Breast Reduction or Breast Lift: Which Is The Right Option for Me

Common procedures that our patients need to decide between are a breast reduction vs a breast lift.

While a breast reduction reduces the size of the breasts, a lift will elevate the breasts to a suitable position on the chest wall. Both procedures remove excess tissue, but each is designed to achieve different results.

Choosing between a breast reduction and a lift depends on the specific results you want to achieve. Some patients opt for a combination of both procedures for a comprehensive approach, addressing both the position and size of the breasts.

In this blog, we’ll discuss the factors to consider when deciding which procedure suits your needs best. By understanding the purposes and results of each surgery, you’ll be better prepared for your consultation with one of our experienced surgeons.

During your consultation at Valley Plastic Surgery in Brisbane, you can discuss your goals and determine if a single procedure or a combination is the best option for you.

Breast reduction vs breast lift: A definition of each procedure

Essentially, both breast reductions and lifts address breast shape and excess tissue, but they have different focuses:

Breast lift

A breast lift, or mastopexy surgery, aims to reposition the breasts by removing excess skin and tightening the surrounding tissue.

You might opt for a breast lift if you’re content with your breast size, but want to address other concerns, such as skin laxity and breast position. Other factors, such as asymmetry and the placement of the nipples and areolae, can also be addressed with the procedure.

Key factors in determining your suitability for a breast lift include the extent of skin laxity, the amount of excess skin, and the displacement of the nipples and areolae.

An individual assessment, which considers your health, lifestyle, and other individual factors, will ultimately determine whether or not you are a suitable candidate.

Breast reduction

A breast reduction, or reduction mammoplasty, reduces the size and weight of the breasts by removing excess tissue. This procedure can be medically necessary for those with macromastia (overly large breasts) causing discomfort, mobility issues, chronic pain or skin conditions.

If your breasts are significantly large and causing physical discomfort, a breast reduction may be a suitable procedure choice. A reduction can remove excess skin, addressing skin laxity, but not in as much of a targeted approach as a breast lift when it comes to adjusting the position of the breasts.

Apart from the medically necessary reasons to undergo a breast lift, patients have the option to elect the procedure for purely aesthetic purposes. Essentially, if you simply want to reduce your breast size for personal reasons, you may still be a suitable candidate for the procedure, as it will come down to individual health factors, lifestyle factors and personal expectations.

Breast reduction vs breast lift: Combining both procedures

If you’re considering both procedures, a breast reduction can be performed within the same surgery as a breast lift.

Taking a combined approach enables your surgeon to address both breast size and position. Excess breast tissue can be removed, while repositioning the breasts and adjusting nipples and areolae.

The decision to combine procedures depends on what you would like to achieve. If you’re not sure, your surgeon will be able to examine the condition of your breasts, consider your goals and make personalised recommendations.

It can be hard to know which procedure (or a combined procedure) is suitable for you, so your surgeon can explain how each procedure works and the results that can be achieved.

When you combine two different surgeries, there can be pros and cons. The pros are that it means only one anaesthesia fee, one procedure (combined), and one recovery. This can help make the process more efficient rather than having two separate surgeries at different times.

The cons can be that, since the surgery will be more extensive, recovery time can be longer. Costs should also be considered – although, it can be more cost effective to undergo a combined approach instead of two separate procedures. A combined approach can be more complex, so candidates will need to be suitable to undergo a more extensive surgery.

When you discuss your procedure options during a consultation, you can go over each aspect of combining a breast reduction with a lift, and discuss if it would be feasible for your specific circumstances.

Breast reduction vs breast lift: Being a suitable candidate

Apart from finding that the procedure can appropriately address your personal concerns, candidates for either procedure will need to meet some health requirements to be suitable for surgery.

In general, suitable candidates for surgery will need to be in good health, and not currently experiencing significant, unmanaged conditions that could interfere with healing after surgery. Being within a healthy weight range and at a stable weight will also be important, not just for health purposes, but because significant weight fluctuations after surgery can impact the final results of a breast reduction or lift.

Candidates cannot be pregnant or breastfeeding at the time of undergoing surgery, as this can lead to certain complications during the procedure process. If you are a smoker, surgeons will typically need to instruct you to stop smoking before for undergoing your surgery, to help reduce the chance of complications occurring. You will likely also need to avoid smoking during your recovery, to prevent any issues occurring as your body heals.

Your expectations for the results and process of your chosen surgery will also need to be realistic. Making sure that the procedure aligns with your goals and that you have a clear understanding of what can and cannot be achieved with your surgery will help to support your suitability to undergo surgery.

Each of these factors will be thoroughly discussed during your consultation, along with any specific preparation instructions that you may need to follow, tailored to your individual case. 

Choose a highly experienced surgeon at Valley Plastic Surgery in Brisbane

Whether you are considering a breast reduction, a breast lift or taking a combined approach, choosing a qualified and experienced surgeon is the first step.

Our experienced surgical team consists of experienced, empathetic surgeons who aim to take a personalised approach against a high standard of care for any surgery.

If you’re ready to schedule your consultation or have any questions, please feel free to contact our team.