How Plastic Surgeons Fix Breast Droop

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Because loose skin causes breast droop, the treatment is to remove excess skin. The remaining, tighter skin then holds the breast in a higher position. The greater the droop, the more skin must be removed—and the more extensive will be the scars. The operation also reduces nipple size for those who have undesirably large nipples.

As droop improves at the cost of new scars, a breast lift involves trading one cosmetic problem for another. Because of this, many women are unwilling to consider this operation unless their droop is moderate or advanced.

The following are general guidelines. Ask your plastic surgeon which procedure is most appropriate in your case.

Mild Droop

Correction of mild droop usually involves removal of skin around the nipple, which leaves a scar around the areola. If it heals well, the scar is relatively well hidden.

Moderate Droop

Surgeons usually correct moderate droop by removing skin both around and below the nipple (i.e., from the nipple to the inframammary crease), resulting in scars in both areas.

Advanced Droop

Correction of advanced droop usually involves skin removal and scars in three areas: around the nipple, below the nipple (i.e., from the nipple to the inframammary crease), and along the inframammary crease.

Purse-String Breast Lift

Another alternative is a purse-string mastopexy, in which a doughnut of skin is removed from around the nipple, regardless of the extent of droop. This limits the scar to the area around the nipple, but drawbacks include flattening of the breasts, widening of the areola (i.e., the pigmented skin around the nipple), development of stretch marks, and bunching of skin around the areola. Further, the scars that are omitted with this technique, from the areola to the inframmary crease and along the inframammary crease, are often less visible than the scar around the areola. Because these issues are magnified in cases of moderate or severe droop, this technique is typically limited to cases involving mild droop.