Breast Lift

II. (a) The latest in breast lift techniques.

Traditionally with any breast lift technique, although the breast would look nice for a few months, after a while it would begin to droop again. The specific characteristic problem was that you would loose the fullness in the top portion of the breast, so called the superior pole fullness, giving you a flat or empty appearance. This is why, most surgeons would suggest adding an implant to your breast lift. In certain patient population this solution would work nicely, but it has to be in right patient. However, in the majority of cases, this solution has now added more weight to your breast and consequently with time it will droop more.

So what can we do to maintain upper pole fullness for a longer period of time without having to add an implant?

Well, initially it was Dr. Sampaoe Goes from Brazil that discussed using a minimal scar technique and adding an internal mesh around the breast to act as an internal bra and maintain the lift longer. This technique is excellent and works well with small breast. Click here for Circumareolar breast lift with mesh.

In the United States the technique is starting to gain popularity. Although in Dr. Goes studies he has not found any problems with cancer or with mammography, we have had some reservations in using a permanent mesh. Most of us that do perform this operation have had some very nice results (especially with smaller breast) but we use a totally absorbable mesh. Although the absorbable mesh still acts as an internal bra and the results are longer lasting than if we did not use the mesh, the results still have not been as long lasting as we would like. This technique was also limited to certain breast sizes in particular small to medium breast.

A new technique that can be used in all sizes of breast, in almost every patient, and it appears to maintain a longer lasting result is one that was described by a Brazilian surgeon named Dr. Ruth Graf, and pioneered in the United States by Dr. Thomas Biggs. In this procedure part of the breast gland is tunneled underneath the pectoralis muscle and therefore the superior pole fullness is maintained because part of the gland is maintained in its position by the muscle. The results have been excellent to date, giving the breast an appearance almost as if you had implants. The length of the scar will depend on how big and how droopy your breasts are. There are only a handful of surgeons performing this technique, but to date we have had excellent results. Dr Mendieta has modified this technique even further by also incorporating a technique described by Dr. Dennis Hammond to further increase the superior pole fullness.

To see Dr. Mendieta for this procedure please contact us or fill out our online consultation form