Breast Lift Fort Worth - Breast Augmentation Dallas

• Introduction
• Am I a good candidate for a breast lift?
• What should I expect from my breast lift consultation?
• What does a breast lift entail?
• Are the other breast lift options?
• Are there safety concerns associated with breast lift surgery?
• How should I prepare for my breast lift surgery?
• What will happen the day of my surgery?
• What should I expect from my recovery?
• When should I see my results and how long will they last?
• How long will I continue to see my plastic surgeon?
• Choosing a plastic surgeon
• Make sure your surgeon is board certified
• Ask about the surgeon's hospital privileges

Introduction

Volume isn't the only important factor in breast appearance. Their shape and level of lift can give them a perky, youthful look or allow them to show unwanted age. If you've ever wished your breasts were firmer, higher and more youthful-looking, breast lift surgery may offer the enhancement you seek. A breast lift can renew your figure and self-image by restoring the lift and shape that is often lost as gravity takes its toll.

Breast lift surgery (mastopexy) addresses issues of droop, surgically removing excess skin, and reshaping the breast for a firmer, more youthful appearance. During surgery, the breasts are raised and the nipples are repositioned. The areolas (the dark area surrounding the nipple) may be reduced in size for better proportion. If you'd like to restore lost breast volume as well, implants may be used to increase breast size although Dr. White believes it's best to avoid doing both procedures at the same time in order to optimize each procedure and minimize scars.

Though basic breast lift information is provided on this website, the best way to get answers to specific questions about your needs is to schedule a personal consultation with a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. For women in the Dallas area considering a breast lift, Dallas plastic surgeon, Dr. White is ABPS certified and will gladly address any questions and concerns you may have during consultation.

Am I a good candidate for a breast lift?

Women of all ages undergo breast lift surgery, though waiting until breast development has stopped is recommended by most plastic surgeons. Many women also postpone surgery until they are finished having children since pregnancy and breast-feeding can affect the results. Still, many women elect to go forward with the surgery before having children, knowing that they can address any pregnancy-related changes later. Breast lift surgery will usually not affect your ability to breast-feed since the nipples and milk ducts are generally left intact.

Good candidates for a breast lift include healthy women bothered by any of the following issues:

• Pendulous breasts with satisfactory volume
• Breasts lack firmness
• Breast ptosis with nipples and areolas pointing downward
• Nipples hanging below the breast crease

Breast lift surgery can also correct issues of breast asymmetry. It is fairly common for one breast to be firmer and better-positioned than the other. Though breast lift results tend to be longer lasting in women with smaller breasts, the procedure can offer benefits to women with any breast size.

What should I expect from my breast lift consultation?

A personal consultation with your surgeon is the first step for any patient considering a breast lift. Fort Worth plastic surgeon Dr. Steven White believes in careful patient consultation to assess your physical and emotional health, discuss your aesthetic goals, and address any questions or concerns you may have.

Issues you should be prepared to discuss during consultation with Dr. White include:

• Medical conditions, both past and present
• Current medications, including nutritional supplements and herbal remedies
• Previous surgeries
• Weight loss history and goals

During consultation, Dr. White will examine your breasts, paying attention to their size, shape, skin elasticity and nipple position. He may also take photographs and measurements for your medical record.

What does a breast lift entail?

There are many variations to a breast lift procedure. The technique Dr. White uses with you depends upon your individual features and aesthetic goals. The most common method, which offers the most significant lift, involves three incisions: One around the circumference of the areola. Another running vertically from the areola to the breast crease. The third following the natural curve of the crease beneath the breast.

Through these incisions, Dr. White removes the excess breast skin and shapes the remaining breast tissue. The nipple and areola, which remain attached to the underlying tissue, are then shifted to a higher position. The areola can also be reduced in size for better proportion. Because the nipples and areolas are left intact, nipple sensation and breast-feeding should not be affected.

Are the other breast lift options?

Depending upon the extent of issues being addressed, the horizontal incision running along breast crease may be avoided in some cases. Though this modified technique is not appropriate for all women considering a breast lift, Dallas plastic surgeon Dr. White does perform this option when appropriate.

Are there safety concerns associated with breast lift surgery?

Though thousands women undergo breast lift surgery each year and experience no major complications, the procedure does carry some degree risk. It is important you be well informed of these risks when considering a breast lift. Dallas cosmetic surgeon Dr. White sees the discussion of potential risks and complications as one of the most important aspects of patient consultation. During your consultation, he will discuss these potential complications with you, listen to your safety questions, and offer instructions on how to minimize your risk.

How should I prepare for my breast lift surgery?

It is important to follow Dr. White's instructions when preparing for breast lift surgery to ensure the best possible results. Those instructions may include:

• Refraining from smoking for several weeks before and after surgery
• Avoiding certain medications
• Arranging for help following surgery, such as a ride home and in-home care for the first 24 hours
• Undergoing a baseline mammogram

What will happen the day of my surgery?

For your comfort and convenience, Dr. White maintains privileges in several hospitals in the greater Dallas/Fort Worth area. Breast lift surgery may require a short, one-night hospital stay, though most are performed on an outpatient basis, allowing patients to return home the day of surgery.

During surgery, medications will be administered to ensure comfort. General anesthesia will most likely be used to allow you to sleep during the procedure. Dr. White uses only doctors (anesthesiologists)-not nurses (CRNA's or anesthetists)-to administer anesthesia to his Dallas cosmetic surgery patients. He will carefully monitor your physical status throughout the operation and during your recovery.

What should I expect from my recovery?

Directly after surgery, you'll be taken to a recovery area. You will have gauze dressing over your breasts covered by a supportive bra.

On the day of surgery, you will be encouraged to get out of bed for short periods of time. The post-operative discomfort you feel during the first few days will be controlled with pain medication.

Though everyone heals at a different pace, you can expect your recovery to roughly go as follows:

Within the first week

• You will begin to move about more comfortably
• You may feel up to resuming some non-strenuous work
• Your dressings will be changed

After several weeks

• Swelling and bruising will diminish
• All stitches will have been removed
• Nipple sensation will gradually improve
• You may resume to most normal activities, including light exercise

After a few months

• Your breasts will start settling into a more natural shape
• Incision lines will begin to fade

When should I see my results and how long will they last?

The firmer, more youthful-looking breasts you sought will start to emerge within a few months, after they have had ample time to heal. You should see improvement in their level of lift, and the nipple position will offer a perkier look. Adjustments to the areola size may also offer a more pleasing proportion.

Though breast lift surgery entails permanent scarring, the scars are easily concealed beneath clothing, swimsuits and tank tops and will fade significantly over time.

In most cases, your new breast shape should remain for several years to come. Factors such as weight fluctuation or subsequent pregnancies, however, can affect the longevity of the results. Over time, the effects of gravity may change the shape or your breasts once again. If this happens, you may choose to undergo a second breast lift procedure to help restore their more youthful contour.

How long will I continue to see my plastic surgeon?

Dallas plastic surgeon Dr. White believes in the importance of follow-up visits, to answer any questions you may have and monitor your healing process. Rather than delegating all of these visits to a nurse, he enjoys seeing his patients as they heal over time. Your first post-operative visit will be scheduled after the initial healing period, during the first few days after surgery. In the following months, Dr. White may ask you to return for periodic checkups. Keeping these appointments is important to allow him to assess your long-term results and address any questions or concerns you may have.

Choosing a plastic surgeon

When considering undergoing a breast augmentation, Dallas plastic surgeon Dr. White believes choosing a qualified surgeon to perform it is one of the most important factors. Though it's hard to believe, not all physicians who perform cosmetic surgery have had formal surgical training. It's important to research the credentials of all surgeons you consider for your procedure. Dr. White is fully trained in Plastic and Reconstructive surgery as well as Otolaryngology (head and neck surgery). He invites potential patients to fully explore his training, experience online or during a personal consultation.

Make sure your surgeon is board certified

Find out if your doctor is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Surgeons with this certification have completed a minimum of five years of surgical training following medical school, including a plastic surgery residency program. During this intensive program, surgeons learn to perform surgical procedures for the entire body and face. At the same time, they develop their technical skill and aesthetic judgment. After training, a surgeon must pass comprehensive oral and written exams before being granted certification.

Both the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery require their members to be certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Plastic surgeons with this certification have completed approved training and examinations in plastic surgery including both cosmetic and reconstructive procedures.

Dallas plastic surgeon Dr. White is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery as well as the American Board of Otolaryngology / Head and Neck Surgery. He is one of the few plastic surgeons in the United States certified by both of these boards.

Ask about the surgeon's hospital privileges

It is very important to find out if your surgeon has operating privileges in an accredited hospital for the procedure you are considering, even if you are planning to undergo surgery in your doctor's office or at a surgery center. Before granting privileges, hospital review committees evaluate a surgeon's training and competency for specific procedures.

Dr. White maintains surgical privileges at several area hospitals in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

To find out more, click on Making Sense of Certification.

Click here for Breast Lift Patient Comments

For more information on cosmetic eyelid surgery, or to schedule a consultation with Dallas plastic surgeon Dr. White, call 214.696.6676 or contact us online at usaplasticsurgery.com.

       

STEVEN J WHITE, MD
PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL OF DALLAS
TEXAS HEALTH PRESBYTERIAN DALLAS
PROFESSIONAL BUILDING 3, SUITE 814
8230 WALNUT HILL, DALLAS, TX 75231-4485

Home | Dr. White | Philosophy | Procedures | Photos | Testimonials
Our Office | Skin Care | Questions | Contact Us | In The News | Site Map

Copyright © 2002-2009 USA Plastic Surgery. All Rights Reserved.