Breast Reduction vs. Breast Lift (Mastopexy): Which Is Right for Me? (Updated September 2024)

Blog - Breast Reduction vs. Breast Lift (Mastopexy): Which Is Right for Me? - woman laying by the pool in a bikini

Choosing between a breast reduction or breast lift depends on your unique needs and aesthetic goals. If you’re dissatisfied with the appearance, size, shape, or positioning of your breasts, it may be time to consider surgical options to enhance them. But opting for a breast reduction vs. breast lift (mastopexy) is a decision we help you navigate based on your unique concerns and the specific issues we’ll explore below. Sometimes, combining both procedures enhances (and boosts!) your breasts and self-confidence.

What is Breast Reduction Surgery?

Breast reduction surgery is a cosmetic procedure that helps women who are physically or emotionally uncomfortable with their heavy, large breasts. You may suffer from chronic neck, back, or shoulder pain that interferes with your daily lifestyle. Oftentimes, the heaviness of the breasts causes significant “grooving” from the bra straps in the shoulder blades and make exercise and other activities difficult.

Breast reduction surgery removes excess tissue, while elevating and placing the breasts back onto the chest wall AND creating a beautiful shape. Breast size becomes significantly more proportionate to your body, and your lifestyle significantly improves. The scars from a breast reduction are typically in the shape of an anchor, which heal quite well. We place your incisions strategically to minimize visibility.

View before and after photos of breast reduction cases in our gallery.

What is a Breast Lift?

Breast lift surgery primarily improves the lift and shape of the breasts. If you’re satisfied with breast volume but have noticed that your breasts have dropped (after breast feeding, weight loss, or just due to the aging process), you’re likely a good candidates for a mastopexy.

There are several types of mastopexy techniques, each one designed to address the specific portion of the breast needing to be lifted. The scars can range from a circular scar around the areola to a lollipop scar to an anchor scar. The severity of the breast laxity dictates the type of breast lift performed.

View examples of breast lift before and after photos in our gallery.

Evaluating Your Aesthetic Concerns and Goals

Your personalized consultation offers the chance to explore your specific concerns and goals and determine your candidacy for your chosen procedure. It is important that we assess your anatomy at the time of the consultation to ensure that there is sufficient breast tissue present to deliver a proportionate and beautiful outcome. If there is not sufficient breast tissue present and a mastopexy is performed, the end result can be smaller than desired.

These patients may benefit from additional volumizing either with fat grafting (harvesting your own fat, processing it, and injecting it back into the breast for improved contour and volume) or a breast augmentation with breast implants. Oftentimes, a mastopexy causes a small reduction in cup size, so it is important to assess preoperative breast volume to ensure an aesthetically beautiful outcome.

Breast Reduction vs Breast Lift Differences

While both procedures improve the appearance of your breasts, a breast reduction primarily targets size reduction and offers relief from discomfort. Alternatively, a breast lift addresses sagging or assymetry by enhancing breast shape and position without significantly impacting breast size.

Whether you undergo a mastopexy or a breast reduction, or combine both techniques, your breasts will be uplifted, reshaped, and repositioned to sit more beautifully on your chest. Women who combine breast procedures sometimes do so as part of a comprehensive mommy makeover surgery, which addresses multiple changes to the body after childbirth during a single surgery with only one recovery window.

Understanding Your Recovery & Results

There’s a similar recovery process after breast reduction and breast lift, which involves minimal postoperative pain and discomfort. We recommend restricting vigorous exercise and other strenuous activities until 6 to 8 weeks post-op to ensure adequate scar healing and optimal results.

You can start appreciating the results of your procedure about 3 to 4 months after surgery, although it typically takes up to a year or more for scars to significantly fade. Learn more about the recovery process by reading our post-op FAQ.

Take the Next Step

If you’re interested in learning more about your breast surgery options, call our Scottsdale, AZ, plastic surgery office today at  (480) 423-1973 or request a consultation with one of our board-certified plastic surgeons.

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