Breast Lift or Breast Reduction?

Patients who have lost significant amounts of weight often are concerned about the appearance of their breasts.  For many patients they are unclear if the best procedure for them would be a breast reduction or a breast lift.  A breast lift (also called a  Mastopexy) repositions the breast on the chest wall but does not change the size of the breast. A breast reduction not only repositions the breast higher on the chest wall ( a lift) but also removes some of the breast tissue to make a smaller breast.  In some cases if a large enough amount of breast tissue is being removed a breast reduction may be covered by insurance.  A breast lift is not usually covered by insurance as it is considered a cosmetic procedure.  In some cases during a breast lift a breast implant will be placed in order to restore breast volume lost by pregnancy or weight loss.  If you are unclear about which procedure is best for you try and pinpoint what bothers you most about your breasts ( for example –   I don’t like the droopiness but I am happy with the size) and then the best procedure to address those issues can be chosen.