Breast Lift with Implants in Medellín

You may also see it called a breast lift with augmentation, or breast lift and augmentation. In Colombia it's known as mastopexia con implantes or pexia con implantes. It raises a sagging breast and, as part of the same plan, adds volume. It's one form of breast lift, which can also be done with your own tissue alone. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), a lift on its own doesn't significantly change breast size or fill out the upper breast. If you want a fuller look, the ASPS suggests adding an augmentation.

The lift itself is the same: extra skin is removed, the tissue is reshaped, and the areola and nipple are moved higher. What's added is the implant. The FDA has approved two types, saline and silicone gel, and according to the ASPS, the implant can go under or over the pectoral muscle. The ASPS explains that the lift can often be done in the same surgery as the augmentation, though sometimes it requires a separate operation. Surgery takes 3 to 5 hours, under general anesthesia. Your surgeon decides how it's done in your case.

Based on what the ASPS says about candidates for a lift and for an augmentation, you may be a candidate if you're healthy, your weight is stable, you don't smoke, your breasts are fully developed, and your expectations are realistic. It's better to wait, or to think it over carefully, if:

• You're pregnant or breastfeeding.
• You're planning more pregnancies: according to the ASPS, they can reduce or undo the lift.
• Your weight is still changing.
• You're doing it for someone else: it should be your decision.

Your surgeon makes the final call at your in-person consultation.

Every surgery has risks. These are some the ASPS lists for a breast lift and for augmentation:

• Anesthesia risks, bleeding, hematoma, infection, and fluid buildup.
• Asymmetry, poor scarring, and changes in nipple or breast sensation.
• Fat necrosis, and partial or total loss of the nipple and areola.
• Capsular contracture, and implant rupture or malposition.
• A lymphoma associated with breast implants (BIA-ALCL), or other very rare cancers in the capsule.
• Deep vein thrombosis, heart and lung complications, and possible revision surgery.

We go over each one with you, and you sign an informed consent form.

Before surgery, you get your pre-op tests, stop smoking, and review everything you take: according to the ASPS, aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs, and herbal supplements can increase bleeding. We'll tell you what to stop taking and what to bring. You leave wearing a post-surgical bra, and you need an adult to stay with you the first night. The first week is for taking it easy and caring for your incisions. Between weeks 2 and 4 you ease back in, with no strenuous activity. The implants settle between months 3 and 6. If they're silicone, the FDA recommends periodic screening.

You don't always need both.

• If your breasts don't sag and you only want volume, we look at breast augmentation.
• If you like your size and only the sagging bothers you, a breast lift alone may be enough.
• If you already have implants and your breasts have also dropped, a breast implant exchange can include a lift.
• If your abdomen also changed after pregnancy, we look at a mommy makeover.
• If you've lost a lot of weight, the lift can be part of body contouring after major weight loss.

Your surgeon decides this at your in-person consultation.