Breasts develop in puberty. The size and shape of your breasts are primarily determined by your genes. Other factors affecting the size and firmness of your breasts include variations in weight, pregnancy and condition of the skin and muscle tissue.

Sagging breasts can make women feel particularly unhappy. In some cases, a breast uplift offers the perfect remedy.
A breast uplift may also be an excellent solution for sagging breasts that still have sufficient breast tissue. With sagging breasts that have also lost volume, the answer may be a breast uplift combined with a breast augmentation to insert breast implants. A possible solution may be to remove skin as well as breast tissue. In such cases, the breast uplift will be combined with a breast reduction.
After a breast uplift, the breasts will be firmer and have more volume.

Benelli breast lift

The Benelli lift, also known as the circumareolar breast lift, is a type of uplift procedure designed to lift breasts with mild breast droop. Just as with the normal breast uplift procedure, this Benelli lift may also be recommended in combination with a breast augmentation.
A Benelli lift is a small lift procedure which only involves removing skin around the nipple. This slightly elevates the breast, and can reduce the size of the areola if so desired. If the Benelli breast lift is combined with a breast augmentation, the breast implant can be inserted via the areola. With a Benelli breast lift, it is not necessary to make vertical and horizontal scars running from the nipple to the breast crease and underneath the breast.
We only work with the safest implants. The implants from Mentor have a supple filling that feels natural to the touch. When selecting the type of implant you want, your build and the condition of your skin are important factors to be taken into consideration. The implant is chosen in consultation with the plastic surgeon.

Related treatments

A breast uplift is often combined with a tummy tuck. This combination is also referred to as a mommy makeover. Simply ask your plastic surgeon about these options.

Alternative treatments

A breast uplift is not a medically necessary procedure. As an alternative to plastic surgery, you may opt to use external breast prostheses or padding to raise and support sagging breasts. There is no alternative for a breast uplift. Although if the breast is only slightly sagging, a possible solution may be to simply insert a breast implant.

Plastic surgeon

The consultation is always held with the plastic surgeon who will be carrying out your procedure. Because everyone is different, it is not possible to decide whether you are a good candidate for a specific breast uplift procedure until your consultation with the plastic surgeon. The consultation will also look at which type of breast uplift is most suitable for you.
The consultation is divided into two stages.

The first stage is a personal advisory session with the plastic surgeon to discuss medical aspects and what you are wanting to achieve with your breast uplift. The plastic surgeon will take photos and examine your breasts. Important aspects to be taken into consideration are the elasticity of your skin, the quality and volume of mammary gland tissue and any irregularities in the mammary gland. Detailed information on these factors will help to make the right decision. Your breasts will then be measured. Based on this information, the plastic surgeon can suggest a type of breast uplift procedure that would best suit your wishes. If your breast uplift is to be combined with breast implants, the plastic surgeon will go through the various options with you.
In front of a mirror, you will be able to show the plastic surgeon what you are wanting to achieve with your breast uplift, and, if you have opted for implants, you will be given the opportunity to “try on” the chosen size, to make sure you reach a well-informed decision.
In the second stage of the consultation, the plastic surgeon will show you before and after photos of a breast uplift. They will also discuss the pros and cons of the breast uplift, possible complications and any risks with you. The consultation will take about 45 minutes altogether.

Consultants

Following on from your first consultation with your plastic surgeon, you will have an appointment with your consultant. The aim of this appointment is to tell you about the general aspects to be arranged with respect to your breast uplift. 

Fitting appointment

You will have a lot of information to digest after the first consultation. If you subsequently have doubts about the decisions made, you can always make another separate appointment to talk things through again in detail with your plastic surgeon. If you have opted for an implant, you can try it on again. You will then be in a position to make a well-informed decision about the shape and cup size to give you the results you are looking for.

ou are expected to arrive at the Boerhaave clinic half an hour before your procedure.
Before the procedure, the plastic surgeon carefully marks out on your breasts what they are going to do in accordance with the treatment plan. The general anaesthetic is then administered.

The operation is then performed following the jointly agreed treatment plan. The most common technique is to make three incisions in the breast: around the areola, vertically downwards from the lower edge of the areola and horizontally in the breast’s natural crease.
This technique is also referred to as the anchor lift (because of the shape of the scar). The skin is then separated from the underlying tissue.

With a breast uplift, the breast tissue is shifted upwards and skin is removed. Depending on the new position of the breast, a hole is made in the skin where the nipple is to be stitched in place. The open skin edges are stitched from the nipple down to the crease under the breast. Once the excess skin has been removed, the breast can be reconstructed. The wound is covered with a gauze dressing and a support bandage. The operation may also be combined with breast implants.

The scars on both breasts are in the shape of an anchor. The bottom of the anchor follows the natural breast crease. The scar then runs from the middle of the breast crease upwards to the nipple, with a small circle around the areola. Once they have healed, the scars in the breast crease and around the areola will barely be visible. The section of the scar running vertically from the breast crease to the nipple will often still be visible. The scars from a Benelli lift are only around the nipple.

All in all, the procedure lasts 2 to 2½ hours.

Because the healing process takes a while, you will have to wait a couple of weeks before you get a good idea of the final results.

A breast uplift will often significantly affect your appearance. It may therefore take some time before you get used to your new shape. Most women end up feeling more comfortable and self-assured with their firmer breasts, and are really pleased with the results of the operation, especially if their expectations are realistic.

Scars

The plastic surgeon will do everything they can to ensure that the scars are virtually invisible. The scars will initially be red and swollen, but this will start to fade after a couple of weeks. It is useful to know that a scar takes 1 to 1½ years to completely calm down. So remember to apply the scar cream to your scars and stay out of the sun.

It is important you are aware that every surgical intervention can entail risks and complications. Plastic surgery procedures are in principle carried out on healthy people, so the risks and chances of complications are low. We make sure any risks are reduced to an absolute minimum, by providing plenty of information, taking a thorough medical history (noting your case history, including medication, any problems experienced in previous operations, allergies, etc.) and applying our professional procedures.

Breast uplifts are successfully performed on many people each year at the Boerhaave Medical Centre. The chances of any complications arising are luckily rare. You can help reduce certain risks by carefully reading through the instructions you are given prior to your breast uplift.

Possible complications of a breast augmentation may be:

• Haematoma (blood clot under the skin which has to be removed)
• Adverse reaction to the sedation
• Haemorrhaging
• Infection
• Capsular contracture
• Ruptured implant
• Change in sensitivity
• Permanent scars
• Damage to underlying structures
• Unsatisfactory aesthetic result.

Capsular formation

If your breast uplift is combined with breast implants, there is a risk of capsular contracture.
Scar tissue forming in the body around the implants may tighten the breast, making the breast feel hard and sometimes painful. Excessive hardening of the breasts may occur soon after an operation, or not until years later. It is not possible to predict whether this tightening will occur, but the risk of it occurring increases with time (after 10 years, there is a 10 to 12 percent risk). Capsular contracture may happen on one side or both sides. It is more common with implants positioned above the pectoral muscle. It can be treated by having an operation to either replace or remove the implant. However, capsular contracture may still reoccur after surgical procedures to treat it.

Smoking

Patients who smoke or use tobacco or nicotine products (such as nicotine patches and chewing gum) at the time of their surgery have a greater risk of complications, such as skin loss and impaired wound healing. People who are exposed to passive smoking may also have an increased risk of complications such as these. What’s more, smoking may have a negative effect on the anaesthesia, which may in turn lead to an increased risk of bleeding. People who are not exposed to tobacco smoke or nicotine-containing products have a significantly lower risk of such complications. It is important not to smoke for at least 2 weeks prior to the operation and to keep this up for the entire recovery process.