Plastic Surgery/Breast lift

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Expert: Alan M. Engler, MD, FACS - 4/14/2009


Question
I was just wondering how much of a size drop there is when you get a breast lift?  I am considering one but don't want to lose that much in size.

Answer
from Dr. Alan Engler
www.bodysculpture.com

Hi Theresa,

Great question.

There's actually only a very small drop in size when you get a breast lift along (ie, without an implant) BUT (1) most patients are actually smaller than they say they are, and (2) much of the improvement after a lift requires a small implant to achieve superior fullness (fullness at the top of the breast).

Most patients have to wear a larger bra than they really need since the breasts are a little floppy (nothing personal, as always) and need a wider based bra to "control" the excess skin.  Even in that bra, the upper portion is relatively flat and not filled out.  So when you do the lift you tighten up the skin a bit and raise the nipples - but you also are returned to your actually breast volume size, which is less than what most people wear.

Also, the lift does not adequately keep the breast tissue in the upper half of the breast.  It does if you just pull the tissue up and hold it tight - but the surgery doesn't work that way.  Because of gravity the tissue starts to collapse a bit and fall down.  Inserting even a small implant recreates and maintains a much better look and shape.

You can see examples of this at my site, www.bodyscupture.com, at the end of the Breast Augmentation page.

I hope that this helps, and good luck,

Dr. Alan Engler
www.bodysculpture.com

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Alan M. Engler, MD, FACS

Expertise

Dr. Engler has answered over 3100 questions as a volunteer expert for AllExperts. His expertise includes breast surgery (breast enlargement with implants, breast reduction, breast lifts), liposuction, eyelid surgery, tummy tucks, facelifts, skin cancers, cysts, etc. Dr. Engler has been listed as one New York`s Top Doctors, and as "One of the World's Most Famous Aesthetic Surgeons" (Aesthetic Surgery, TASCHEN Books, Angelika Taschen, Editor). He is the author of 4 books, including "BodySculpture" (a best-selling plastic surgery book on breast surgery, liposuction and tummy tucks), "EyeScapes" (Plastic Surgery of the Eyelids), "Restylane," and "The Slim Book of Liposuction." Dr. Engler has two US Patents for surgical instruments that he's designed, and has appeared on numerous television shows, including The Tyra Banks Show, The Ricki Lake Show (four times), and the Dr. Keith Ablow Show. Videos of his appearances are available on YouTube (search for "DR. ENGLER"), and his discussion of breast implants, also on YouTube is "How to Choose a Breast Implant." His website is www.bodysculpture.com. Thanks for "Likiing" Dr. Engler on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-York-NY/Alan-M-Engler-MD-New-York-Plastic-Surgery-and-Aesthetics/107206405967267?ref=ts&__a=8

Experience

Dr. Alan Engler is a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York and the author of BodySculpture - Plastic Surgery of the Body for Men and Women (ISBN 0966382749) one of the top-selling plastic surgery books on amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, etc.

Education/Credentials
Dr. Engler graduated from Yale University (BA, Russian Studies) and the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (MD). He did his residency training in General Surgery and, after that, Plastic Surgery, at the Montefiore Medical Center in New York. He is on the faculty of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, and is a Special Lecturer in the Department of Dermatology at Columbia University in New York. He has admitting privileges at Beth Israel Medical Center and Montefiore Medical Center, both in New York.

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