PATIENT 3

This patient is borderline for needing a breast lift. She wanted to be higher, fuller and larger but not too much larger. Her nipples were above the breast crease but the lower part of her breast tissue was below it. Careful planning, based on measurements and the surgeon’s experience and surgical techniques, is mandatory to ensure the lifting effect of an augmentation without implants is maximised and meets or exceeds the patient’s expectations. It is very important to ensure the dimensions of the implant are adequate to fill the skin in the lower part of the breast and to avoid total submuscular placement in a patient like this otherwise the so called “Snoopy” deformity, where the breast tissue falls away from the implant and looks like the cartoon character, can result. Placement in front of the muscle was needed here to maximise lifting and optimise the outcome.

Patients want to avoid the extra scarring that comes with a breast lift and are often pleasantly surprised that they can do so with the right advice. However if we advise that you do need a lift then do not try to achieve a satisfactory outcome with implants alone. If you think you are borderline a rule of thumb is to put both hands on top of your head as this simulates the lifting effect of implants although not the filling effect. If you think your nipples are high enough then it is likely that you can avoid a lift.