This is a loaded question and your answer depends upon whom you ask.

Lifts alone and implants alone are fairly straightforward operations. Not much controversy there.

When we combine the procedures things change though. Here’s why.

These two operations are fundamentally opposed. An implant operation is a stretching operation. A lift operation is a tightening operation. Adding an implant to the breast adds weight to the breast. Patients who need lifts have skin that can’t support the weight of the breasts as they are. How can we expect the skin to support the breast and an implant? Well, on a level, we can’t.

There are also marking issues. When we do a lift, we will mark the breast pre-op, and follow our lines. It is pretty straight forward. Well, if I mark your breast pre-op and then put an implant in, all of my marks are invalid. So the operation is more difficult.

If it’s so bad, should it be done? Personally, I think it’s reasonable to do it together, but only if the patient realizes that the chances of needing a revision are higher than if the two are done seperately. In my practice, I do a lot of lift and implant combination procedures because a lot of women need it.

In the end, what universally happens, is that the implant will settle and the breast is not quite as perky as it was in the first few weeks or months after surgery. You will see a big improvement compared to pre-op, but the implant just wont stay quite as high as it was intially placed.

If you are considering this combination, make sure you and your surgeon are on the same page. I do this with my patients and things turn out very well.

Lee Corbett, MD

www.CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com

502.721.0330

All posts on this blog are authored by Dr. Lee Corbett, a Louisville, Kentucky breast augmentation specialist.