According to breast lift surgeon Dr. Okada, any surgical procedure requires a thorough evaluation of the patient’s health to ascertain that the patient can tolerate the procedure well. Therefore, if you decide to undergo breast lift surgery to fix your sagging or drooping breasts and regain a shapely figure, you must follow what the board-certified plastic surgeon advises. Luckily, a large number of women qualify for the surgery, and it should not be a problem for you unless you have some serious underlying health condition.  

Discussing your physical and mental health condition with the doctor and sharing your goals for cosmetic improvement of your breasts is the starting point of the journey in breast improvement.

Pencil Test – Know if You Need Breast Lift Surgery

Breasts that lose tightness and tend to sag can happen for various reasons, like aging and mainly after childbirth, when the body undergoes hormone changes. It can also happen due to significant weight loss or gain that alters the internal structure of breasts. Genetic factors, too, cause drooping breasts. Menopause affects the volume and shape of breasts, causing sagging. The best way to confirm that you have sagging breasts is to undertake a pencil test yourself.

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Stand erect in front of a mirror while uncovering your breasts and place a pencil horizontally under the crease of one of your breasts. Stay still in the standing position and observe what happens to the pencil. If the pencil falls to the ground immediately or takes a slight time to fall off, then although your breasts tend to sag slightly, it’s not yet time for surgery. However, if the pencil remains in place under the breast, it’s a definite sign that you are a good candidate for breast lift surgery.

Why do Breasts Sag?

Cooper’s ligaments under the breasts provide support and lift to the breasts. As age progresses, these ligaments start losing elasticity and can stretch out, resulting in sagging breasts. As the skin becomes loose, the tissues become elongated and unable to provide the desired support to the breasts. As a result, breasts tend to deflate and hang downwards, with the nipples pointing towards the ground.

Breast Lift After Breast Reconstruction Surgery

Patients of breast cancer who have their breast/s removed might undergo breast reconstruction surgery to replace the lost breast. However, the reconstruction surgery might not always be optimal, leaving patients asking for more. Even after the reconstruction surgery, they might want further improvement in the shape of the breast for which they would be ready to undergo breast lift surgery. In addition to creating shapely breasts, breast lift surgery tightens the breast muscles and tissues to help the breasts regain firmness and retain their shape. Mastopexy or breast lift not only lends firmness and creates shapely breasts but does not alter the size or volume of breasts. Therefore, if you intend to have fuller breasts, you must undergo breast augmentation surgery.

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Maintaining a healthy weight, drinking plenty of water, and practicing good posture can help delay the sagging of breasts but cannot prevent it, especially during and after midlife.