Breast Augmentation vs. Breast Lift: How to Choose What’s Right for You

Starting research into breast enhancement can be a slightly daunting experience. There’s a lot of information out there and many different procedures to choose from. Breast lift and breast augmentation surgery are two popular choices among our Northbrook, Glenview, and Arlington Heights patients. But how can you tell which option is right for you and your personal needs?

Both breast augmentation and breast lift surgery create beautiful, natural-looking results. But these two procedures aren’t exactly alike, and each presents some unique benefits. 

Breast Augmentation Benefits

Breast augmentation surgery uses implants to add volume to the breasts. The implants are placed either beneath the chest muscle or directly behind the breast tissue. This creates a flattering, feminine volume boost that is easily customized. Implants come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and materials, and you can choose the perfect combination for your ideal look. 

Breast augmentation is an excellent procedure for a variety of reasons. You may be a good candidate if you wish to:

• Increase breast size
• Correct breast asymmetry
• Reverse an inverted nipple

Although breast augmentation offers many appealing benefits, it has some limitations. Breast augmentation cannot lift a severely sagging breast nor repair skin that has been stretched out.

Breast Lift Benefits

Breast lift surgery (also known as mastopexy) fixes saggy breasts and creates a more youthful, lifted appearance. This is achieved by removing loose skin and repositioning the breast tissue higher along the chest wall. Many women turn to breast lift surgery after breastfeeding, significant weight loss, or age. 

A breast lift is a good option to:

• Remove excess skin
• Relieve neck or back pain caused by sagging
• Correct drooping nipples

For women who have their breast implants removed or who have had a breast reduction surgery, a breast lift can provide an attractive boost to breasts that have excess skin.

Combining Procedures

The breasts can change in many ways after body-changing life events. For example, women who have experienced pregnancy often struggle with both saggy skin and loss of volume. Similarly, those who have experienced significant weight loss often have excess breast skin and deflated-looking breasts. In these cases, if you wish to correct both volume loss and sagging at one time, you can combine a breast lift with implants for more noticeable results.

When a breast lift and breast augmentation are used together, they create more lifted, fuller breasts. You get the benefits of both procedures with a single surgery and a single recovery period. Find a board-certified plastic surgeon and ask if combining procedures is right for you. By talking over your goals with an experienced breast surgeon, you’ll be able to create a surgery plan customized to your needs. 

Browse our breast augmentation before-and-after gallery to see real results from our patients. In our photo gallery, you can see the difference in the results of breast augmentation alone and the results of breast augmentation combined with a breast lift.

If you would like to learn more about your breast augmentation and breast lift options in Northbrook, request a consultation online. You can also contact our practice office by phone at (847) 504-2333.