Breast Lift Archives | La Jolla, San Diego

Common Causes of Sagging Breasts

Breasts are a significant aspect of a woman’s physique and can substantially impact her self-esteem and confidence. Sagging or drooping breasts are a common concern among women, and they may be caused by various factors. This article will discuss the common causes of sagging breasts and how Tim Sayed, MD can help address this issue.

Causes of Sagging Breasts

Breast Sagging Due to Aging

Breast sagging due to aging is a common concern for many women. Our skin naturally loses elasticity and collagen as we age, making it less able to support the breast tissue. Additionally, hormonal changes that occur during menopause can further exacerbate the loss of breast firmness and shape.

Breast Sagging Due to Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

Pregnancy and breastfeeding are common causes of breast sagging. During pregnancy, the breasts undergo significant changes to prepare for lactation. The hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy cause the milk ducts to enlarge, resulting in an increase in breast size and weight. This can cause the skin and breast tissue to stretch.

After pregnancy, breastfeeding can also contribute to breast sagging. The act of nursing can cause the breast tissue to stretch and the ligaments that support the breasts to weaken. Additionally, the process of milk production and engorgement can cause the breasts to become heavier and more pendulous, leading to further sagging.

Not all women will experience breast sagging as a result of pregnancy and breastfeeding. Factors such as age, skin elasticity, and the amount of weight gained during pregnancy can all affect the extent of breast changes that occur. Additionally, some women may be more genetically predisposed to developing breast sagging than others.

Breast Sagging Due to Weight Fluctuations

Weight fluctuations can be a significant factor in the development of sagging breasts.

When a woman gains weight, the breasts will also increase in size due to the accumulation of fat cells, which can cause breast ptosis. The amount of weight gain and how quickly it occurs can also affect the extent of breast sagging.

Conversely, when a woman loses a significant amount of weight, the breasts may become deflated as the fat cells within them shrink. This can lead to sagging as the skin and breast tissue can no longer maintain their former shape and position. The degree of sagging that occurs after weight loss can vary depending on factors such as age, skin elasticity, and the amount of weight lost.

It’s worth noting that weight fluctuations don’t just affect women who are overweight or obese. Even women at a healthy weight can experience fluctuations due to changes in their diet or exercise habits, or simply as a result of regular hormonal changes throughout the menstrual cycle.

Breast Sagging Due to Genetics

When it comes to genetics and breast sagging, a few key factors are at play. The first is breast size. Women with larger breasts tend to experience more sagging over time due to the weight and strain placed on the breast tissue and skin. Additionally, the ratio of glandular tissue to fat in the breasts can affect their overall firmness and shape.

Another genetic factor that can contribute to sagging breasts is skin elasticity. As we age, our skin naturally loses some of its elasticity and collagen, making it more prone to sagging. However, some people may be genetically predisposed to having less elastic skin, which can contribute to sagging breasts at an earlier age.

Finally, certain medical conditions can contribute to breast sagging and may have a genetic component. For example, connective tissue disorders like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome can affect the strength and elasticity of the skin, making it more prone to sagging. Women with a family history of these conditions may be more likely to experience sagging breasts.

How Breast Lift Surgery Can Help

The primary goals of breast lift surgery are to raise and reposition the nipple, restore breast tissue to a higher, less descended location on the chest wall, and remove sagging, loose breast skin. This may involve placing incisions around the nipple, as well as vertical and horizontal incisions depending on the amount of excess skin that needs to be removed. In some cases, patients may also choose to combine breast lift surgery with breast augmentation (breast lift with implants) using implants to enhance breast volume and projection.

It’s important to note that breast lift surgery is a highly individualized procedure that requires careful planning and attention to detail. An expert plastic surgeon, such as Dr. Tim Sayed, will work closely with you to ensure that you understand the procedure’s potential risks and benefits and help you achieve the best possible outcome.

Want to Correct Sagging Breasts? Partner with an Expert!

Whether caused by aging, pregnancy and breastfeeding, weight fluctuations, or genetics, solutions are available to help restore the shape and position of the breasts. At your consultation with Dr. Sayed, he will work with you to determine the best approach to achieve your desired results. Dr. Sayed uses Crisalix^® software to simulate various breast lift techniques with and without implants, allowing you to visualize your potential results before undergoing surgery. If you are considering a breast procedure, contact Tim Sayed, MD in La Jolla and Newport Beach for a consultation to discuss your options.

Misconceptions About Breast Augmentation and Lift

Most women dream about having the full and perfectly rounded breasts we all see in movies and magazines. This concept of beauty and feminine body figures has been around for decades, which is why thousands of women decide to undergo plastic surgery every year to get the curvy figure of their dreams.

Though most patients are familiar with the concept of breast surgery, you might not know there is more than one way to achieve your cosmetic goals. Breasts come in different sizes and shapes, so there isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula that works for all patients.

Today, two of the most sought-after breast procedures are augmentations and lifts. Both surgeries achieve extraordinary results, but they serve different purposes. If you are considering breast surgery, understanding your options is crucial to help you make the right decision.

What Is Breast Augmentation?

Breast augmentation is the most popular plastic procedure in the U.S. This surgery is one of the safest, quickest, and most effective alternatives to improve breast symmetry, volume, and shape. During surgery, breast specialist Dr. Tim Sayed inserts saline or silicone implants to achieve the appearance you discussed during your consultation. Breast implants also come in different sizes and shapes, so Dr. Sayed will help you select the best choice for you.

Augmentation surgery is the ideal choice for healthy patients who want to address their breasts’ size or shape, but it has little effect on their position. If you are happy about your breast volume but think they look a bit droopy, you might want to consider a breast lift.

What Is a Breast Lift?

A breast lift is the leading solution for sagging breasts, medically known as ptosis. Flattened, deflated breasts can result from multiple factors, including aging, weight loss, breastfeeding, and even genetics. Breast ptosis can make you look significantly older, with issues like excess fat and downward-pointing nipples. These can be impossible to hide, even when you are fully dressed.

With a breast lift, Dr. Sayed removes excess skin, improves contours, and addresses nipple position to enhance your breasts’ appearance. This treatment is an excellent alternative for healthy women who struggle with sagging breasts, especially after having children.

Can I Combine Breast Surgeries?

Absolutely. Dr. Sayed can perform a lift and augmentation concurrently to simultaneously resolve multiple concerns. Pairing surgeries is an excellent way to save time and money because it only requires one recovery period, making it ideal for your busy lifestyle.

Your Breast Specialist in San Diego and Newport Beach, CA

If you think any of these treatments will help you improve your figure and boost your confidence, why not schedule a consultation to clear up all your doubts? Our team at Tim Sayed MD Plastic Surgery will be happy to see you in either of our two convenient locations. Contact us when you are ready to learn more.

Will a Breast Lift Make You Look Younger?

When most people think of aging, gray hair and wrinkles first spring to mind. But many of Dr. Sayed’s patients struggle with the changes that occur in their bodies’ contours over time.

With age, and particularly following pregnancy, the breasts begin to stretch and change shape from their original perky setting on the chest to more of a drooping appearance. Fortunately, this effect is easy to counteract with a breast lift.

Here, Dr. Tim Sayed of Tim Sayed MD Plastic Surgery in La Jolla and Newport Beach, CA, looks at why the breasts show signs of aging and how a breast lift can rewind the clock.

What Happens to the Breasts Over Time?

All skin gradually stretches over time. This phenomenon occurs because the body slows the production of structural proteins such as collagen and elastin, compounds essential for resilient and youthful skin.

On your face, lost collagen and elastin leads to wrinkles and fine lines, which Dr. Sayed can address with either a facelift or dermal fillers.

Skin laxity leads to drooping, low-hanging breasts, which a breast lift can resolve. Weight gain, pregnancy and simple aging can all affect the elasticity and skin redundancy of the breasts, leading to what plastic surgeons call “ptosis” (which the rest of us call “sagging”).

How Does a Breast Lift Make You Look Younger?

The breasts are a defining feature of a woman’s body. Firm, uplifted breasts signify, to many, youth and confidence, which is why many middle-aged women or moms come to Dr. Sayed seeking a solution to their deflated, sagging breasts.

In performing a breast lift, Dr. Sayed will excise excess skin and sometimes a small amount of fat from around the breasts. Having completed this step, he then repositions the breasts higher on the chest wall and fixes them in place with dissolvable sutures that will disappear over time as your breasts heal.

The breast lift procedure can make you look years younger, while instilling an essential confidence level that many patients find difficult to feel with drooping, low-hanging breasts. In some cases, lifting the breasts also helps the patient feel fitter and look more slender.

Can Other Procedures Help Enhance My Breasts?

They certainly can!

For many women, a breast lift helps set the breasts higher, but many enjoy the comprehensive results from a breast augmentation as well.

Breast augmentation increases the breasts’ size and definition, and you can have it done concurrently with a breast lift for an even more dramatic difference.

Breast Lift in Newport Beach, CA

If your breasts make you look or feel older than your years, you’re not alone. These concerns are prevalent among women as they age, and Dr. Sayed offers a brilliant solution in a breast lift. Reach out to us in Newport Beach or La Jolla, CA, by calling 858-247-2933 or through our website to arrange a quick virtual consultation to discover how we can help you look and feel your best.

What Breast Surgery is Right for You?

Breast surgery is by far the most commonly performed category of plastic surgery. Breast surgeries generally include breast implant removal, breast augmentation, revision breast surgery after prior augmentation, breast reduction, and breast lifts. The most popular of these is breast augmentation with implants, with over 320,000 procedures performed each year in the U.S.

Increasingly, there are more women seeking nipple surgery as well. But with so many breast surgery options to choose from, which one is right for you?

Here, Dr. Tim Sayed of Tim Sayed Plastic Surgery in La Jolla and Newport Beach, CA, looks at the differences between each breast surgery and how you can choose the appropriate procedure for your goals and desires.

Breast Implant Removal and Revision

First time breast augmentation (see below) remains incredibly popular, but a new trend has been growing in the last few years, with more and more patients looking to revise their prior breast augmentation. Sometimes this means the patient will consider new implants, but in others, patients have decided that breast implants are no longer for them. This may occur if the patient develops a capsular contracture (a phenomenon where scar tissue encasing the implant begins to distort the shape or feel of the device), or if an implant has leaked, or if the patient has a recalled device (Allergan textured implants, which are no longer on the market), or increasingly, if the patient is concerned about health issues and wishes to explore if her body will feel better without implants. There are various tradeoffs when exploring whether implants are for you, or whether you would prefer to go “implant free.” These tradeoffs include concerns about health, cosmetic appearance of the breasts, and recovery processes. Dr. Sayed is known for providing very detailed and informative consultations to help you navigate some of these challenging decisions.

Breast Augmentation

Breast augmentation was the poster procedure of plastic surgery during the ‘80s and ‘90s. With celebrities and pop icons going for the procedure, the public quickly followed.

Breast augmentation increases the size of the breast by introducing implants, or in some cases, the patient’s own fat, obtained through liposuction. There is a broad spectrum for how large or small implants can be, whereas fat grafting may have more limited availability in thinner patients.

If your goal is simply larger breasts, then breast augmentation is likely the procedure for you.

Breast Reduction

For some women, overly large breasts cause health problems and aesthetic concerns. Breasts that are too large can cause severe back pain, shoulder and neck problems, issues with posture, and discomfort during exercise and daily life.

If naturally large breasts are a concern for you, then breast reduction surgery is the procedure. Expert plastic surgeons such as Dr Sayed can remove tissue from the breasts that make the breasts smaller but enhance the shape and position of the breast to be very aesthetically pleasing and comfortable.

Of note is if your breasts feel too large due to breast augmentation in the past, plastic surgeons can successfully remove implants with implant removal surgery. In most cases following implant removal, however, women require a breast lift.

Breast lift

Breast lift surgery is rapidly growing in popularity. Over 110,000 breast lifts are performed yearly and for a good reason.

Often, mothers of women experiencing aging desire a more youthful appearance to their breasts but don’t necessarily want larger breasts. A breast lift is perfect in this instance. A staple procedure in a mommy makeover, a breast lift removes excess skin above and around the breasts, which pulls the breasts higher on the chest, creating a younger, firmer, more pleasing appearance.

If you want to enhance how your breasts look and feel, but don’t want to make them any bigger or have implants used, then a breast lift is the way to go.

Breast Surgery in Newport Beach, CA

No matter what your concern is with your breasts, there is a procedure that can solve your problems. All you need to do is consult with an experienced board-certified plastic surgeon, such as Dr. Tim Sayed. Reach out to Dr. Tim Sayed in Newport Beach or La Jolla, CA by calling 858 247 2933 or via this online form to arrange a consultation to discover how we can help you look and feel your best.

Breaking Down SoCal Breast Lift Costs: What Will You Pay?

The cost of a breast lift in SoCal isn’t black and white. Rates can vary from practice to practice, and even two patients seeing the same surgeon can end up with very different price tags. Why? Several factors come into play when determining the cost of this transformative procedure: a practice’s location, the type of anesthesia necessary for your procedure, the surgical venue you choose, your surgeon’s rate, and pre/post-op expenses tend to be the most significant deciding components of how much you’ll pay.

During your no-obligation consultation, Dr. Sayed, a board-certified plastic surgeon, will cover all the information you need to know about your breast lift, including estimated costs. We strongly encourage you to ask any questions you have about pricing, insurance, and financing before you make your decision.

Below, we’ll break down the different costs of a breast lift in Southern California. If you have any further questions or would like to schedule a consultation at our San Diego or Newport Beach, CA, offices, give us a call at 858-247-2933 today.

Extent of Your Breast Lift

Perhaps the most significant factor in determining breast lift costs is the extent of your procedure. Patients with severely drooping breasts may require a breast lift in combination with breast augmentation. If this is the case, the overall price will increase, though combining the procedures is a far more cost-effective option compared to performing them separately. If you choose to undergo your lift as part of a mommy makeover, cost assessments can also vary.

If you receive a breast lift alone, the procedure time can vary depending on your desired results. Minor breast lifts can take half the time of a full breast lift, such as an inverted-T mastopexy, requires. Therefore, minor lifts (like a crescent breast lift) tend to cost between $6,500 to $7,500, while major ones (such as an anchor lift) could range between $9,000 to $12,000.

Your Surgeon’s Expertise

Working with a highly skilled, experienced, and trained surgeon sometimes affects the cost of your procedure. Board-certified surgeons, like Dr. Sayed, invest in continuing education, the latest cutting-edge techniques, and providing their patients the highest levels of care. We work with all our patients to ensure procedures are affordable while not cutting any corners to ensure your safety and ideal results.

Just as with nearly everything else in life, when it comes to cosmetic surgery, you get what you pay for. Though the fees for working with an expert surgeon may be relatively higher, the extra cost provides you with the best quality treatments, techniques, and personalized care from an experienced doctor.

Anesthesia and the Surgical Venue

The type of sedation and anesthesia necessary for each patient varies widely. If your procedure requires general anesthesia, the total price will include the cost of an anesthesiologist or a certified anesthetist nurse. Further, depending on where we decide to complete your procedure can affect costs. During your consultation, we will discuss all the options.

Practice Location

Depending on where your surgeon works, prices shift based on local economies, demand, and average incomes. Less expensive rates might be available in some cities, which is why destination surgery has become so popular among cost-conscious patients. Traveling out of town for your procedure can sometimes end up saving you a good chunk of change. In general, urban centers and more metropolitan areas tend to be slightly more expensive, due to practices bearing higher real estate costs and overhead.

Cost of Materials

If you choose to combine your lift with breast augmentation, as we’ve mentioned, prices usually increase. Prices vary depending on the type of materials required. In general, saline implants are cheaper than silicone (usually around $1,000 less). However, just because the price is lower does not mean a particular implant type can provide your ideal results. Dr. Sayed will listen to what you want your finished breasts to look like, and provide his guidance to help you choose what’s right for you. Any additional cost will be worth it in the long run.

Schedule a Consultation

Though insurance doesn’t usually pay for breast lift surgery, since it’s an elective cosmetic procedure, Dr. Sayed offers a range of financing options to help you achieve the breasts of your dreams. He is a board-certified plastic surgeon with particular expertise in breast anatomy.

If you think a breast lift might be right for you and want to schedule a consultation, please call our San Diego, CA, office at 858-247-2933 or contact us online.

Breast Lift + Augmentation: Why You Might Consider this Duo

Aging, pregnancy, and genetics all play a role in changing the shape of your breasts over the course of your lifetime. If you are worried about breasts that have begun to sag or flatten, you may be weighing the benefits of a breast lift procedure to restore your youthful profile. But while a breast lift is ideal for repositioning the breasts higher on the chest, it will not be able to address volume loss, which is why many women are opting to combine a breast lift with a breast augmentation.

What You Need to Know About a Breast Lift and Augmentation

A breast lift as a standalone procedure may not provide the results you are looking for if your breasts have lost significant volume, which happens to many women during pregnancy and breastfeeding. The skin that stretches to provide milk for a baby can fail to bounce back to its pre-pregnancy position, leading to breasts that droop lower on the chest.

Though a breast lift will remove excess skin and move the breasts and nipple-areola complex to a perkier position, it may actually decrease your breast volume slightly. For many women, combining a breast augmentation with a lift is an ideal choice, because the dual procedure creates both an increased breast volume and an enhanced breast shape. Getting breast implants at the same time as your breast lift surgery should not significantly add to your recovery time, and the results can provide a dramatic improvement in the appearance of your breasts.

There are two significant advantages to combining a breast augmentation with a lift in the same procedure: It saves money and will also help you avoid having to undergo two recovery processes from two separate surgeries.

Who Is a Good Candidate for a Breast Lift + Augmentation?

In general, the same characteristics that make a woman a good candidate for a breast lift also qualify her to get a breast augmentation. These include:

Overall good health
Being a nonsmoker
Have no masses in the breasts after an exam
Having a positive support network of family and friends
Realistic expectations for the results of the surgery

The best way to determine whether you need a breast lift is a simple check called the “pencil test.” To perform this test, place a pencil in the crease beneath one of your breasts. If the pencil rolls away, you still have sufficient perkiness in your breasts. However, if your breast holds the pencil in place, you are a likely candidate for a breast lift surgery.

Recovering From a Breast Lift With Augmentation

For the first few days after your surgery, you can expect some tenderness, bruising, and swelling across your chest, and you may experience mild discomfort as well. These side effects are normal. To promote swifter healing, you will need to wear a specially designed surgical support bra that is sized and measured to fit you.

The length of your recovery time will depend on several factors, including how large your breast implants are. Women who choose bigger implants can expect more tissue stretching. If your job is not physically demanding, you may be able to return to work within a week or two. Women who have a more strenuous job may need to take a longer time off work. It’s also best to abstain from exercising for two weeks and ease back into your workouts after that.

Considering a Breast Lift With Implants? Contact Us Today

Women in the San Diego area who are ready to discuss combining a breast augmentation and lift should contact our office today to schedule a consultation. As a double-board-certified cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Tim Sayed has been honing his techniques for 13 years, and he is skilled at breast procedures. Regain your younger-looking breast silhouette with a breast lift and augmentation.