Which One Do You Need? Breast Augmentation or Breast Lift?

Which One Do You Need? Breast Augmentation or Breast Lift?

Breast augmentation and breast lift operations are among the most performed operations in the world.

Women who are not satisfied with their current breast sizes prefer breast augmentation surgeries to achieve the breast form they desire.

Silicones, which look much more natural than before, make the results of the surgeries more satisfying. Breast lift surgeries are commonly applied for breasts that sag after motherhood and over time due to the effects of gravity.

Depending on the current shape of the breast, only one of these surgeries may be sufficient, while in some cases both can be performed.

Which one is suitable for your breasts and what are the details of these surgeries, Plastic, Reconstructive Surgery Specialist Ali Dogan MD answers our questions:

What is Breast Augmentation Surgery?

“We can apply breast augmentation surgery to women over the age of 18 who are not satisfied with their breast size.

The operation we perform while our patients are under general anesthesia takes about 2 hours. In surgery, we give volume to the breasts with a silicone prosthesis. These silicones have a warranty and certificate.

We present these documents to our patients after the surgery. The pocket where the silicone will be placed is important in breast augmentation surgeries.

We can plan the location of this pocket at three different points: sub-muscular, supra-muscular, or a dual plan, which we place in a way that some of it is under the muscle and some of it is above the muscle.

Prostheses are produced in different shapes, we can choose from drop or round form for the procedure. We make the incision mark from the lower fold of the breast so that it is not clearly visible. When viewed from the front like this, no traces are visible.”

What is Breast Lift Surgery?

“A breast lift is an operation that we usually do to lift sagging breasts after breastfeeding. If mothers are not considering another pregnancy, they can plan to have breast lift surgery.

However, if there is a pregnancy and breastfeeding process again, the sagging will recur as the skin will stretch again. This is an important detail to consider.

We perform surgeries under general anesthesia, such as breast augmentation surgery. Our patients, who stay in the hospital for one night after both surgeries, can go home the next day.

It is important for our patients to use a supportive bra for 3 weeks after breast lift surgery.”

So, Breast Augmentation or Breast Lift?

“The two surgeries serve different purposes. While a single operation may be sufficient depending on the patient's condition, in some cases we may need to perform both operations.

For example, it is not possible to lift breasts with a certain amount of sagging with a silicone prosthesis. For this, we also perform breast lift surgery. We distinguish this with the detailed measurement we perform in our clinic.

We decide on the type of surgery according to the level of enlargement in the breast skin. First, we measure the distance from the free nipple to the lower crease of the breast while the patient is standing.

We take the second measurement while the patient is lying down, this time we measure the same two distances by stretching.

If the difference between the two measurements is more than 50%, it means that the breast skin is enlarged at the same rate. In this case, we need to plan an operation to lift the breast.

In our patients who come for breast lift surgery, if there is not enough breast volume, we need to support the breast with a silicone implant.

We decide which is the best option for our patients after a detailed examination in our clinic.”