The Piazza Center for Plastic Surgery and Advanced Skin Care
5920 W. William Cannon Drive
Mesa Oaks Building Seven, Suite 200
Austin, TX 78749
Phone: (512) 288-8200
Monday–Friday: 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Breast Lift
For many women in New Braunfels, San Antonio, and other Texas communities, breastfeeding, weight changes, gravity and other factors can cause their breasts to sag and take on a “deflated” appearance. Mastopexy, also called a breast lift, from Austin board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Rocco Piazza can lift and sculpt the breasts to provide a youthful-looking shape that is rounder and firmer.
At The Piazza Center, we believe that beautiful surgical results are enhanced by leading a healthy lifestyle. Our aim is to help you achieve your aesthetic goals and desires through cosmetic surgery. If you would like to find out if a breast lift in Austin, TX, can give you the improvements you want request an in-person or virtual consultation online, or call our office at (512) 288-8200.
Breast Lift
Before & After Photos
WARNING:
This feature contains nudity. Please click OK to confirm you are at least 18 years of age and are not offended by such material.
Your Personal Consultation
When you meet with Dr. Piazza for a consultation regarding your mastopexy, you will discuss your goals, and he will detail what is achievable with surgery. It is important for Dr. Piazza to understand whether you desire more volume or are currently pleased with your breast volume. Many women bring photos to Dr. Piazza showing the results they desire, which is very helpful in determining the best approach for you. If you desire more volume in the upper portion of your breast, Dr. Piazza may recommend fat transfer or a breast implant. Dr. Piazza will answer any questions you have and advise on the best approach to achieving your cosmetic goals. Once you and Dr. Piazza have determined your treatment plan, your surgery will be scheduled and will be performed as an outpatient procedure in a fully-accredited ambulatory surgery center near our practice.
Your Custom Procedure
Your breast lift procedure will be performed under sedation or general anesthesia, and typically will take about an hour or two to perform, depending on the extent of lifting necessary. In general, Dr. Piazza uses two short scar methods to create a beautiful, round shape while minimizing the length of the scars.
Circular Incision
He may lift the breast using a circular incision around the areola, which leaves the most inconspicuous scar. This incision is created around the border or the areola, which removes skin from the breast and also allows for reduction of the areolas. He uses a permanent suture that prevents the spread of the areola when performing this surgery.
Vertical Short-Scar Technique
For more extensive lifting, Dr. Piazza may use the vertical short-scar technique. This technique adds a short vertical scar extending down from the circle around the areola and a short scar underneath the breast hidden in the fold. Unlike the traditional and dated anchor-scar method, which leaves extensive scarring on the breasts and along the entire inframammary fold, this short-scar technique:
- Helps to maintain a round, lifted shape
- Allows for quicker recovery
- Reduces total scars placed on the breast
In patients who desire more volume, fat can be moved from an unwanted area of the body and transferred to the breasts to improve the cleavage and overall fullness. This can be an excellent alternative in patients who only want a subtle increase in volume. In patients that have a deflated and droopy breast appearance, a breast implant may be used to create a fuller shape to the breast. This procedure is performed just like breast augmentation and does not increase recovery time.
Dr. Piazza often combines breast lift surgery with breast augmentation for women who are seeking to increase the size of their breasts and improve the shape of their breasts. Click to read more about breast augmentation & lift surgery on our blog.
Breast lift surgery can also be combined with nipple reduction surgery to help enhance your results. Dr. Piazza discusses his techniques for performing nipple reduction and correction on his blog.
Meet Dr. Piazza
Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Rocco C. Piazza looks forward to meeting with you to help you discover how you can achieve your cosmetic goals and desires.
About Dr. Piazza
A Patient for Life™
When you get plastic surgery at The Piazza Center, we make a long-term commitment to your recovery, your beauty, and your well-being. Learn about the dedication you receive when you become a patient for life.
Learn MoreBreast Lift Recovery
After the procedure, you may experience some soreness; however, this will significantly decrease over the next few days. Light bruising may develop around the areola approximately three days after surgery, but it will fade away over the next few days. You will wear a comfortable, supportive bra after surgery and return to the office a week after surgery for a follow-up appointment. All sutures are usually placed under the skin so there will be no need for their removal.
Short-Scar Breast Lift With/Without Augmentation at a Glance
Goal:
To enhance the appearance of the breasts after weight changes, pregnancy, breastfeeding, or aging.
Procedure:
When breast augmentation is being performed to enhance breast volume, a pocket is created behind the breast tissue for the breast implant. Dr. Piazza uses sizers to first determine what exact implant volume will give the patient her desired breast size. Next, he replaces the sizers with actual breast implants. Dr. Piazza then shapes the breast tissue using the short-scar breast lift technique to optimize the position of the nipple, which often involves reducing the size of the areola and removing unwanted saggy tissue from the bottom of the breast. When needed, Dr. Piazza uses fat transfer to further enhance the shape of the breast or cleavage.
Anesthesia:
General anesthesia
Procedure length:
1.5 to 3.5 hours
Aftercare:
When surgery is complete, the breast incisions will be covered with small, white bandages, and the patient will be placed in a soft bra. No drains are used for this procedure. Dr. Piazza does not want patients to apply ice to the breasts. He encourages patients to shower the day after surgery.
Recovery:
During the first few days after surgery, the patient will experience some breast discomfort and pressure/tightness, which can usually be controlled with medication. Most patients return to work 1 week after the procedure and are back to full activities without restrictions after 6 weeks. Bruising around the breasts in the areas where the lift or fat transfer was performed usually resolves by 2 weeks.
Timeline
- Surgery
- Day 5 to 7: Bandage Removal
- Day 7 to 10: Return to work and social activities
- 6 weeks: 80% healed
- 3 months: 100% healed
Dr. Piazza Answers Common Questions
Can my breast lift be combined with other procedures?
Yes, in fact, the majority of my breast lift patients choose to combine their procedure with a breast augmentation. By combining a lift with implants, I can help my patients to achieve their ideal breast size and shape. While a breast lift can tighten the skin on the breast, and sometimes even make the areola smaller, in general, I like to combine this procedure with implants in the appropriate candidates, so that they can achieve fuller, more youthful breasts. It is important to know that a gummy bear breast implant is an excellent way to really shape the breast; it does not have to be a large breast implant to do so.
What if I want more volume but do not want breast implants?
The best way to increase breast volume without an implant is with fat transfer breast augmentation. This involves removing fat from where it’s unwanted using liposuction and injecting it into the breasts. I use the Revolve™ system in order to achieve the most successful fat transfer for my patients. The fat can be placed throughout the breasts to increase volume. I typically focus on the upper portion of the breast and the cleavage area as my patients usually want to enhance these areas. Fat transfer to the breasts is is a safe and very effective procedure.
How long is recovery after a breast lift?
In general, patients should be able to return to normal, everyday activities within 5 to 7 days after their breast lift. This can vary between patients, so it is important to follow all postoperative instructions closely.
Real Patients. Real Stories
Helping Our Patients to Live Confidently
Find out what it's like to be a patient of The Piazza Center. Review the stories and "after" photos of some of the plastic surgery patients who've shared their experiences with us.
View StoriesWill mastopexy decrease the size of my breasts?
It is likely that mastopexy will slightly reduce the size of your breasts, depending on which incision is used to perform the procedure. While there may be some slight reduction in order to tighten the skin on the breast, this reduction is typically not too significant. Many of my patients feel that their breasts are smaller with a breast lift because their breasts no longer have to be gathered and placed into undergarments, such as a bra. With mastopexy, the excess breast skin contributing to breast droop has been removed, creating a higher, tighter breast, which often gives the impression that the breast is smaller.
Will my nipples lose sensation after a breast lift?
You may lose sensation, have a increase in sensation, or experience no changes in sensation after breast lift surgery; however, any changes in nipple sensation are usually temporary and go away in about 6 to 8 weeks.
How soon after my surgery can I resume exercise?
As with any surgery, it is important to follow all of your doctor’s instructions after the procedure, in order to recover as safely and quickly as possible. I usually tell my breast lift patients they may resume exercise as soon as they feel comfortable. I prefer that my breast patients refrain from heavy lifting and high intensity training for the first 5 to 6 weeks. But, I encourage my patients to get to the gym, walk on a treadmill or stair-step machine in order to get exercise in the first few weeks after surgery. I also want my patients to lift weights to stay toned and will outline a fitness plan if needed. (Read this blog post for more information.) I want my patients to feel normal as soon as possible and by returning to an active healthy lifestyle, we can achieve beautiful surgical results.
Delivering an Exceptional Anesthesia Experience for Our Patients
At The Piazza Center, our patients come first. We have listened to our patients and in an effort to reduce the uncertainty with the anesthesia experience, The Piazza Center has developed a collaborative relationship with Dr. Cady to deliver an exceptional anesthesia experience for patients like you.
“By far the best anesthesia experience I've ever had. Thank you!!”
Learn more about Dr. Cady, D.O. and The Piazza Center’s approach to taking the fear and stress out of anesthesia.
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