Breast Lift Chicago, IL

Women seeking a breast lift in Chicago often look to the skilled hands and artistic eyes of Dr. Michael Epstein, the board-certified plastic surgeon at MAE Plastic Surgery. From our AAAASF-accredited surgical facility in Northbrook, we have treated many women who wish to enhance their breasts with a firmer, more uplifted bustline.

Time changes the breasts. Plastic surgery can slow and reverse these changes so your breasts can remain perky and lifted, instead of flat and deflated. Call our office at 847-205-1680 and ask about our Chicago breast lift today.

What Is a Breast Lift? 

A breast lift, also known as a mastopexy, is a surgery that lifts and improves the shape of the breasts. As women age, lose weight or have children, their breasts tend to lose fat and glandular tissue, and they may develop overstretched or thinned-out skin. When the breast tissue shrinks, unfortunately, the skin envelope does not, and the areola and nipple drop down below the breast crease. The result is sagging breasts, one of the most common aesthetic breast complaints.

The effects of changing breast shape aren’t just physical. Many women in Chicago feel less sexy with drooping breasts, which is one reason why they opt for mastopexy surgery. A breast lift will move the nipple above the crease and restore a more youthful look and shape to the breasts by tightening the skin around the existing breast tissue.

Dr. Epstein at MAE Plastic Surgery uses many different surgical techniques, carefully selected to create your best results. He will discuss the various options available to you during your one-on-one consultation at our Northbrook office.

If you also desire to get fullness back, you may want to consider combining the lift with a breast augmentation. If you want to reduce the size and weight of your breasts, you may decide to have a breast reduction in combination with your Chicago breast lift. Be sure to ask about the many options available to you and get our recommendations about your best path to breast rejuvenation. Many patients choose to combine a breast lift with augmentation or reduction, but if you’re happy with your breast size, the surgery can produce excellent results as a stand-alone procedure.

Why Do My Breasts Sag?

Sagging breasts are one of the most prevalent aesthetic concerns among women, especially after weight loss or pregnancy. Your breasts contend against gravity and aging skin each day. Drooping and sagging are common problems that Dr. Epstein can easily treat with breast lift surgery.

What to Expect From a Breast Lift in Chicago

A breast lift is an outpatient surgical procedure performed at our Northbrook plastic surgery facility. Our convenient location makes our facility accessible for those coming from nearby Chicago or women who travel great distances to receive surgery and care from our world-class surgeon.

On surgery day, you’ll arrive at our facility and check in. You’ll complete final paperwork, dress in surgical clothing, and meet a final time with Dr. Epstein and our surgical team. Before you go into surgery, you’ll have an opportunity to ask last-minute questions and receive post-operative care instructions.

There are various ways to perform a breast lift procedure, largely dependent on the degree of sagginess of the preoperative breast. The most common technique requires small incisions around each areola, vertical incisions from the areolas to the bases of the breasts, and incisions in the breast folds. This approach is an inverted T incision or the anchor incision. It offers the best access for reshaping and lifting significant breast sagging. Patients with less advanced sagging may be good candidates for a different incision type, potentially one with a reduced potential for scarring.

Having created the incision, Dr. Epstein removes excess skin from the lower portion of the breasts, lifting and reshaping breast tissue to improve contour and firmness. He lifts the breast tissue and nipples into a higher position, giving a more youthful appearance. If the areolas have become stretched and enlarged, Dr. Epstein can reduce their size at the same time. If you’re receiving your breast lift in conjunction with an augmentation or reduction, Dr. Epstein will add implants or remove excess breast tissue as he performs your breast lift.

The procedure takes approximately two to three hours, but may vary depending on the complexity of the lift. After your surgery, you’ll spend a few hours in our recovery suite, where our skilled nursing team will carefully monitor you until you’re ready to return home.

Recovery After Breast Lift in Chicago, IL

What can you expect during your recovery period?

• Immediately after surgery, you may experience swelling, discomfort, bruising, and tenderness, all of which you can manage with oral medication.
• We’ll schedule several follow-up visits with your surgeon to assess healing.
• You must wear a sports bra for the first two to four weeks following surgery.
• You can resume light activity within two days after surgery, or as you feel ready.
• Most patients with non-strenuous jobs can go back to work within the first week after surgery.
• You can go back to full physical activity within four to six weeks after surgery.
• Incision lines will continue to heal and refine for one year after surgery.
• We recommend extra rest, especially during the early phases of recovery. Gentle walking, as soon as you feel good enough to get up and around, helps with circulation, and promotes healing. Your surgeon will give you detailed recovery instructions to follow as you heal after surgery.

If you have questions or experience any unexpected symptoms as you heal, reach out to our office. Dr. Epstein and our team are here to support you throughout the recovery process.

Frequently Asked Questions About Breast Lift in Chicago

You’ve got breast lift questions, and we’ve got answers. If you don’t find everything you’re wondering about answered below, come in for a breast lift consultation, and one of our board-certified plastic surgeons will answer any question you send their way.

Should I Pair My Breast Lift With Augmentation?

Mastopexy surgery is one of those treatments that often plays well with others. We can perform a lift alone, but we’ll often pair it with a breast augmentation.

Start by asking yourself this simple question, “Do I like my current breast size?” If you’re happy with your size, opt for a lift alone. If you want to go a little, or a lot, larger, pair your breast lift with implants.

Will a Breast Lift Change My Breast Size?

Breast size stays relatively stable for most breast lift patients. Your cup size may change slightly due to the change in your breast shape. If you want to increase breast size, add breast implants to your lift. If you want to decrease breast size, pair your lift with a breast reduction.

Will I Have Scarring After a Breast Lift?

Scarring is inevitable after most breast lift surgeries. Removing excess breast skin and reshaping the breasts requires incisions, usually horizontally across the breast fold, around the areola, and vertically to connect these two incisions. We use scar-minimizing techniques to reduce the appearance of scarring and only use the incisions that are necessary for the desired aesthetic result. Your scars will be most noticeable in the first year. As they heal and mature, they will flatten and fade significantly.

Most patients feel delighted with their breast appearance after a mastopexy. They find the improvement in shape compensates for any scarring that results.

Am I a Good Candidate for a Mastopexy in Chicago?

Ideal candidates for this procedure:

• Are in good overall health
• Want to improve the shape and positioning of their breasts
• Have moderate to severe breast sagging
• Can commit to the recovery period

Come in for a consultation to determine your candidacy for this procedure.

Can I Still Breastfeed After Breast Lift Surgery?

Breastfeeding may be possible after a mastopexy, but that isn’t a guarantee. If you’re hoping for children in the future and plan to breastfeed, let us know before surgery. Some surgical techniques can improve the chances of future breastfeeding success.

If you can’t breastfeed after breast lift surgery, it may not be the procedure’s fault. Due to anatomical differences and lifestyle preferences, some women struggle with breastfeeding even without previous breast surgery.

Will I Need Pain Medication After a Breast Lift?

We want you to have a comfortable recovery after your procedure. Dr. Epstein will explain your options for reducing discomfort after surgery. We commonly use a long-lasting, non-narcotic option called Exparel after breast lift surgery. It helps our patients manage post-surgical discomfort during the first three days – often the most difficult part of the recovery. Dr. Epstein may prescribe pain medicine as well. You can use over-the-counter drugs, but make sure you ask Dr. Epstein which medications are best and how to use them effectively.

Learn more about breast lift surgery in Chicago, IL, by calling MAE Plastic Surgery at 847-205-1680.