Factors such as weight loss, pregnancy, nursing, and the force of gravity often take affect on a woman’s breast.  They may lose their shape and firmness and begin to sag as the skin loses its elasticity.  Breast lift, or mastopexy, is a surgical procedure to raise and reshape sagging breasts.

Risks Involved
As with any surgical procedures, there are some risks involved. With a breast lift procedure complications are infrequent and usually minor. However, each patient varies greatly in their anatomy, their physical reactions, and their healing abilities, and the outcome is never completely predictable. Some of the complications that may occur include bleeding, infection, and reactions to the anesthesia. During your personal consultation with Dr. John DiTredici, these complications along with any other individual risks will be discussed in more detail.

Pre-operative Preparation
Specific instruction will be give to you by Dr. DiTredici on how you should prepare for your surgery.  The most important guideline is that you should stop smoking at least a week or two before and after surgery, this restriction is highly recommended because smoking inhibits blood flow to the skin, and can greatly affect the healing of your incision areas.  For your safety on the day of your surgery you should make arrangements for someone to escort you home. 

Surgical Procedure
The incisions may vary depending on the amount of lift needed to acquire the results desired.  The typical incisions can be around the areola, down and underneath the breast.  You may have one or more of these incisions combined, depending on the amount of lift needed.  An alternative to the additional incisions can be with the use of an implant.  This will limit the amount of incisions needed, as the implant will give lift to the breast tissue.  Use of an implant may also be necessary in patients with lack of breast tissue.  The approximate length of time for the procedure is two to four hours.  It usually takes about two to four months to see the desired results.

Post-Operative
After the procedure you may experience some minor discomfort, in which, Dr. DiTredici will prescribe some medication to alleviate the pain.  Dr. DiTredici will instruct you not to do any heavy lifting or strenuous movements while recovering from the procedure.  You will be instructed to wear a surgical bra for a few weeks following your surgery.  Your follow-up visit will be scheduled in 7-10 days after your procedure.  During this visit Dr. DiTredici will remove your stitches and oversee the healing process.  You should be able to return to work in about a week after the surgery.  Further Individual instructions will be given upon discharge.