Just a lift or a lift with implants??

Ok, so I need so thoughts and any imputs out there. I am just going to lay it all out here.

So, I went for my 3 consultation yesterday, and now I am completely confused! I have had 2 doctors tell me that I don't need implants, that they can work with what I have. I have had one tell me that yes we can do 600-650cc's and I would be where I want to be after the lift. And the reason for such a high cc, is because my chest is so wide. Mind you I don't want to look like Dolly Parton. But because my boobs are so heavy, they say that just a lift will do, that implants because of the high cc, they too are heavy, and eventually gravity will take place and i will probably have to have them fixed. But I LOVE the look of implants in cloths, and I want to stay a DD.

So my question, are you happy with just a lift, or do you wish you would have had implants? Are they where they need to be? Do they look nice in cloths? Can you go without a bra and its not that obvious? 

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Tonya

It sounds like you have quite a bit of breast tissue left. That wasn't the case for me. Mine was mostly all skin and just a lift would have maybe given me a B cup. I knew that I wanted larger breasts than that. I also like the shape of the breast with an implant. It really depends on what look you are wanting to achieve. I have seen some lifts and they look square to me. Not all, but some. Mine are in place and where I think they should be. If you have the implant placed under the muscle there is less chance of it sagging like you described. Also, I wouldn't plan on going braless a lot with implants. That's one sure way to help speed a long the sagging process. The more you support them the more you fight off the gravity process. I have pictures on my profile if you'd like to see.

Thank you for your input. Your pictures are awesome!! That is the look I am looking for.

I am going to revisit one of my doctors on Friday and chat with him more. Hopefully I will have made up my mind, because I really want all of this done during christmas
break.

Tonya

I agree with Renee in that it really depends on the look you are trying to achieve and what you have to work with. Sounds like you are one of the lucky ones who actually had breast tissue left.

I opted for a reduction and lift only because I was having issues with neck, shoulder and back injuries and pain. I went from a G cup (mostly excess skin rolled and folded) to a B cup and I am happy with the results so far. They are small and perky but they don't have the upper pole fullness that you would get with implants.

I think that Renee looks fabulous and if I ever decide to get implants I would hope for the type of results she has had.

Good luck in whatever you decide on.

Ole

Thank you Ole! I am glad to hear that you are happy with your lift. My friend just had a reduction and she is very happy with her results as well.


Thank you for your input too!
Tonya

I am 3 weeks post op tummy tuck and breast aug. I had droopy b cups to start with and so I got 550cc implants done "biplane" instead of a lift. They look GREAT! They are big and perky without the need for a lift and all the excess scarring. I LOVE THEM but they are  pretty heavy. I got the MENTOR coesive gel implants (gummy bear implants) Feel free to check out my post op photos on my profile's after pictures. xoxo

Your pictures look great! Thank you for sharing!!
Tonya

Breast lift with implant is the loss leader in cosmetic surgery liability cases because its hard to plan them properly and unpredictable results are too common.  After 300+ short scar lifts from 2002 - 2009 (just presented the data at the Texas Society of Plastic Surgeons) I learned all my lessons in WLS patients the hard way.

To avoid problems...one of the first questions will be is: "it advisable to even do implants during the lift?"   A big implant (by that I mean anything over 250cc) is going to make a lift much harder to do, and a lot harder for it to stay up.  Re-sagging can occur early, as in a year or so ! 

I was recently sent photos of a patient done elsewhere with very wide breast scars on a "bottomed out" breasts that exhibit this exact problem.  IMO (and experience) this is avoidable with proper planning.

If your breast has a long fold (i.e. the skin on skin contact), then the risk of the implant weighing down the lift, stretching the scars, and not looking great is higher.  The risk increases with age, amount of fat in the breast tissue, amount of skin, poor skin quality (stretch marks), number of weight gain-loss cycles, and prior pregnancy.

There is a common misconception that somehow going under the muscle affects the eventual sagging of the implant during a lift (maybe this has some truth for a pure augmentation though).  The muscle is well above the implant, and its the factors above that really determine re-sagging of the breast.  Here are some board-certified PS talling about it in augmentation:

http://www.realself.com/question/submuscular-breast-implants -provide-natural-results

Perhaps you could ask these experts the question on RealSelf ? Its an excellent, no-BS, non-commercial website.

So some patients are better off lifting what they have and living with that result for ay least 3 months.  Adding an implant later is much easier if desired, and the sizing is a lot more accurate. Sizing is very hard to do with al the exces skin BTW.

I would say that over 50% of my patients who at first wanted an implant ended up being content with the lift alone. 

About half the WLS patients I see have breasts that are good andidates for lift + implants at the same time.

Let me make a confession too...I hate breast implants.  They leak, shift, get scar tissue on them, cause extra mammogram views to be taken, and are just about a guaranteed return trip to the operating room.  Still many women choose them and are delighted but if you can look good without them....

Hope this helps

Dr. L,
I'm not one of your patients but I just want to thank you for sharing your expertise and your honest opinion. I commend you for that. I am one of the women who struggled with this decision when having my plastics. I went to consults where I felt breast implants were being ""pushed" on me and I was told that without them, I would be unable to get a result I would be happy with. This was not true. I did find a surgeon who said he could give me a result I would be happy with, without implants.And that's exactly what I got. I had a lift and I LOVE my breasts. I did not want to have to deal with the possible complications or other things that came along with having implants so this was the right choice for me. I commend surgeons like you, who are truthful and are not just trying to sell implants. It restores my faith in humans. I just wanted to let you know. Thank you and God bless!

Thanks ANEWMii. 
This is a really difficult area of plastic surgery and I am continuously challenged by new issues !

Once I think I have something figured out there is always another patient with a new challenge.  I am not happy with all of my results thats for sure, but the day I fool myself into thinking they're something they are not, or quit caring about it is the day I will retire. 

...and live in a little shack by the bay...and be a guide for family fishing trips...and have  a dog that sleeps at my feet by a fireplace in winter...and...and. I gotta wake up early for morning rounds tomorrow.