Breast Lift with Implants

It is a breast lift and a breast augmentation performed together: the lift raises the nipple, reshapes the breast and tightens stretched skin, while an implant restores volume and upper-pole fullness. It is used when the breast is both sagging and deflated, typically after pregnancy, breastfeeding or weight loss.

It depends on where your nipple sits relative to the inframammary crease. If it sits at or below the fold, an implant alone will only hang lower (the “rock in a sock”) and you need a lift too. If the nipple is still above the fold and only volume is missing, an implant or hybrid alone may be enough. Measurements make this an objective decision.

For most patients it is a single operation. It is staged — lift first, implant once the tissues have healed — only in specific situations: when you want a notably larger implant that freshly lifted skin could not safely carry at once, or when factors such as very thin skin, previous scarring or smoking raise the healing risk.

Because an implant adds volume but does not raise the nipple or tighten skin. Placed under a sagging breast it simply pushes a heavy, low breast further down. The skin has to be tightened and the nipple lifted at the same time as the volume is added — which is what the combination does.

The default is a moderate, controlled implant in a dual plane, because the lift tightens the skin while the implant pushes outward and the two must be balanced. Your measured anatomy decides whether a larger implant can be carried safely; when the size you want is more than a single-stage lift can hold, the operation is staged.

In a dual plane — the upper part under the pectoralis muscle, the lower part behind the breast tissue. This camouflages the top edge for a smooth upper pole and protects against rippling in skin that has been stretched, giving the most reliable long-term support once the breast is lifted over it.

The scar follows your ptosis grade: a circumareolar (donut) scar for mild sagging, a vertical (lollipop) for moderate, and an L-scar or anchor (inverted-T) for severe. The L-scar keeps the central cleavage scar-free. The implant is inserted through the same incision, so it adds no extra scar.

It is an internal support made from your own tissue that reinforces the inframammary fold — the crease carrying the weight of the breast and now the implant — holding everything up from below. Because it uses no synthetic mesh there is no risk of rejection, and it helps the result last rather than bottoming out.

Most patients wake with zero surgical pain thanks to ultrasound-guided PECS nerve blocks placed during surgery, combined with modern TIVA anaesthesia that gives a smooth wake-up and almost no nausea.

It mirrors a breast lift: most people return to desk work at around two weeks (14 days), wear a supportive surgical bra for two months, and resume full physical and upper-body exercise at around three weeks (20 days). The breast settles into its final shape over three to six months.

Often, yes. The technique preserves the connection between the nipple and the milk ducts wherever possible, so many women can still breastfeed, though it cannot be guaranteed. Because a future pregnancy can re-stretch the breast, it is generally best to complete your family first. Tell Dr. Paulo Michels if breastfeeding matters so the plan accounts for it.

The result is long-lasting, especially reinforced with the inframammary support of your own tissue, which resists the lift dropping or the implant bottoming out. Ageing, large weight changes and pregnancy still affect the breast over time, so a stable weight and good support help it last.

Yes. An augmentation-mastopexy is commonly planned as part of a “mommy makeover” alongside a tummy tuck and liposuction, in a single anaesthetic and recovery. Suitability depends on your health and total operating time, and is decided at consultation.