A breast lift can be performed with four types of incisions — the J-Lift, lollipop, donut or crescent — centered at your areolas. The donut and crescent incisions are made along the outer edge of your areolas. The J-Lift and lollipop incisions start at your areolas and extend down to or along the breast crease.

Dellinger is one of the few surgeons performing the J-Lift, a procedure that significantly minimizes the length of incisions and provides a more feminine shape compared to the typical anchor incision.*

During your consultation, Dr. Dellinger will recommend the best incision for you depending on the degree of sagging and if you are getting breast implants.

Through these incisions, Dr. Dellinger lifts and reshapes your breast tissue to improve firmness and create a fuller breast mound, lifts the breasts to a higher position, removes excess skin from enlarged areolas and the breasts, repositions the nipples and areolas if needed and tightens the skin.

You can go home the same day as your breast lift surgery and should be able to resume limited activities the next day. You may experience some swelling, bruising, numbness and changes in nipple sensation. Dr. Dellinger may recommend wearing a supportive bra or a compression garment to support your breasts and help minimize swelling. You should plan on resting — though you can take short walks to encourage blood circulation — and sleeping elevated on your back for the first week. You can resume all of your normal activities in 3 to 4 weeks.*

You should notice improvement in your breast shape and position after breast lift surgery, especially as the swelling subsides. Your final results should gradually develop over the next few months. Breast lift results can last for decades if you avoid weight fluctuations and don’t become pregnant.*

To schedule your breast lift consultation, please call our Austin plastic surgery practice at 512-229-1978 or request a consultation online.

Breast Lift FAQs

How much does a breast lift cost?

The exact price of a breast lift will be determined by a variety of factors, and you cannot know what to price of your specific procedure will be until you have a consultation. For example, a more experienced plastic surgeon will generally charge more than someone who is just starting their career.

Even the city you get the procedure in can change the price, as it alters the overhead for the doctor and their team. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the average cost of a breast lift is $4,816. If you are concerned about the cost of care, know that we will work with you on your financing options.

How can I find the best plastic surgeon for a breast lift near me?

The first thing to do is research surgeons who are near you and take a look at their websites and reviews. Also, make sure that their results and reviews specifically document the breast lift procedure. Just because someone is good at rhinoplasty doesn’t mean they are right for this procedure. Ask to be before and after photos of breast lifts to get an idea of the results you can expect to see.

Does a breast lift hurt?

During the actual breast lift surgery, you should not feel any pain. General anesthesia will be used so that you will be asleep and unaware. After surgery, you will be given pain medication to keep you comfortable. However, you may experience some pain that should lessen as your healing progresses.

How long is recovery from breast lift surgery?

You will need to take about a week off from work, with a few of those days being total rest and relaxation to promote healing. Expect there to be significant swelling for at least 2 weeks, with some lingering swelling for a few months.

There may also be redness and tenderness for a few weeks. Although individual results vary, most women are back to light activity within 1 week and full activity within a month.

Can a breast lift be combined with other procedures?

Yes, breast lifts can easily be combined with other procedures, and in many cases, they are. The most common procedure to combine with a breast lift is breast augmentation. However, pretty much any procedure can be done at the same time.

If you have multiple issues you wish to correct, it is a good idea to do them at the same time as this minimizes your exposure to anesthesia in the long run.

What are the risks involved with getting a breast lift?

As with any surgery, there are some risks involved when having a breast lift procedure. With that said, a breast lift is a relatively safe procedure. Some risks to consider are:

• Reactions to anesthesia
• Infection
• Adverse reactions at the incision site
• Excessive bleeding

Dr. Dellinger will go over your health history in advance and determine the risk level of having the procedure.

*This information is for education only, and is not meant as a guarantee of results. Your results may vary.