Can I Have A Breast Lift Without Implants?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I want to lift my breasts but I am completely opposed to getting implants and that is not even a consideration. So please don’t even try to convince me to get them whatever their purported benefits may be to how the breast may look by using them. However, I am undecided  as to whether it is worth the effort to undergo a breast lift. I would be happy if only my nipples were positioned higher as they sag down quite a bit now. I don’t have to have my breasts fuller after a lift and it wouldn’t bother me if they even end up a little smaller as a result of the lift. I just don’t know if the scarring and the cost would be worthwhile.

A: While implants are often used at the same time as a breast lift, they do not always have to be. If one is willing to accept a slightly smaller breast and no upper pole fullness afterwards, then one may do well with a breast lift as that is what it accomplish in most cases. The real question, and a hard one to answer for many women with sagging breasts, is whether the scars to lift them are a good trade-off. The best way to answer that important question is to look at numerous after surgery results of breast lifts and look carefully at the scars. Your reaction to those breast scars will answer the question of your acceptance of breast scars from a cosmetic reshaping operation.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana