Breast Lift

TOP PLASTIC SURGEON

Breast Lift (Mastopexy) Procedure in Norwalk, Connecticut

Dr. Laurence Kirwan. is one of the most experienced Board Certified Plastic Surgeons in Norwalk, Connecticut, and in the entire country. He is a recognized international leader in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. He offers a superior level of knowledge, care and understanding to help you achieve the youthful, bright and contoured look you desire.

Conveniently Located: Every patient is a VIP. For your breast lift appointment, you will see Dr. Kirwan himself at every single appointment. Our Norwalk, CT location is conveniently located in between Manhattan, New York and New Haven, Connecticut. Patients regularly visit from across Connecticut (Stamford, Greenwich, Stratford, Fairfield, Westport, Bridgeport, Darien, New Canaan, Trumbull), New York ( Manhattan, NYC, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, New Rochelle, Port Chester, White Plains, Harrison), New Jersey and other neighboring cities/towns for their breast lift surgery and other plastic surgery procedures. Our office is close to all of the New York Airports for patients who are coming from out-of-state or other countries.

What is the definition of a “breast lift”?

Breast lifting is a procedure to lift the breast when it sags. This is a result of loss of elasticity of the skin and supporting ligaments. These supporting ligaments are called Cooper’s ligaments. They are anchored in a layer known called the deep fascia which lies over the pectoralis major muscle behind the breast. The ligaments branch through the breast tissue all the way to the dermis which envelopes the breast. Pregnancy, breast feeding, large breasts, weight loss, involutional changes with menopause and aging, cause stretching and loss of the youthful elasticity of Cooper’s ligaments. Sagging breasts can also be developmental and may be associated with features such as a tubular breast. Dr. Kirwan has published several scientific articles on his classification and techniques of breast lifting. 

Age

Breasts may drop with weight loss, pregnancy, breast feeding and the menopause. Sometimes, breasts may sag as they develop in adolescence. Large breasts are often pendulous and a breast lift is combined with a breast reduction. Parental consent is required for surgery under the age of 18.

Surgical technique

A breast lift has four elements:

1. The areola (the pigmented skin around the nipple), is made smaller.
2. Breast tissue is repositioned or suspended.
3. The nipple areola complex (NAC) is elevated.
4. Extra skin is removed and breast tissue may be also be excised. Breast tissue is repositioned and a new skin “brassiere” is fashioned.

 

The scar may be just around the areolar (peri-areolar) or it may have a lollipop shape, with a vertical scar in the center stretching from the areola to the crease under the breast. There may be an additional horizontal scar in the crease (infra-mammary crease or IMC). This results in an inverted ‘T’ or anchor shaped scar.

Short scar techniques

A short scar implies a vertical scar with or without short horizontal scar.

 

The “old fashioned” breast lift involved support of the nipple on a base of tissue from the lower part of the breast. Over time this base or pedicle would drop or bottom-out and the nipple would point upwards (star-gazing) .

 

Ivo Pitanguy from Rio de Janeiro pioneered the concept of using upper breast tissue to support the nipple, removing the lower part of the breast as a Keel (like a boat) resection to prevent the bottoming-out. Claude Lassus from Nice, France, further developed this technique to avoid the horizontal scar beneath the breast or to reduce its length. An alternative to removing the lower part of the breast is to reposition it as an auto-augmentation to give fullness to the upper pole of the breast, moving it to the upper part of the breast and retaining its blood supply. In the case of a breast-lift or mastopexy without an implant, Dr. Kirwan is often using the lower part of the breast as an autogenous (patient’s own tissue) breast implant, to provide upper breast fullness.

 

See Breast Auto-Augmentation™.

Breast Autoaugmentation, Canadian Journal of Plastic Surgery, Volue 15, Number 2:73-76, Summer 2007

short-scar technique is ideal for the small to medium sized breast that needs lifting rather than reduction. The technique creates a perky shape with less risk of bottoming-out over time. Dr. Kirwan now utilizes this technique in his breast lifts and small breast reductions. He also combines the technique with a peri-areolar mastopexy which allows more tissue to be gathered around the areola and reduces the excess skin in the lower part of the breast, reducing the length of a horizontal scar in the IMC.

 

The final scar is limited either to a “lollipop” configuration alone (around the areolar and a vertical component from the areolar to the IMC) or to a lollipop shape plus a short horizontal component which is hidden beneath the breast in the IMC. The horizontal scar does not extend, like the standard inverted ‘T’ scar, to the visible part of the décolletage and the outer part of the breast where it might be visible as a widened scar and be impossible to hide with revealing clothing or in a swimsuit.

To create a teardrop-shaped breast with thin scars that turn white and are almost unnoticeable when completely healed.

Surgery takes 3-4 hours. There is no drain. All sutures are absorbable. The patient can go back to work in 7 days. Light exercise is permitted after 14 days. Normal daily activities can be resumed in 21 days. Gym: light schedule four weeks, Regular schedule: six weeks. No contact sports for 3 months.

Liposuction to contour the outer contour of the breast where excess fat or breast tissue extends to the side of the chest, under the arm.

Nipple reduction.

Breast implant removal. Mastopexy, with or without a breast auto-augmentation or a small vertical breast reduction, is often combined with removal of breast implants. These procedures include a complete or partial capsulectomy and fat injection to the breast using fat harvested from thighs, abdomen and hips.

SEE THE TRANSFORMATIONS & BEAUTIFUL RESULTS

Before & After

NORWALK OFFICE
10 Mott Avenue, Suite 1A
Norwalk, CT 06850

Phone: (203) 838-8844
eFax: (203) 774-1177
Email: info@drkirwan.com

Plastic Surgery Practice in Norwalk CT with clients from CT, NY, NJ – Manhattan, Northern New Jersey towns, surrounding areas of Greenwich, New Canaan, Stamford, Westport, Darien, Wilton, Weston, Easton, Fairfield, Bridgeport, Trumbull, Ridgefield, Danbury, Monroe, Milford, Bedford, Armonk, Mt Kisco, Bedford Hills, Rye, Harrison, New Haven, Mamaroneck, Larchmont, White Plains, Scarsdale, Westchester County, Fairfield County. New York and from around the world.

*Disclaimer: results are not guaranteed, may not be permanent, and can vary per individual. Before and after photographs of surgical results are of procedures performed solely by Dr. Kirwan.  Some images on this web site are of models, not actual patients. Please see our full disclaimer.

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