Do Breasts Get Smaller After a Breast Lift?

Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to overcome the effects of gravity, and this is a fact that every woman needs to accept. As women age, their breasts inevitably begin to hang further and further down the chest. Although the problem is usually worse for women with larger breasts, even smaller breasts will eventually begin to sag as the skin becomes stretched out and less capable of supporting the excess weight. Pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding can also greatly contribute to the sagging, and this helps to explain why so many women eventually end up considering a breast lift.

There is no doubt that a breast lift may be able to eliminate much of the sagging and return your breasts to their more natural position higher up on the chest. In some cases, the lift is combined with either a breast augmentation or reduction. Still, if you’re perfectly happy with the size of your breasts, choosing a breast lift alone is definitely the best option. The only problem is that many women are concerned that getting a breast lift will also reduce the size of their breasts, which is obviously something women who are happy with their breast size would want to avoid. In this case, it helps to look at what the research says in order to fully understand the facts about breast lifts and any potential effects that a lift can have on the overall size of the breast.

Understanding Exactly What a Breast Lift Involves

Many women with much larger breasts usually choose to undergo at least a slight breast reduction at the same time as their breast lift as it is often necessary to remove some excess fatty tissue to provide the best possible results. However, there are plenty of women who are perfectly happy with their A-, B-, C- or D-cup breasts and simply want to combat the effects of gravity, age, childbirth, etc.

In this case, a cosmetic surgeon will merely remove excess sagging skin in order to reposition the breasts higher on the chest and restore them to a more natural, rounded shape. The important thing to remember here is the surgeon only removes excess skin during a lift. No fat is removed during a breast lift, and this is where it differs from a breast reduction.

Your Cup Size May Change After a Breast Lift

Any reputable, professional plastic surgeon should be 100 percent honest and upfront with you when discussing a breast lift or any other procedure. This means making sure you are fully informed and thoroughly understand not only the risks and potential complications, but also of the type of results you can expect. Going into your procedure with realistic expectations gives you a far better chance of being satisfied with the result. In terms of a breast lift, it is vital that you know wholly what to expect as far as how the procedure can affect both the shape and size of your breasts.

The truth is that many breast lift patients report needing to wear a slightly smaller bra than they did prior to undergoing the procedure. Studies also seem to back this up. In fact, the vast majority of women will probably find that they need to buy all new bras after their surgery—with the average decrease equal to approximately one full cup size, i.e, D to C, C to B.

Of course, every woman’s body is different, and there are a variety of factors that can determine exactly how much your cup size may change following a breast lift. Still, the fact that a loss of cup size is a real possibility is precisely the reason why many women with smaller B or A cup breasts also consider undergoing a slight breast augmentation at the same time as their lift. However, it is important to note that most studies have tended to focus more on women with larger C and D cup breasts, which is why it is essential that you discuss everything with your doctor to determine what sort of results are typical for your specific case.

Why Smaller Cup Size Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Smaller Breasts

If the thought of your breasts potentially becoming smaller makes you reconsider your choice to get a breast lift, it is important that you understand the full picture before making any decisions. While it is true that most women report a decrease in cup size as a result of breast lift surgery, this doesn’t actually tell the whole story. In purely scientific terms, the fact that no fat is removed during the procedure means there is technically no way that the breasts can shrink in terms of total volume. Simply put, your breasts will stay have the exact same amount of fatty tissue as they did prior to your surgery.

This might sound a bit confusing since many women do lose a cup size, but there are several important factor that help to explain why this happens. The main reason is that many women with larger breasts tend to switch to a larger cup size as their breasts sag more. In most cases, this is done for reasons of comfort as the shape of ptotic (drooping or sagging) breasts tends to make them fill out a larger cup size. In this sense, what a breast lift really does is return the breasts not only to their more natural shape, but also their natural cup size.

Studies have repeatedly shown that most women don’t wear the right size of bra anyway since their true bra size could potentially lead to more discomfort. This is precisely why a breast lift can be such an effective solution to so many different issues. Nonetheless, it is important that you understand all of the potential effects the procedure can have and especially keep in mind that you could lose a full cup size with a lift alone. The reason this is so essential is that it can help to prevent you from possibly opting for a reduction in addition to your lift only to be disappointed when your breasts end up smaller than you’d anticipated.

No matter the type of cosmetic surgical procedure, patient satisfaction begins with having a complete idea of the expected results. In this sense, it is essential that you take the time to choose a plastic surgeon that you’re comfortable with, and one who takes the time during your initial consultation to ensure you have a full understanding of what your breast lift procedure will involve and exactly what you can expect in terms of recovery time and results.

Knowledge, experience and reputation are also vital when choosing a plastic surgeon, and this is precisely why the Plastic Surgery Institute of Miami is a great choice. Board-certified plastic surgeons Dr. Jason Altman, MD and Dr. Marcelo Ghersi, MD and the rest of the world-class team specialize in facial surgery, body contouring and breast surgeries and you can learn more about it all here: www.psimiami.com.