Unfortunately for many women, they aren’t a candidate for a straightforward breast augmentation and need a lift as well. So instead of simply making one small incision in which to insert the breast implant, they need additional incisions to remove excess skin and accomplish a breast lift (mastopexy) at the same time. Then the question becomes, how much excess skin does the patient have and how much will need to be removed to get a proper lift? How much skin needs to be removed ultimately determines how many additional incisions will be required.
Breast lift incisions are usually divided into three types: 1) the periareolar incision which is just a fancy way of saying an incision around the areola only, 2) the “lollipop” incision which is around the areola and also a vertical incision going down to the crease under the breast, and finally, 3) the “anchor” incision which includes the incisions mentioned above plus an incision within the crease under the breast.
If you don’t have a great deal of breast droop, then you can receive the periareolar incision for your breast lift and completely avoid the vertical incision. The reason so many women want to avoid the vertical incision is because it’s so visible. Sure it may fade with time but that depends on the woman’s skin type and genetically predisposed healing ability which is impossible to predict accurately. So if your droop is relatively minimal like the photo above, all of your excess skin can be removed from around the areola, resulting in a scar at the junction of regular breast skin and the red areolar edge – a scar that blends in wonderfully with a woman’s natural anatomy.
Click here to find a board certified plastic surgeon near you and how much they charge for a breast augmentation combined with a breast lift. Hope that helps.