Have babies or weight loss taken a toll on your breasts? And now you want fuller more uplifted breasts but not sure if the answer is a breast lift or implants or both?
This guide by Plastic Surgeon Dr Moncrieff may help you understand your options.
What do breast implants do?
A breast augmentation involves making an incision under the breast fold and positioning silicone breast implants into the breast pockets behind existing breast tissue. I commonly use anatomical breast implant which means they have a natural ‘tear drop’ shape.
And I most commonly place them using a ‘dual plane’ technique. This means they are under the pec muscle at the top to provide good coverage to the implant (also known as a “smooth take off”) and to avoid rippling when you are active.
But they are under the breast tissue (over the pec muscle) at the sides and bottom of the breast to ensure lift and curve creation.
So when would I need a lift instead?
For women with more significant sagging or when the nipples are starting to point downwards, an implant alone won’t be enough to create adequate lift.
That’s when a surgical lift, with an incision under the breast, up the middle and around the nipple may be needed. This process is similar to a breast reduction, but the focus is reduction of excess skin and reshaping the breast, versus breast tissue reduction.
Can I have both a lift and an implant?
Absolutely! I only perform a breast lift and implants as a two-stage procedure.
This means undergoing a breast lift, waiting 9-12 months until the scars have completely healed and then undergoing a breast augmentation as a second operation.
This is because the operations are trying to do two opposite things – the lift is trying to reduce the breast skin and tissue and lift the nipple higher on the chest wall. While implants are trying to stretch out the breast skin and they add extra volume and weight.
For more details, please visit my dedicated article about one vs two staged breast lift and implants.
Breast Lift vs. Breast Implants
| Breast Lift | Breast Implants | |
Goal: | Elevate and reshape the breasts | Add volume and enhance shape |
Corrects ptosis? | Yes | No |
Increases size? | No | Yes |
Scarring: | ⚓︎ 'Anchor' scar pattern (around the areola, vertically downward and along the breast fold) | Shorter incision under the breast fold |
Recovery time: | 2 weeks off work | 1-2 weeks off work |
Long-term results: | Stable with diligent aftercare and minimal weight fluctuation | Stable, may require future replacement |
Ideal for: | Addressing ptosis and laxity, often post-pregnancy or mass weight loss | Smaller cup sizes or breasts lacking volume |
Costs: | From $15,000 as a privately insured patient (or from $20,000 as an uninsured patient) | From $15,000 for round implants (or from $16,000 for anatomical implants) |
QUICK TEST: Let the cup size and nipple be your guide!
A quick indication of whether an implant or surgical lift is more likely to help you is the position of the nipple on the breast and existing cup size.
If the nipple is at the bottom of the breast and pointing downwards, or over a B cup, an implant alone simply can’t create enough lift in the longer term.
If the nipple is more central to the breast and pointing forwards, and you are currently a B cup or less, then you may be a candidate for an implant only lift.
Costs
All the details for costs are on the relevant pages of the website, but a summary is below.
- Breast augmentation is from $15,000
- Breast lift from $15,000 (insured patient or $20,000 without insurance)
- Breast lift and augmentation: from $30,000 as a two-stage procedure
- All of these are the total out of pocket cost, which is inclusive of the surgeon’s fee, leading-brand implants (for augmentations), hospital day stay, garment, anaesthetist’s fee, follow-up visits and LED therapy for scar minimisation.
Ready to begin your journey? Try before you buy with a $100 Vectra 3D Surgery Simulation
A great way to ‘Try before you buy’ is to come in and have a $100 Vectra 3D surgery simulation with my Practice Manager Jessica.
Many patients love this service because it gives them a much better idea of sizing and placement than simply putting sizing implants in a bra can! And the $100 cost is rebated against your consultation with me if you decide to continue exploring if the surgery is right for you. To book, just give one of my friendly team a call on 4920 7700 or enquire using the contact form below!
Blog Author:
Dr Nicholas Moncrieff, Specialist Plastic Surgeon
About Dr Moncrieff
Dr Moncrieff focuses exclusively on breast reductions, breast lifts, breast augmentation, tummy tucks and body lifts.
He is one of only a handful of Plastic Surgeons across Australia with this sole breast and body focus.
Dr Moncrieff has performed thousands of surgical procedures over more than three decades in medicine. Over 20,000 of these procedures have been in Newcastle.
