Can You Get a Breast Reduction and Augmentation Together?

Loss of Breast Tone, Firmness and Fullness

Many women lose tone, firmness, and fullness to their breasts after childbirth and breastfeeding.  This results in drooping, looseness of the skin, and loss of breast volume in the upper part of the breast.

Loss of this upper breast fullness becomes important to patients seeking plastic surgery consultation because it is not only obvious to the patient but also is visible to others, because this is the part of the breast that is not completely covered by a blouse or bathing suit.

Patients then seek cosmetic surgery consultation to gain fullness in this upper part of the breast, and this is best achieved with the placement of a breast implant.

How Breast Augmentation Achieves A Natural Result

Breast augmentation achieves a natural result because the implant is placed under the chest or “pec” muscle, and the muscle not only covers the implant but also acts like an internal bra to support the new volume and provide fullness in the upper part of the breast.

Submuscular placement leads to long-term stability of implant position on the chest and that translates into long-term excellent results.

Many women who go through pregnancy and breastfeeding simply lose volume but don’t develop drooping of their breasts and therefore simply require an implant to restore tone and fullness.

But some patients not only lose volume but develop drooping of their breasts where the breasts descend to a lower position on the chest and this issue requires attention in order to achieve a good cosmetic result.

Thinking About Breast Drooping When Planning Implants

A good way to think about breast drooping when implants are planned is that the new implant is under the muscle, which is fixed and in a good position on the chest.

As the breast droops, it descends below this position, away from the position of the implant. So the breast and the breast implant will be in two different positions. That’s where breast lifts enter the picture.

A breast lift (mastopexy) is a procedure where loose skin is removed and the breast is not only tightened, but also the nipple is kept attached and raised to a higher position. No breast tissue is removed during a breast lift, and so breast lifts don’t change the size of the breast at all. Most patients who have drooping of the breast have one procedure where the lift is combined with an implant.

Breast lifts raise the tissue and nipple to the position of the breast implant, but also result in a scar that fades with time and is placed in an inconspicuous place on the breast.

But one of the most important issues regarding treatment for breast drooping is related to how much breast tissue a patient has prior to their procedure.

The explanation relates to support of the breast: The implant, as mentioned above, is supported by the muscle, which keeps it from falling.

But breast tissue is supported by skin and childbirth and breastfeeding generally cause skin thinning, making the skin less supportive and that can lead to drooping.

The implant does not support the breast tissue after surgery and so if a patient has drooping with a significant amount of breast tissue, tissue needs to be removed or recurrence of drooping can happen after surgery.

Breast Tissue Removal Techniques

There are different techniques for breast tissue removal with an implant and lift procedure but really two different ideas.

One way is to remove some breast tissue with the combined implant/lift procedure. This is the procedure of choice when there is a limited amount of tissue to start with as with patients in the B to small C cup size.

When patients are larger than that, it is not possible to remove enough tissue. In that situation, the surgery is staged with a true breast reduction performed first and the implant is placed at a subsequent procedure.

The patients that require two procedures are generally in the full C to D and larger cup size. So when women have a significant amount of breast tissue, sculpting the new breast tissue shape with a breast reduction can give a better shape than when all the procedures are performed together.

Book A Breast Reduction & Augmentation Consultation in the Temecula, Murrieta, & Menifee Area!

It is, of course, important to seek consultation with a Plastic Surgeon who has significant experience with all of the above-mentioned procedures so all of the alternatives can be presented.

Women who have lifts performed with implants as well as tissue reduction, can have a more dramatic result as compared with only breast augmentation because they can have more significant change.

If you are in the Temecula, Murrieta, and Menifee area and interested in a breast reduction and/or augmentation procedure, book a consultation with Newman Plastic Surgery today!