Thursday, July 17, 2008

Breast Lift vs. Breast Augmentation-- Which is Best for You?

Many of us seek perkier fuller-looking breasts, but are implants necessarily the answer? Well, that depends on who you are. Before making that decision between saline and silicone, it’s worth exploring what a lift can or can’t do toward giving you the results you seek. Good candidates for a breast lift wish to change the contour of their breasts due to sagging, often from pregnancy, genetics, age or change in weight. A woman may have ample breast volume with less than perfect shape. A breast lift procedure removes the loose excess skin on the breast and tightens the remaining skin. The areola is also repositioned for a perkier look. The procedure can be performed alone or with implants, depending on the woman’s breast volume and the result she desires from her surgery.

Candidates for breast augmentation, on the other hand, seek greater breast volume. She may seek implants because her breasts have always been smaller than she likes, or because they have lost volume over time. The main difference to keep in mind when deciding between augmentation, a lift, or a combination of both procedures, is that a lift removes excess skin to correct sagging while augmentation adds volume. Breast augmentation can improve a woman’s profile, but cannot fix excessive sagging or drooping unless it is combined with a lift.

A good way to asses whether a breast lift should be considered is to look at the areola in relation to the inframammary fold, the crease beneath the breast. Often women with areolas even with, or below the inframammary fold are good candidates for a breast lift.

Of course, other considerations to explore before deciding which breast surgery to choose are price, scaring issues and recovery time. All of these things can vary quite a bit depending on the surgical techniques used and the degree of surgery needed. For example the price of a breast lift can be less expensive than augmentation, or considerably more, depending on the degree of lift needed and the type of augmentation chosen, so it is best to explore these issues more thoroughly in a consultation with a surgeon, and ultimately choose your procedure based on desired results rather issues such as price. For more information on breast lifts or breast enlargement Georgia, Savannah plastic surgeons at Costal Empire Plastic Surgery can help you.