Health

How painful is a breast lift?

Women and beauty are certainly a synonym commonly to be appeared or emphasised in many beauty products or services. To have a good look and be beautiful may not be an importance to some people but some would go extra miles to have a good facial or body feature. This is because it revolves around self-confidence or self-esteem. One of the ways to look attractive is to have a breast lift. In this DoctorOnCall’s article, we will be learning about breast lift.

Breast lift is a surgical procedure that raises the breasts by removing excess skin and tightening the surrounding tissues. Breast lift aims to create a more youthful breast contour. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, breast lifts procedure has increased to 70% throughout past decades. Breast lift is also known as mastopexy.

A person looking for breast lift usually is bothered by the appearance or feel of breasts that are flat, saggy or larger areola (small circular area of pigmented skin surrounding nipple). During breast upliftment procedures, the use of 3D areola tattoo can help alleviate the emotional toll by restoring a natural appearance, despite the pain experienced during recovery. Such changes can be from genetics, gravity, ageing process and body weight changes. It may also be a result from changes in the women’s life such as pregnancy or breastfeeding. A breast lift restores a firmer, perkier and more attractive shape compared to sagging breasts. Breast lift helps women to wear bras and swimsuits to a good fit and comfortably.

Although there are many reasons women would want to have breast lift, women may still wonder if they really need a breast lift. The only way to confirm if a person needs breast lift is to consult with a qualified cosmetic surgeon. There are questions that a person can ask themselves as a leverage to get a breast lift. Questions such as if the nipples seem to point downward, if the areola or nipple sit below the crease underneath breast, if the person is happy with the breast size when wearing bra and if the breasts are unusually shape or asymmetric, are among questions that should help a person consider breast lift if any of the questions is answered with a yes.

Breast lift is a highly individualised procedure. There is no way of telling if breast lift is suitable for you unless you have met a cosmetic surgeon. It is worth noting that while breast lift surgery promises many good things for breast shape, it does not significantly change the size of the breast or round out the upper part of the breast. It will not make the breast look fuller unless with breast augmentation. To have a smaller breast, consider breast lift with breast reductions surgery. Hence, you should clearly state what breast shape you are looking for and convey it clearly to the surgeon during consultation.

One of the common questions asked by those wanting to get breast lift is “how painful is a breast lift?”. The answer is, yes it does. The actual operation itself is not painful as it is usually done under general anaesthesia which means patients are asleep throughout the operation. After the effect of the anaesthesia wears off as the breast lift surgery is done, patients are likely to feel the pain from the tiny nerves that were cut during the surgery. Pain and soreness around the incision area will be reddish for a few weeks. Breast pain and soreness are common after breast lift surgery. Pain is usually minimal to moderate and should be able to be controlled with prescription and over-the-counter medicine. Surgeons may opt for drains to stay for 1 week and removal of the drains is only done in clinics. After 2 or 3 weeks, stitches will be removed.

Patients are able to return to work (desk job) in 5 to 7 days after surgery but for jobs that need lifting more than 5 kg, it would be recommended for patients to stay off from such work for 4 weeks. Activity that causes tension or friction such as sexual activity should be avoided for at least 1 week following breast lift surgery. This is important to avoid trauma on the incision site. Light physical activity can be performed 2 weeks after the surgery. Heavy lifting should be avoided for 4 to 6 weeks. Patients should sleep on their back for the first several weeks after surgery. Patients are recommended to wear a surgical bra for the first 3 weeks before wearing a front closure sports bra for the next 3 months. This helps to support the new breast and allow it to heal optimally. Most patients are allowed to wear underwire bras again after about 8 weeks.

In essence, breast lift is a safe and rewarding procedure that leaves patients with long-lasting results. It is important for patients to follow all instructions given by the surgeon to ensure smoothness of the procedure and for patients to be left with good results. Although it is painful to have one, treatments help patients to get through it and pain is usually not severe. Always be careful when choosing your surgeon as only performed and qualified surgeons ensure the surgery is successful.

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